When Play Resumes…

Sometimes I just want to scream, “I miss volleyball!” At this point webinars and zoom meetings have only been able to fill a small portion of the void of where sports used to be in our daily lives. I, for one, have been suffering some serious volleyball withdrawal. I miss everything about coaching and scouting for hidden gems or top performers to write about. Thankfully, I have tons of notes and ideas, but I always enjoy hearing what YOU want to see us write about. I am trying to be optimistic that we will get back on the court soon; even if that means things may look a little different, it will be worth it. I certainly can’t assume we will get to see any more 2020 club teams in action, but I am really hopeful to get to see teams play in the fall. I have been working on finding players and teams I want to watch play this fall. Here is a sneak peek at what I’ll be looking forward to seeing when play resumes! [caption id="attachment_94678" align="alignright" width="300"] Amber Thaler[/caption] Hidden Gems I love high school season for finding the hidden gems. There are so many talented players who may be 3-sport athletes and believe they can’t play club or play in more local clubs for time commitment reasons. At Prep Dig we cover players at all levels over the course of the year and we see thousands of players. This helps us expand and improve our rankings. I can’t wait to find more gems like Amber Thaler (2021 – 5’8 – Middle Blocker – McDonell Central), Clarissa Aulik (2021 – 5’8 – Outside Hitter – Antigo), and Erica Oster (2021 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker – Eau Claire Memorial). Joy To Be On The Court One thing I think we will see is a lot of players just downright happy to play again. It can become a real grind going from your high school season to club season to high performance and camps back to prepping for the high school season. Some work to make breaks, but some just eat it up. Either way, I think everyone starts to burn out a little, and that can show in different forms. Some plateau in progress, some struggle physically, some mentally, but this has been a long break, and I’m sure there will be a lot of athletes excited to get back to the grind. Keep On Wisconsin I felt like I was starting to really get a solid grip on the class of 2022, as well as the club teams I needed to watch. I was excited to see great volleyball at the Prep Dig Tournaments, Badger Region Championships, and the AAU National Championships in Florida this year. But now I am going to start looking ahead to which teams and players I’d like to see in the fall!   Players I Have To See This Fall [player_tooltip player_id="91880" first="Kyla" last="Dunaway"] – 2023 – 6’3 – Middle Blocker - Kimberly Dunaway is a middle blocker who is climbing up on the radar in the Class of 2023. She will be a dominant force at the net in the fall. Dunaway should be drawing the attention of some decent college programs by this point. I haven’t seen her play live since last summer, so I’d love to see how she has progressed! [caption id="attachment_94681" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="80714" first="Mariah" last="Grunze"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="80714" first="Mariah" last="Grunze"] – 2021 – 6’0 – Outside Hitter - Waterford It has been too long since I’ve seen Grunze play. She has got a powerful whip and some great playing experience to go with it. I also know her high school setter, [player_tooltip player_id="81272" first="Josie" last="Johnson"] (2022 – Setter), who gets better every time I see her play, so I would love to see how their connection has developed since the last time I’ve seen them play. [player_tooltip player_id="81254" first="Natalie" last="Ring"] – 2022 – 6’0 – Outside Hitter - Edgewood Everyone has been excited about Ring’s raw ability and talent for a while. She has a physicality at the net that can be intimidating. I’d like to see how she’s developed recently and what school might be picking her up to play at the next level. [caption id="attachment_94682" align="alignright" width="300"] Catholic Central Serve Receive[/caption] Teams I Have To See This Fall Appleton North Catholic Central Columbus Catholic Highland Howards Grove [caption id="attachment_94683" align="alignright" width="300"] Howards Grove[/caption] Kettle Moraine McFarland Mosinee Oconomowoc Oconto St. Croix Falls [caption id="attachment_94684" align="alignright" width="300"] Kettle Moraine[/caption] Sun Prairie Waterloo Wisconsin Lutheran Xavier   [caption id="attachment_94685" align="alignleft" width="300"] Aaliyah Krenn blocking 2024[/caption] The Class of 2024 Typically through the club season, I try to make sure to see as many different age groups as I can, but near the end, I like to take good notes on the 14s who will be moving into their high school careers in a few months. This helps us develop our Watch List and gives a good jumping off point for more comprehensive rankings in the future. The future is wide open for this class as they haven’t hit their first high school tryout yet, and they have the exciting adventures of trips to the Resch in November and the recruiting process, as well as playing with girls of different ages who they normally wouldn’t play with or against in club. I am looking forward to digging up some new hidden gems! [caption id="attachment_94689" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="81252" first="Maleah" last="Howe"][/caption] The Class of 2021 and 2022 The new upperclassmen will be entering their best seasons yet. They’ve had to fight seniority and now they are the seasoned experts. We’ve been able to witness the amount of improvement from their freshmen year. They’ve put in countless repetitions, and things are really clicking now. Hang in there, 2023s and 2024s; your time is coming! I’d love to see some highlight videos for more content! Email <a href="mailto:spikeitdown@hotmail.com" data-auth="NotApplicable">spikeitdown@hotmail.com</a> to let me know who else I should be watching for this fall!