Midseason Report: Under the Radar Teams to Watch

<p>Title Photo: Lici Mixson-Black (Woodbury) | Photo Credit: Brian Mozey (RiverTown Multimedia)</p> <p>As the second half of the regular season is upon us, this is a good time to take a look at some teams that are under the radar given they have respectable records, are among their league’s leading teams, but perhaps have yet to gain the attention and mention they deserve. Here is a look at three teams that should impact sectional playoffs and some of their key individual athletes:</p> <p><strong>WOODBURY</strong> - <em>League: Suburban East | Record: 15-2</em><br /> With a respectable 3-0 win over Stillwater, and a 2-0 win over North St. Paul in an earlier tournament, the Royals have proven they can compete well and find success against quality opponents. They are led by senior outside hitter <strong>Brianna Van Well</strong>. She is a returning 2018 Suburban East all-conference selection. She is joined by a trio of athletes among the PrepDig prospect rankings in the class of 2020. Offensively, <strong>Lici Mixson-Black</strong> (2020 | MH | Prep Dig #23) shares a good portion of the offensive workload with Van Well and others such as senior Abby Hawks and 6’0 sophomore middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72828" first="Braiziah" last="Dixon"]</strong>. The setting is handled by 6’0 senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71676" first="Courtney" last="Cahill"]</strong> (Prep Dig #49) and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72785" first="Jada" last="Nunn"]</strong>. They also represent the youth and veteran depth Woodbury has throughout their roster. Senior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="57508" first="Kayla" last="Towne"]</strong> (PrepDig #71) leads Woodbury’s ball control and defense. The Royals opened up the season on a 14-match win streak before dropping a couple of matches at a tournament this past weekend in Wisconsin. An upcoming match against a well-balanced East Ridge squad later this week will give fans a true measure of Woodbury’s strengths and weaknesses as the final weeks serve to set teams up for their respective sectional playoff destiny. </p> <p><strong>PARK CHRISTIAN</strong> - <em>League: Pine to Prairie | Record: 16-1</em><br /> The Falcons from Moorhead have been stringing together a great season of success as they currently are on an 11-match win streak. <strong>Karley Motschenbacher</strong> (2020 | OH), a 2018 Pine to Prairie all-conference selection, is the team leader in total kills and blocks and among the team leaders in total digs. Motschenbacher provides great leadership as a six-rotation athlete. In a recent match versus Maple Valley she had eight kills and 13 digs in the 3-0 result. Senior libero <strong>Allison Lien</strong> leads the Falcons in total digs while fellow senior <strong>Delia Roisum</strong> runs the offense. Along with Motschenbahcer, Roisum’s other big target is in junior middle <strong>Madi Wagendorf</strong> as she is second in total kills while also second in total blocks. The Falcons conclude the regular season at home versus league foe Ada-Borup in a couple of weeks, which is seemingly is the biggest test remaining on their schedule and include some challenging matchups across the net.</p> <p><strong>PINE RIVER-BACKUS</strong> - <em>League: Northland | Record: 17-1</em><br /> The Tigers are currently receiving votes in the class A poll. Their only loss this season is to a good Pequot Lakes squad (3-1), a team receiving votes just outside of the class AA top ten. With 10 letterwinners back from their 28-3 2018 squad, they have good depth and experience that will serve them well come sectional playoffs. Last year they lost in the sectional finals and look to make it one step further. Their key athletes include senior right side hitter <strong>Anna Felthous</strong>. Combined with junior middle hitter <strong>Jaime Johnson</strong>, the two continue to be some of the Tigers’ most consistent offensive threats as the team leaders in total kills. The third reliable offensive option is in freshman outside hitter <strong>Hannah Barchus</strong>. At 5’6, she has also been productive at the service line and on defensive as she is among team leaders statistically in those areas. Junior setter <strong>Riley Hirschey</strong> directs a balanced offense and along with Johnson, they represent the team leaders in total aces. With five matches remaining on their regular season schedule, PR-B should find themselves seeded very favorably once sectional playoffs are established.</p>