First Impressions Of Top Athletes Around The Prep Dig Network

First impressions go a long way. This is taught early on by parents, teachers, coaches on how, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression”. That’s true, but I’d like to think of myself and others as open-minded and not creating too much judgment on that first impression. For the following athletes, they definitely were eye-catching to begin with. Some may be some of the top players in their class. Others just had a spark whether it be in a certain skill, their effort, their intangibles which goes to show there are those attributes you have 100% control over no matter what you bring to the court with your power, swing, or defense. Here are just a few impressions that have stuck from the first time I saw them play live. [player_tooltip player_id="78339" first="Brooke" last="Mulholland"] - Iowa Select - Clinton HS (IA) Class of 2020 - Committed to Kirkwood I saw Mulholland play live for the first time at Iowa Regionals in 2019. Her Iowa Select squad out of the Quad Cities area in Davenport had a strong 17s team with plenty of balance. Mulholland is a crafty setter where she is so scrappy and intentional with everything she does on the court. Her athleticism allows her to set, she can swing on either pin if needed, and just has so many intangibles in her favor. Mulholland will head to one of the top junior college programs in the country in Kirkwood CC in Cedar Rapids where they have had consistent success at the national level. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="33252" first="Elise" last="Goetzinger"] running the slide 🤩🤩🤩 <a href="https://x.com/stingvb1988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stingvb1988</a> wins in three over Apex <a href="https://x.com/MilSting18Gold?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MilSting18Gold</a> <a href="https://t.co/it2xhKefxF">pic.x.com/it2xhKefxF</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1223636269982502912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2020</a></blockquote> [player_tooltip player_id="33252" first="Elise" last="Goetzinger"] - Milwaukee Sting - Mount Horeb (WI) Class of 2020 - Committed to Kentucky Goetzinger started out at Sting relatively unknown from the Madison area, but being around 6’3 or 6’4 and an electric personality definitely creates a dynamic where people seem to gravitate towards her. She had the athleticism, physicality, and all the intangibles of being a great teammate to go with. From first seeing her take the court, you could see the potential. And so could Kentucky, Goetzinger will head to the SEC and be a part of one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Watch her run the slide, but also see how engaged she is on the sideline and you will instantly become a fan. [caption id="attachment_16696" align="aligncenter" width="283"] [player_tooltip player_id="56020" first="Isabelle" last="Schauer"][/caption] Izzy Schauer - Milwaukee Sting - Watertown (WI) Class of 2020 - Committed to Belmont Schauer was on the 16 White team as a Sophomore, moved up to the Black team as a 17s, and was one of the setters on the 18 Gold squad this past season. 2018 was when I first started covering Wisconsin heavily for Prep Dig and this 16 White team just continued winning, they would just find ways to knock off bigger teams. Schauer just has this grit about her, she has no fear on the court and knows when to find her open hitters or take it herself on the second contact. She will head to Belmont next year and she will somehow find a way to compete and contribute, that’s just what she does - finds a way. [player_tooltip player_id="56016" first="Karlee" last="Lois"] - Wisconsin Juniors - Union Grove (WI) Class of 2020 - Committed to Wheeling This Wisconsin Juniors 18s team has been so fun to watch the past couple of years. They’ve stayed together as a group and have accumulated some big wins. [player_tooltip player_id="56016" first="Karlee" last="Lois"] is the quarterback of the team as a setter where she can just slice and dice a defense. With a big beach background, she is so creative with how she orchestrates the offense. She finds the deep corner to score points on the second contact and connects so well on the slide with her teammate [player_tooltip player_id="80148" first="Karina" last="Leber"] (Colorado State) and [player_tooltip player_id="80159" first="Emily" last="Alan"] (IUPUI). <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="61622" first="Katie" last="Hurta"] - WOW! One of the top players in the Class of 2022 in Illinois. She can set, but dang she can hammer too? 🔨 🔨 🔨 — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1180304202947538944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2019</a></blockquote> [caption id="attachment_86286" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Hurta #24[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="61622" first="Katie" last="Hurta"] - 1st Alliance - Nazareth (IL) Class of 2022 - Committed to Indiana I knew Hurta was committed to Indiana, I thought she was going to indiana as a setter and then saw her swinging on the outside for her Nazareth High School team at the Asics Challenge this past fall. I could not believe her all around ability. The total package. Seeing her again at Triple Crown, she was setting and hitting for her 1st Alliance that is always a threat to win every match. Again, her creativity and IQ is above and beyond most at her age level. Indiana is continuing to rack up big time recruits. [player_tooltip player_id="31585" first="Kendal" last="Kemp"] - Northern Lights - Eagan (MN) Class of 2022 I forget that Kemp is only finishing her Sophomore year of high school. I first saw her play for MN Select 15s while she would have been a 14s, playing an age group up. Here was an 8th grader who definitely had the makings and it was only a matter of time before she became dangerous. And that she did and is still continuing to improve. At 6’5, Kemp has a Big Ten build to her where she will be one high on the radar when college coaches can start talking to 2022’s again in June. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Class of 2021 rising prospect [player_tooltip player_id="58020" first="Elizabeth" last="Dille"] finishes it off for <a href="https://x.com/kandielite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kandielite</a> <a href="https://t.co/u1cZ3f4Rdz">pic.x.com/u1cZ3f4Rdz</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1089606027350343682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2019</a></blockquote> [player_tooltip player_id="58020" first="Elizabeth" last="Dille"] - Kandi Elite - Sartell-St. Joseph (MN) Class of 2021 - Committed to Green Bay At the AVCA Phenom program there are hundreds of players. It can be a bit overwhelming, but was such a fun event to cover seeing top players from all over when the Final Four came to Minneapolis in 2018. With a sheet of hundreds of names and numbers assigned, I had to look for the athlete who was 5’10, long, athletic, and just had a solid all around game. That would be [player_tooltip player_id="58020" first="Elizabeth" last="Dille"] who plays for Kandi Elite out of Willmar, MN. A small town club, with a whole lot of game. Dille continued to impress throughout the club season and this past fall committed to Green Bay who has had great success with athletes out of Minnesota where they won the 2018 Horizon League tournament. [caption id="attachment_88110" align="aligncenter" width="436"] [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"] - Legacy - Skyline (MI) Class of 2023 I hadn’t seen Murray play until Triple Crown a few months ago. But watching her approach and swing was all I needed to see in order to know that Murray will be one of the top outside hitters in the Class of 2023….in the nation. She’s got the swag to go with it. She thrives in the pressure and to take the big swing when her team needs it. Her older sister, Kendall will head to Michigan and who knows, maybe Harper will be heading there in a few years as well. [player_tooltip player_id="14163" first="Julia" last="Bishop"] - Michigan Elite - Mercy (MI) Class of 2021 - Committed to Michigan State Bishop is the top prospect in the Class of 2021 and will be staying close to home to play at Michigan State. As a setter, Bishop has the physicality at the net and is one of those athletes that can will their team to win. She makes something out of nothing and can run a fast tempo offense where her attackers have a big window to score from. Bishop is someone you just need on your side of the net. Allison Gray - Nebraska Elite - Skutt Catholic (NE) Class of 2021 - Committed to Arizona State Gray has such a motor, she is relentless. Seeing Gray for the first time play at the Northern Lights Qualifier last year with her Nebraska Elite squad was so fun as her energy was so contagious. The would gain an Open bid that tournament. This past fall I was able to see her again play for her high school team, Skutt Catholic where they not only won a state title in Nebraska, but are one of the best high school programs in the nation. [player_tooltip player_id="59200" first="Evan" last="Glade"] - Nebraska Juniors - Grand Island CC (NE) Class of 2023 Glad made quite an impression at the Nebraska Top 250 this past December. The Class of 2023 in general was extremely strong and once again proved why Nebraska has some of the top all around volleyball players around. Glad is long, athletic, and will be a six rotation force to be reckoned with. Glade and fellow Class of 2023 athlete [player_tooltip player_id="59214" first="Gracie" last="Woods"] will be fun to keep tabs on in Nebraska high school volleyball the next couple years. [player_tooltip player_id="61651" first="Kaitlin" last="Leider"] - VC United - Belvidere North (IL) Class of 2022 - Committed to Bradley Leider is another one of those players who would be considered “Lightning in a Bottle”. She swings on the pin where she just flys and is so solid in the backrow. Her VC United 161 Elite squad was building huge momentum heading into March with solid finishes at Triple Crown and then winning the JVA Showcase in the Wisconsin Dells. Leider will be fun to see as she progresses in her high school and club career before she heads to Bradley.