Kopp among three key Juniors back for Champlin Park

<p>[player_tooltip player_id="72773" first="Allison" last="Kopp"] only makes a deep Champlin Park Rebels teams deeper, returning from a torn ACL that sidelined her in 2019.</p> <p>Rebels coach John Yunker describes the junior setter as a “smart player who will run a 5-1 for us this season.” Kopp is among three junior stars who could help the Rebels bounce back from missing the section final for the first time since 2012.</p> <p>Returning junior stars also in include right-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id="72812" first="Ellie" last="Schmidt"], who give the Rebels a strong, versatile presence around the net. Yunker said she is a “good blocker (and) good hitter who is continuing to hit with more power and range” and also excels in the back row.</p> <p>Junior libero [player_tooltip player_id="72770" first="Kylie" last="Stremmel"] made a splash on varsity in 2019 after moving up from junior varsity. Yunker said she has “great platform awareness, reads well, becoming more of a leader every day.”</p> <p>Champlin Park has also its share of talented juniors and seniors, none of whom have solidified college volleyball plans.</p> <p>“We have a couple (seniors) that could play at various levels if they wanted to, but they are still deciding if they want to and if it fits with what they would like academically,” Yunker said. “Our Junior class has three players that would like to play in college.”</p> <p>Champlin Park hopes to make a big run in the Northwest Suburban Conference and Class 3A, Section 5 in lieu of its regular state tournament trips. The MSHSL won’t hold a state volleyball tournament this fall.</p> <p>“I think we are a contender for both, but more so in the conference,” Yunker said. “While the conference will not be easy, the section will have a couple of the conference teams plus St. Michael-Albertville and Wayzata who will both be very strong.”</p> <p>St. Michael-Albertville eliminated the Rebels in the section tournament last fall. Yunker said staying healthy will be key in the NWSC.</p> <p>“The biggest thing is not the volleyball itself,” Yunker said about the COVID challenges. “I think getting over the new protocols for distancing is the biggest thing. They (players) want to celebrate with their teammates on the floor when something good happens, the benches will look different, the anthem will be different, there won’t be fans, bussing will be different, and a few more things...the sooner they get past that and realize it is just volleyball, the better off we will be.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>