Potential Breakout 2022s

I’m still looking forward to a day when we can enter a gym and see our favorite players back in action. I love making predictions, and I have a some for the 2020 season. Let’s take a look at which upcoming upperclassmen might be having some pretty big junior seasons. [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] – 5’11 – Outside Hitter – Sauk Prairie Shadewald has a heavy arm and is physical at the net. The Eagles had a lot of young weapons in 2019 and had a 31-14 record to prove that they were no joke. Shadewald led her team with 459 kills and 86 aces as a six-rotation outside hitter. She is just as lethal from the endline as she is at the net. [caption id="attachment_80996" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="57245" first="Haley" last="Koch"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="57245" first="Haley" last="Koch"] – 5’11 – Middle Blocker – Oconomowoc The Coons went 40-4 in 2019 and will return 4 big weapons in [player_tooltip player_id="81252" first="Maleah" last="Howe"] (2022 – 5’8 – Outside Hitter), [player_tooltip player_id="80739" first="Kaitlyn" last="Bingham"] (2021 – 5’9 – Pin Hitter), [player_tooltip player_id="91876" first="Cordelia" last="Kearns"] (2023 – 5’10 – Pin Hitter) and Koch. Koch led her squad with 132 blocks, and while she is a defensive force, she can certainly make an impact offensively while hitting an efficient .301. She is versatile across the net with the ability to hit a number of routes, as well as off one foot behind the setter. [player_tooltip player_id="81274" first="Gianna" last="Vollrath"] – 6’0 – Middle Blocker – Fall Creek Vollrath helped lead Fall Creek to a 40-4 record and a trip to the Resch in 2019 as a sophomore. She hit an efficient .380, while recording 418 kills and 103 blocks. She led her team in these categories, and I would expect her to reach the 1,000-kill milestone in her junior season. [player_tooltip player_id="81257" first="Sydney" last="Lewellin"] – 6’0 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Lake Mills Lake Mills had an impressive 29-6 record during a competitive schedule. This group will lose a couple of their top weapons. Lewellin knows how to run an effective offense, but she can also take a heavy lefty swing, and I’d love to see that utilized. I would expect to see her experience and confidence to really shine through after recording 810 kills and 196 digs in 2019. [player_tooltip player_id="57270" first="Michaela" last="Riege"] – 5’7 – Libero – Waterloo Riege is a solid athlete, and you can plan on seeing Waterloo back at the Resch with the quality returners they have coming back. She is solid in serve-receive and good at reading the other side of the court. Riege recorded 558 digs and 70 aces in 2019. Waterloo is definitely lucky to have her taking the first contact with the ability to pass half the court. [caption id="attachment_92796" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="57248" first="Dorci" last="Walker"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="57248" first="Dorci" last="Walker"] – 5’11 – Pin Hitter – Columbus Catholic Walker and the Dons should be a squad to look out for in 2020. They had a diversely aged group in 2019 and will be graduating a big blocker. If they have another solid middle to defend at the net and draw blockers, they could be dangerous again this season. Walker led her squad with 362 kills and 97 aces, while also recording 69 blocks and 383 digs. I cannot wait to see what 2020 holds for her!   [player_tooltip player_id="81283" first="Tatum" last="Kebisek"] – 5’8 – Setter – Brookfield Central Kebisek has been on our radar for a while and going into her 3rd season with a couple of her top targets in [player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] (2022 – 6’1 – Outside Hitter – Minnesota Commit) and [player_tooltip player_id="81253" first="Morgan" last="Daugherty"] (2022 – 6’2 – Middle Blocker). She led her team to a 36-9 record, while recording 188 digs and 1,176 assists. After her sophomore season, Kebisek has already reached the 2,000 assists milestone. Kebisek has great command of the court, and if the Lancers have the personnel to fill the supporting roles they lose to graduation, you could definitely see them making a run for the Resch in 2020. Allison Taylor – 5’8 – Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter – Heritage Christian Taylor and the Patriots will be bringing back a majority of their squad in 2020. They have plenty of experienced weapons returning. Taylor was averaging almost 1 ace every set. I’m looking forward to seeing the growth of Taylor and her team. Ellie Kline – 5’3 - Libero – Holmen Holmen will be returning a really strong 2022 class. Kline provides a solid first contact, but more importantly, she is a strong leader. She is approaching the 1,000 digs milestone, and I’m sure she will reach it in her junior season. Kline helped her young team to a 27-13 record while contributing 547 digs and 33 aces. I am excited to see what the Vikings do in 2020! Grace Simenz – 5’10 – Middle Blocker – Nicolet Nicolet was an extremely young group in 2019, but there is a bright future with players like Simenz. She is athletic, and she recorded 107 blocks and 101 kills. Simenz will be returning, along with Ava Ellegard (2021 – 5’11 – Outside Hitter), Katie Heidenrich (2022 – 5’7 – Outside Hitter), and Michaela Henrichs (2021 – 5’7 – Setter). Macie Wieman – 5’9 – Outside Hitter – Reedsburg Wieman is a hidden gem and underrated. She led her team to a 24-10 record, and while they will lose some key pieces, they have some young athletes coming up. The Beavers will rely on Wieman’s experience in 2020 after recording 357 kills in 2019. She led her squad with 427 digs and averaged 4 kills per set while taking over 900 swings.