Class AA Final Team Rankings: Top Non-Seniors

<p>The final rankings for the 2019 volleyball season have been unveiled. As several of these teams continue their respective journeys through sectional brackets with hopes of a state tournament berth, there are many non-senior athletes across these rosters gaining great experience that will serve them well next season with opportunities to assume greater roles to help keep their teams among the upper echelon of teams. Here is a breakdown of some of the best non-seniors among the top-10 class AA teams.</p> <p><strong>TOP FIVE TEAMS</strong></p> <p><em><strong>#1 Stewartville</strong></em><br /> Stewartville has been atop the class AA rankings for a good portion of the season. They have an incredibly athletic and talented group, which includes three stars that should return and be available in the 2020 season. Recent Kentucky commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="58016" first="Erin" last="Lamb"]</strong> is one of the dynamic athletes in the state regardless of classification. She is a prolific score from many locations and can disrupt opponents on the defensive side as well. Her skill set will continue to improve over the club season making her and this team even more dangerous next year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71952" first="Jolie" last="Stecher"]</strong> is a junior and possesses similar versatility as Lamb and is developing her own place in this lineup and rotation that is certainly garnering increased attention. She could be the x-factor given the attention that others get on this team. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71961" first="Jaidyn" last="Brower"]</strong> has been leading this potent offense for a couple of years now and will be relied upon again to find and build some balance around Lamb and Stecher following the graduation of some key components from this year’s squad. Other rising athletes include attackers Allie Elliot, [player_tooltip player_id="73468" first="Arianna" last="Blohm"], Regan Reker, Mikenna Hettinger, defensive specialists Sarah Oeltjenbruns and Kylie Smidt and setter Rylee Mensink.</p> <p><em><strong>#2 Marshall</strong></em><br /> Marshall is a senior-laden team this year and have experienced great success for multiple seasons due to their skills, leadership, and sheer competitiveness. The 2020 version of the squad will look vastly different regarding the regulars that will see court time and be relied upon to uphold the Marshall standards and expectations. Current junior <strong>Jordyn Hilgemann</strong> will be Marshall’s top returner and she is a good one. She is athletic, strong, and versatile in her ability to score in a variety of ways. She will need to some immediate support and will look to other returning non-senior athletes that include hitters <strong>Tessa Gannot</strong>, <strong>Emily Meier</strong>, <strong>Araya Rock</strong>, <strong>Courtni Nielsen</strong>, and <strong>Ashley Boerboom</strong> as defense and ball control duties will be consumed by <strong>Kendra Webb</strong>, <strong>Morgan Hart</strong>, and <strong>Kaitlyn Timm</strong>. Marshall has such an incredible winning culture that it will be no surprise to see them in the mix among the best team even though some of the experience may be limited. </p> <p><em><strong>#3 North Branch</strong></em>The Vikings have been one of the best all season considering their state championship run in 2018 on the shoulders of non-seniors. However, when the 2020 team begins their quest they will have moved on from some of those athletes and will look to a couple of key veterans to try to keep them relevant to the top 10. They do have a great floor leader in setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71949" first="Paige" last="Sheehan"]</strong>. She has been the primary distributor throughout the Vikings’ stellar run and will undoubtedly control the reins next season with a big responsibility to find some balance that will replace their key point scoring. Middle <strong>Reagan Irons</strong> will continue to be one of Sheehan’s favorite targets and rightfully so as Irons works hard to get herself available as an offensive option. Her transition work is fluid and involves good vision off the first contact so she is able to create good spacing off the net. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72802" first="Paige" last="Peaslee"]</strong> will also be relied upon to carry a bigger point scoring load next season. She has provided some great moments for North Branch as she also works hard in transition and perhaps brings a bit more heat than Irons from the middle position. Other attackers that may see an increase in workload include <strong>Lindsey Bunes</strong> and <strong>Lydia Kuhlman</strong>.</p> <p><em><strong>#4 Kasson-Mantorville</strong></em><br /> The Komets will return setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72766" first="Maddie" last="Converse"]</strong> who has been leading this team for two years now and has an incredible resume already in her young career. She is surrounded by some young attackers that have gained some great experience this season and will certainly back next year better than ever. Middle Mya Suess has been a reliable option all season and will be among the best in her position in the Hiawatha Valley league next year. The pin work will be shared among a group of regular contributors in <strong>Addie Bzoskie</strong>, <strong>Olivia Matuska</strong>, <strong>Avery Irish</strong>, <strong>Noelle VanOort</strong>, and <strong>Madison Cummings</strong>, all of whom have seen court time during important moments. Balance among this group of skilled hitters will be key as they lose a primary arm to graduation following this season.</p> <p><strong>#5 Concordia Academy</strong><br /> With just one senior on its current roster, Concordia will return the bulk of their effort in 2020 and looks to be the most veteran team among this current top-ten group through this early preview into next season. Outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="10088" first="Kira" last="Fallert"]</strong> is one of the most skilled and dominant athletes in the current 2021 class and has led her team four a couple of seasons now. As well as she can terminate the ball, she is deftly skilled with her ball control and defense, quite often keeping her team’s offense in system. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71950" first="Brooke" last="Weichbrodt"]</strong> has shared the leadership role with Fallert and has done a great job of involving her hitters in ways where they can be successful and that support the offensive effort well. She can also score herself as an offensive-minded setter. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72801" first="Shaina" last="Zinter"]</strong> is dynamic and versatile. At 5’9 she gets off the floor quickly with good elevation that allows her to get ahead of the block in front of her. She can also score from pins if needed, which indicates good versatility. Pin attacker <strong>Sydney Pelzner</strong> can also be highly effective. Although she may not have the highest contact point of the group, she has great extension through her arm swing that can guide the ball off or around the block with some good power. She recently had 17 kills against a high quality Mayer Lutheran block. Other members that should return next season include libero <strong>Grace Landvik</strong>, setter <strong>Nora Wilhelm</strong>, and attackers <strong>Emma Revoir</strong> and <strong>Angelia Siglin</strong>.</p> <p><strong>OTHERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <p><strong>#6 Southwest Christian:</strong></p> <ul> <li><em>[player_tooltip player_id="72777" first="Jayna" last="Bredenberg"], Sonja Brastad, Felicia Luther, [player_tooltip player_id="58843" first="Estelle" last="Haugen"], [player_tooltip player_id="72775" first="Callie" last="Coughlin"], Hailey Miedema, [player_tooltip player_id="86643" first="Annika" last="Veurink"], Shayne Dockter</em></li> </ul> <p><strong>#7 Watertown-Mayer:</strong></p> <ul> <li><em>Emily Burns, [player_tooltip player_id="10109" first="Paige" last="Thibault"], [player_tooltip player_id="73495" first="Kate" last="Thibault"], Ashley Olson, Natalie Ernhart, Elizabeth Burns, Jenna Bauer</em></li> </ul> <p><strong>#8 New London-Spicer:</strong></p> <ul> <li><em>Ava Kraemer, Nyla Johnson, Olivia Mages, [player_tooltip player_id="30738" first="Ashlyn" last="Olson"], [player_tooltip player_id="71970" first="Aleah" last="Zieske"], Mya Krause, Kendra Bagley, Emma Hanson, Mackenzie Rich</em></li> </ul> <p><strong>#9 Sauk Centre:</strong></p> <ul> <li><em>Madeline Nelson, Jackie Middendorf, Claire Neubert, Emma Kittelson, Abigail Meyer, Jenna Gapinski-Vogt, Ella Froseth</em></li> </ul> <p><strong>#10 Belle Plaine:</strong></p> <ul> <li><em>Sydney Meyer, Lauren Johnson, Lilly Kahle, Abby Fisel, McKenna Ziemke, Ari Koepp, Sarah Lenz, Brynne Meyer, Leah Lenz, Remi Meyer, McKenzie Schwichtenberg</em></li> </ul>