Recruiting 2022: Suburban East Conference

<p>The Suburban East conference has some terrific talent to showcase during the 2020 fall season with some of the best athletes throughout the league representing the 2022 rising junior class. The East Ridge Raptors came up just short of the state tournament a year ago and are one of the few top teams in the state that are set to return a big part of their roster. They should open the season among the favorites and will feature two of the best attackers in the 2022 class that have received a lot of attention from Prep Dig over the past several months. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31576" first="Camryn" last="Greenwald"]</strong> and pin attacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72767" first="Britt" last="Carlson"]</strong> stand at 6’1 and 6’4 respectively and are currently both ranked among the top 20 in this class, each earning all-conference honorable mention honors in 2019. They each have improved over the course of the club season, not only in their individual skills but in their assertiveness defensively and aggressiveness with their opportunities to score points off their arms. Look for them both to be a huge part of the East Ridge effort that has potential to be one of the most potent and balanced offenses in the state. The following collection of 2022 athletes should also represent the Suburban East conference well this coming fall and are worth a good look.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72828" first="Braiziah" last="Dixon"] - 6’0 | MH | Woodbury</strong><br /> Dixon, an honorable mention selection in 2019, is an athletic and physical middle and should see a big increase in her role for Woodbury following the graduation of some of their key offensive talent from 2019. She moves well in transition to make herself available and has good spacing and timing to create a high contact point that is tough to defend. She was quite active for her M1 team on both sides of the ball as they utilized her well through a variety of attack points. She has good patience and explosiveness when blocking and gets her elbows above the net to fill up space well. She has great potential to be a stock riser in this class over the next cycle of high school and club ball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72818" first="Olivia" last="Foss"] - 5’7 | S/DS | Stillwater</strong><br /> Foss helped guide the Ponies’ offense a year ago and will be back with added experience that should benefit this squad well through the typically tough conference schedule. Sharing the setting duties for M1’s top 16s team during the club season, Foss was surrounded by a great collection of ball control and attacking skill from her teammates. She has good preparation and first step movement to pursue the ball for the second contact with a full range of distribution ability through both pins and with middles on quicker options. Her hand position is consitent around the floor and she can locate the ball well for her hitters to find room and success. Look for her to increase her role and court presence this fall.</p> <p><strong>Sophia Gondek - 5’6 | DS/L | Roseville </strong><br /> Gondek does some good work from this role in the back row. She has good angle production and moves around the floor with good footwork and balance. Her jump float serve has some good movement at times and can put good pressure on opposing passers as well. As a 2019 all-conference honorable mention selection she has been under the radar at Roseville with increased attention having competed for Kokoro Volleyball Club in recent months. She is rankings worthy and will be highly considered among the additions for the next 2022 update. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72827" first="Emma" last="Slusser"] - 6’0 | OH | Park</strong><br /> At 6’0, Slusser is a rangy pin attacker. She has a long frame and can create a high contact point when she gets her feet to the ball and is on balance. She took a lot of swings for Park during the 2019 season, earning herself recognition as an all-conference honorable mention selection. She has good versatility and can be equally effective from both the left and right pins. Her experience with Northern Lights 16-2 this recent club season should help her a lot when considering the high level of competition this conference tends to showcase every year. </p> <p><strong>Sammie Steffens - 5’ 8 | OH | White Bear Lake</strong><br /> A 2019 all-conference honorable mention selection, Steffens was a key element in White Bear Lake’s offensive effort a season ago. She took a lot of swings and will certainly be counted upon for more of the same this fall. She has an aggressive attacking mindset with strong approach work in her last two steps, which leads to natural torque in the air. She has a good understanding of her opportunities and can apply good pressure to the defense with arm control and a range of shots. She is on the radar and should jump into the prospect rankings with the next update.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72798" first="Lucy" last="Zollar"] - 5’7 | L | Stillwater</strong><br /> Zollar had a productive 2019 campaign in her second season as a varsity member for Stillwater, which led to an all-conference honorable mention distinction. She is a steady contributor in the areas of ball control and defense with a simple and stable approach in her preparation and movement. She has good foortwork and angle production while being able to pursue the ball of the attackers arm with good range. She returns as a veteran and will be counted upon to help lead her Stillwater teammates to meet their traditionally high standard of execution.</p>