IHSAA 1A Preview: #2 Trinity Lutheran

<p>It was tough for me to make this initial preview list in 1A for a few reasons. First, we saw a non-club-playing high school win the whole thing last fall. Second, with all of the COVID factors stepping in for some teams, it was difficult predicting who might be where in my initial preview. Finally, when a large class (or a talented class) graduates, the smaller schools have more to make up for simply because of numbers. With TL, the last point is especially so, because there are so many questions. Yes, it’s still Trinity Lutheran. Yes, multiple kids play club in this program, mostly Union. But where will the offense come from? Over 75% of the offense just graduated, along with all of the size and the only setter the Cougars have ever known the past few years.</p> <p><strong>’22, Estella (Stella) Kleffman, 5-7 DS/PIN</strong></p> <p>I gave Stella a unique label because of her versatility. I’ve seen her attack well in the not-to-distant past, both at the club level and in high school. Since the majority of her play recently has been defensive, we’ll list DS as the primary position. She’s easily the best player returning, and can play multiple positions in the front and back rows. Plus, her club training has her as one of the highest volleyball IQ’s of anyone in 1A. </p> <p><strong>’22, Ruthie Bingham, 5-7 RS/OH</strong></p> <p>A fast-twitch, all-go, aggressive pin attacker is what you get from Ruthie. For a girl her size, it’s nice to see her take long strides in her approach as well as her transition from the net. She can hit every angle, attacks high enough to tool blocks regularly, and is another high-IQ kid. She might be relied upon a little more offensively with the Cougars’ top three attackers graduated, but I think she’s more than capable of picking up the slack.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="93748" first="Kamzi" last="Gross"], 5-5 DS/L</strong></p> <p>The third of the three I expect to take almost all of the serve receive responsibilities, Kamzi is a formidable libero that brings her team-leading aces and digs back from last fall. Her ability to anticipate, stay on her feet and pursue after every first or second ball makes her a prime candidate for the special jersey at the next level. Since the Cougars lack size for the upcoming season, she may need to kick her serving up a notch and keep teams out of system.</p>