New Wisconsin Names I Never Knew Before The Summer

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After going two months with no live volleyball to cover, it was full throttle in July and August.  I was able to see some great athletes.  The ones who really improved, the ones who continue to impress, but also the ones who I really had no idea who they are.  It’s the mental file folder I have of what athletes play for which club and high school, then they change their jersey or shirt to their summer teams and it’s like getting to know everyone all over again.  Seeing new players is exciting.  They could be Seniors I just never had the chance to see live or Freshmen who are ready to make their splash on to the big scene.  </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Put her on your list...Class of 2024 setter Lilly Wagner (and these middles too) <a href="https://t.co/MktDZ3Xo6t">pic.x.com/MktDZ3Xo6t</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1291805968666447874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><strong>Lilly Wagner and Anna Bjork - Oconomowoc</strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2024 </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These incoming freshmen are ready and are going to be quite the tandem the next four years at Milwaukee Sting and Oconomowoc.  Wagner is a setter, long and athletic, and already shows so many intangibles where she has great court command and can rally a team around her.  Bjork has quite a motor as a middle blocker.  She can get from pin to pin and got better each time I saw her compete this summer.  Oconomowoc continues to reload after graduating plenty of college talent from the Class of 2020. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luther Prep is gritty, scrappy, and so fun to watch - closing in on a berth to their championship! <a href="https://t.co/aZvAIvwcb2">pic.x.com/aZvAIvwcb2</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1296171359857520643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><strong>Andrea Bortulin and Grace Kieselhorst - Luther Prep </strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2022 and 2021</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This Luther Prep team is incredibly fun to watch and I never got the chance to watch this school prior to this summer where I was fortunate enough to see them compete at Wisconsin Lutheran College Team Camp as well as the Sunset Slams. Bortulin may be 5’4, but she can attack, block, set, pass, do it all.  She plays with plenty of spark and fire.  Opposite of Bortulin is Kieselhorst who is silky smooth as a setter.  She isn’t afraid to set the middle and is extremely crafty with her left hand.  The Phoenix will have a fall season and will be fun to see them compete against other top D2 squads.  They are dangerous with solid ball control, multiple attackers, and are overall extremely scrappy. </span></p> <p><strong>Amelia Dettmering and Olivia Dettmering - Prentice </strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2021</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twinning is winning for Prentice.  Amelia and Olivia are identical twins (and I mean really identical).  Olivia is a setter while Amelia is an outside hitter, but they both have such a great all around skill set.  These two make a great combination with top attacker [player_tooltip player_id="80845" first="Olivia" last="Burcaw"].  Prentice made huge statements this summer at multiple Prep Dig Events showing they will be a top team to contend with in D4.  Solid ball control, efficient, and overall just a love for the game - you can tell they enjoy being together and enjoy the game no matter where they are playing. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Let’s play a third! This match is so exciting between Falls and Prentice! <a href="https://t.co/OPOIi2uEJA">pic.x.com/OPOIi2uEJA</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1298721459951435778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><strong>Abbi Martin - Mosinee</strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2022</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sneak effective.  Martin has to be around six feet tall or a bit above, but she is long and has a high motor out of the middle.  The soon to be Junior was fun to watch at the Prep Dig Sunset Slam where Mosinee made major strides throughout the summer.  Martin’s squad is well balanced and disciplined.  They will for sure be a team to keep tabs on throughout the 2020 season. </span></p> [caption id="attachment_107519" align="alignright" width="410"]<img class="wp-image-107519" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/09/McCormack.jpg" alt="" width="410" height="273" /> [player_tooltip player_id="81303" first="Sophie" last="McCormack"][/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="81303" first="Sophie" last="McCormack"] - Kettle Moraine</strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2022</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I had seen McCormack before, I took a picture of her team playing at the Dells just before quarantine started.  Then I saw her at the Prep Dig Summer League at Milwaukee Sting and again at the Prep Dig Summer Showcase.  She continued to impress from the outside where she is extremely quick and aggressive to the ball as an attacker.  Her ceiling is incredibly high with her all around athleticism and high touch.  Definitely one who will make a rise in the rankings. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">More 2024’s starting the event strong! <br /> 187 - Emma Nilson<br /> 198 - Lilly Wagner <br /> 186 - Claire Luoma<br /> 201 - Gabby Wold <a href="https://t.co/RQbSHeXVmx">pic.x.com/RQbSHeXVmx</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1291796539543826432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><strong>Claire Luoma - Franklin </strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2024</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The incoming freshmen are so exciting to watch.  Luoma definitely stood out at the Prep Dig Summer Showcase as a top libero with her grit and scrappiness, but she is also extremely well trained with great platform awareness in serve receive.  She also seems like the type of player who doesn’t care wh</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">at position she plays, let her swing, set, or whatever it takes.  She has intangibles that are heavily in her favor. </span></p> [caption id="attachment_105307" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-105307 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/Meghan-Scholz-e1599149802146-300x272.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="272" /> Scholz[/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91911" first="Meghan" last="Scholz"] - Tomahawk</strong></p> <p><strong>Class of 2023</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scholz comes from the beautiful “North Woods” of Tomahawk which is inbetween Wausau and Minoqua.  At 6’2, Scholz is long, fast twitch, and is definitely a hidden gem among middle blockers in the Class of 2023.  At the Prep Dig Summer Showcase, she was touching high and bouncing balls along the ten footline.  Her progressive will be extremely exciting to watch </span></p>