Under the Radar Defenders in the Class of 2022

Rachel Kass May 9, 2020 @ 03:38 PM

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The class of 2022 will start having a huge impact in the fall of 2020. They will now be upperclassmen in their respective high schools and start taking on leadership roles if they haven’t done so already. Serve receive and defense are two of the most important aspects of the sport and as these athletes grow into their leadership roles they will become key players during both their high school and club volleyball seasons. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="81331" first="Hadley" last="Strohkirch"] - 414 Milwaukee Elite</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hadley controls back row well. She talks a lot and is always on the move making her great at covering her teammates and running through balls. Hadley also reads the court well and is always learning and improving against her opponents. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="81349" first="Abigail" last="Proefrock"] - I Am Volleyball 16 Red</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abigail is a very fast defender. She picks up balls that with many other liberos would have been on the ground. She is also very consistent across the board. Abigail is steady on serve receive and does not get flustered very easily. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ella Luoma - Sting 16 Burlington</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Besides being a great passer, Ella is an incredible motivator. Her talk on the court is amazing and she keeps her team motivated during the highs and the lows of the game. Even in ruts, she keeps her team going and is an overall great teammate. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Madeline Boerman - WI Juniors 16 Elite</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Madeline has very good coverage of the court. The ability to see the court and cover it well is as much natural talent as it is practice and skill and it is an area that Madeline strives. Not only does she cover her hitters but also her fellow defenders and she is always ready to make a run for a shanked ball. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Megan Smitz - Epic 16 Black</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another tough skill to teach is crossing in the back row but Megan Smitz has textbook form when she executes a cross. She always seems to know exactly where her other defenders are and who will be getting which ball. Her ability to read her teammates and her opponents is a great asset to her teams. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sydney Peirce - Milwaukee Juniors 16 Elite</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sydney has a ferocious serve. Nearly every time she goes up to serve she racks up several points. She also has very good court awareness. She reads her opponents well and adds value every time she steps on the court. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These defenders each bring something to their team that is invaluable. One thing they all have in common though is their competitiveness and their ability to make an impact on their team whenever they are on the court. </span></p>