Part 1 - A Deep Dive Into the Class of 2020 Recruiting Classes for the MVC

The Midwest is a battleground for the Missouri Valley Conference which has traditionally been a multi-bid lead with Northern Iowa and Illinois State most recently being some of the tops in the conference. These schools recruit hard locally, keeping the top athletes close to home. So what 2020 athletes are heading to the MVC and who is bringing in top classes. I have seen many of these athletes play live during their high school and club careers and I know many of them will have great success at the next level. How did I gather this information? RichKern.com is a great resource for finding information on committed athletes as well as the volleyball websites of all of these schools. I know in the world of recruiting and the second semester of the school year always has a few curveballs. If there is an addition or edit that needs to be made, contact Chris Fitzgerald at chris@prepdig.com Bradley [player_tooltip player_id="61402" first="Maddie" last="Peterson"] - Moline, IL - Platform Elite Peterson comes from the Quad Cities in Moline as a top libero in the area, playing for Platform Elite on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. Bradley has great success recruiting locally to build on a strong season in 2019. Drake Macy DeLeye - Washburn Rural (KS) [player_tooltip player_id="78413" first="Calea" last="Jones"] - Ankeny Centennial - Iowa PowerPlex [player_tooltip player_id="78326" first="Kara" last="Peter"] - Carroll Kuemper - IPVA <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Union takes a TO down 9-5 in set two Kuemper and Unity tied at 7 with Kuemper winning set one 25-18. <a href="https://x.com/DrakeVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrakeVolleyball</a> commit [player_tooltip player_id="78326" first="Kara" last="Peter"] with 11 kills already <a href="https://t.co/VzfudGpufv">pic.x.com/VzfudGpufv</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1194653940782157827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [player_tooltip player_id="78338" first="Kacie" last="Rewerts"] - Nevada - IPVA [player_tooltip player_id="17097" first="Jada" last="Wills"] - Dubuque Hempstead - Six Pack [player_tooltip player_id="10020" first="Halle" last="Wolfe"] - Lakeville North (MN) - Northern Lights (Title Photo - Right) <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://x.com/DrakeVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrakeVolleyball</a> picks up another huge commit to their Class of 2020 recruits. [player_tooltip player_id="10020" first="Halle" last="Wolfe"] of <a href="https://x.com/nlightsvball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nlightsvball</a> and <a href="https://x.com/LNHSVolleyball1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LNHSVolleyball1</a> commits to being a Bulldog. Coach McBroom has had a successful recruiting season. Wolfe is one of the top 2020 liberos in Minnesota. — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1139571187930075136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Drake is bringing in a ton of in-state athleticism and talent, especially from right in their backyard of Central Iowa. Jones and Peter have won state titles for their high school and will be a major force in the front row. Rewerts is a really strong all around athlete and is the type who can play any front row positions. Wills brings a six rotation, gritty style where she has a big arm to be a threat from everyone. I have not seen DeLeye play out of Washburn Rural High School, but her high school program is one of the tops out of Kansas. Wolfe out of Lakeville, MN has been one of the top liberos in her class out of Minnesota that is extremely well trained and has a presence on the court. She’s that type on the court who isn’t afraid to make her presence known and put herself in a position to take over a match from the backcourt. Illinois State Sarah Jacobsen - Orion (IL) - Platform Elite Cassie Jordan - Riverside (OH) - Eastside Cleveland Juniors [player_tooltip player_id="10061" first="Kaitlyn" last="Prondzinski"] - Stewartville (MN) - SMV (Title Photo - Left) Jacobsen comes from the same club program as [player_tooltip player_id="61402" first="Maddie" last="Peterson"] who will be going to Bradley. She is a 5’11 outside hitter. Prondzinski is the type of athlete who is strong, physical and can really score points from anywhere on the court. She is coming off a state title in her high school season, but her style of play is a blend of power, hitting a really heavy a ball, but also some shots where she can roll to the open spot. She is accustomed to winning and will be a high pickup for the Redbirds. Indiana State Jamie Brown - Center Grove (IN) - Team Indiana Ashley Eck - Center Grove (IN) - Circle City [player_tooltip player_id="61413" first="Karinna" last="Gall"] - Althoff Catholic (St. Louis) - Rockwood Thunder Kaitlynn Hamilton - Lawrence Free State (KS) - MAVS [player_tooltip player_id="14142" first="Mallory" last="Keller"] - Hudsonville (MI) - Michigan Volleyball Academy Asia Povlin - Sullivan (IN) - COA Indiana State will be looking to rebuild a bit after last season with a pretty young team, but they will have some major pieces coming in from top clubs out of the Midwest. Eck and Brown have experience playing together out of the Indianapolis area while Gall comes from a successful high school program and club where she’s accustomed to playing in big games as one of the top players out of St. Louis. Keller and Povlin will bring a really athletic and gritty style to the court where they can score from the pin or provide a swing out of the backrow. Loyola-Chicago [player_tooltip player_id="56005" first="KJ" last="McNabb"] - Sun Prairie (WI) - Capital Volleyball Academy (Title Photo - Middle) [player_tooltip player_id="61503" first="Grace" last="Hinchman"] - Geneva (IL) - Fusion [player_tooltip player_id="33253" first="Emily" last="Banitt"] - River Falls (WI) - Kokoro <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://x.com/embanitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@embanitt</a> with the 🏠🏠🏠🏠<a href="https://x.com/RFHSVball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RFHSVball</a> <a href="https://t.co/AUUl4FRQEF">pic.x.com/AUUl4FRQEF</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1175521295695585280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Kat Warpinski - Edina (MN) - M1 Anna Feldkamp - St. James (KS) - KC Power [player_tooltip player_id="41693" first="Kelsey" last="Watson"] - Cor Jesu Academy (MO) - HPSTL Jenna Appel - Edgewater (FL) - OTVA Loyola came on real strong last year finishing second overall during the MVC regular season with a blend of Seniors and Freshmen which will translate for a relatively younger squad for the 2020 season. However, coming in are a blend of athletes who can play multiple positions and a ton of depth defensively. Depth would be an understatement with this class with athletes in every position. Banitt and McNabb have been two of the most athletic and electric outsides coming out of Wisconsin. They can play six rotations and score from everywhere. Collectively as a class, this group has a chance to do some big things while at Loyola.