Valkerie Select 18-1 Establishes Northern Heat’s Reputation
Northern Heat is a club, based out of the Brainerd area, has been on a mission this season. With five teams, they are just starting to build a reputation as a top club north of the cities. Their success…
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Continue ReadingNorthern Heat is a club, based out of the Brainerd area, has been on a mission this season. With five teams, they are just starting to build a reputation as a top club north of the cities. Their success is driven by the 18-1 Valkerie Select team. This hand-selected team is led by coach Nathan Eckman. The play of their eight players is creating a buzz for the club.
The team has done very well this season. At Big City Luau, they played in the Club division and got second. Their only loss for that weekend was to the capable MVA 17 Elite. Noteworthy wins included: Southern Elite Energy 18’s, Midwest United 18-1, and Kokoro 18-2.
For the Northstar President’s Day Challenge, they moved up to Premier competition. Again they only dropped one match all weekend and finished 5th overall. This weekend they proved they are finishers, with 5 of 7 matches going to 3 sets. And of those five drawn out sets, they won four! Their only loss was to Summit 18 – losing 12-15.
The seniors lead the team. Avery Eckman, daughter of coach Nathan, is a versatile outside hitter who is signed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. It is likely, the 5’10” senior could spend time at UMD as a defensive specialist too. Her defensive skills have given the Valkerie team an edge in their long matches. She tallied over 1,000 kills during her high school career at Brainerd and was recognized as an Academic All-State athlete. The other senior on the team is standout, Delaney Schaeffer. At 6’2” she has her way at the net as one of the best blockers in the Central Lake Conference. But blocking isn’t all she does. This season she averaged 9.1 kills. The final senior is their libero Mariah Rickard. She led the Pequot Patriots to the state tournament this year. For Valkerie she gets to share defensive duties with Ella Pfieffer (2021.)
The majority of the team is juniors from Pequot Lakes. The team chemistry they bring is hard to find. Lydia Hubbard balances out the middle with Schaeffer at 6’1”. She has developed a variety of hits over the last few years. When she gets to hit from the outside or run a slide on the right, she can’t be stopped. Maddy Morrison finds herself in the front row with Hubbard a lot and the two put together a tight block. Maddy also makes more defensive plays than a typical right side, as she is always anticipating the next play. Lastly, is the junior setter, Rita Ganley, is the key to managing all their offensive weapons. Her jump set and quickness give her team the ability to play in premier-leveled divisions.The final spot on this team is a up and coming star for Pequot Lakes: outside hitter Ella Kratochvil. She is a 5’9” eighth grader who fits right in with her older, more experienced teammates. They only have a few more events to play in but are sure to leave their mark as they continue to generate competitive play.