Club Spotlight: MN Premier Volleyball Club
Minnesota Premier is another club working to build community, skills, and young athletes in the metro area. Maybe you have heard of them, maybe not. With so many great clubs, it can be hard to keep up with…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingMinnesota Premier is another club working to build community, skills, and young athletes in the metro area. Maybe you have heard of them, maybe not. With so many great clubs, it can be hard to keep up with all the growing programs; but then you spot a name or two you know and you know they are a club to watch.
For example, state championship coach, John Yunker, is coaching the Premier 17-1 team. His history-making win at Champlin Park high school is one of the many things that will bring athletes to this club. Although the team is a 17’s and likely to compete against older players, we anticipate a lot of growth under the direction of Yunker.
The 17-1’s doesn’t have the height of some teams, but make up for it with their determination and athletic ability. Alexa Peet, is a 5’10” middle blocker from Andover High school. She is a strong threat in the middle and seems to enjoy challenging bigger opponents at the net. Next up is another middle, Julia Parr is an athletic, slightly shorter player from St. Francis high school. Her speed in the middle allows her to recover quickly. Sarah Genet is another versatile player from Spring Lake Park high school. While she typically is a right-side, her versatility makes her a great addition to this team. Perhaps one of the best things about this squad is that many of the girls who face each other during the high school season get to join together and play. Some of the players did not play a lot of varsity for their high school teams, but with new coaching and teammates, we can’t wait to see how they develop this season. The 17-1’s will be going to the Wisconsin Dells Showcase this weekend.
With a handful of players making up the 16-1’s team for Premier, they are sure to be a solid group. This includes Mallory Rak (5’8” OH), Brenna Stam (5’4” DS), and Aniki Bolles (5’6” DS/OH). While these three all played varsity for Andover, their role was somewhat limited being sophomores on a strong,older team. This club season will help prepare them for leadership they will likely step into next year. This team tied for third place in the Northstar Pres. Day Festival. It should be a good weekend for them in the Dells too.
Looking ahead: Their 14-1 team has done well competing and winning against other strong teams: MN Attack 14-2, Kokoro 14-3, SEE 14-1 and Club Tonka 14-2. They have several teams at every age: 17-2, 16 Blue, 15 Blue and 15 white.
MN Premier is definitely meeting their goal of “fostering the development, education, and participation of female athletes, ages 18 and under, in the sport of volleyball.”