Borgia Triangular Results and Top Performers

This tri-match-up was one with talent all over the court. From a 6’3 Texas recruit to a 5’7 nasty digging libero, these three teams did not disappoint.   Borgia 15-2 vs. Mater Dei, IL 17-2 The day started with the best match and was a matchup of who would stand up to the opponent’s scoring runs. Mater Die pulled out the win in 5 with a 21-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 20-18 win. Borgia was lead by [player_tooltip player_id="41802" first="Ella" last="Brinkmann"]’s 27 kills, and [player_tooltip player_id="150000" first="Caroline" last="Glastetter"] put down 16 in the losing effort. The official stats for Mater Dei were not posted in time, but I would bet they were led by Tori Mohesky’s thunderous hitting and Riley Kleber. More on these players later.   Rock Bridge 25-4 vs. Mater Dei, IL 17-2 This matchup was my first time seeing the Bruins play, and I was very impressed with what I saw. Of course, they have a great setter in Texas recruit [player_tooltip player_id="101566" first="Ella" last="Swindle"] but have a solid outside in [player_tooltip player_id="119220" first="Lily" last="Dudley"] and an outstanding libero in Kaylen Rush. Maybe Mater Dei came out a little fatigued from the win over Borgia, but Rock Bridge was on fire. I was pleasantly surprised with the Rock Bridge performance in a 25-10, 21-25, 25-18, 25-20 win over the Knights from Mater Dei.   Borgia 15-2 vs. Rock Bridge 25-4 The matchup I came to watch was the last one of the day. I expected a barn-burner after Borgia losing in 5 to Mater Dei and then Rock Bridge handling Mater Dei in 4. Not the case as Borgia came out on a mission and put a thumping to Rock Bridge in 3 25-18, 25-10, 25-15.     Top Performers for the Tri Match up: [player_tooltip player_id="41802" first="Ella" last="Brinkmann"] (2022) | Borgia Brinkmann was her usual self on Saturday, putting in another high-level performance. Again, I like her ability to terminate out-of-system balls with 16 kills and nine digs in the win over Rock Bridge and 27 kills and seven digs in the loss to Mater Dei.   [player_tooltip player_id="150000" first="Caroline" last="Glastetter"] (2022) | Borgia Another senior outside hitter for the Knights is [player_tooltip player_id="150000" first="Caroline" last="Glastetter"]. At 5’10, she can hurt the ball with great vertical and a missile on her right arm. Add in her topspin jump serve; she’s an excellent complement to Brinkmann. With 16 kills and ten digs in the loss to Mater Dei and 11 and five digs in the win over Rock Bridge. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Caroline-Glastetter-Borgia-crop-513x337-1632763667.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158858" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Caroline-Glastetter-Borgia-crop-513x337-1632763667-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Lauren Nieder (2022) | Borgia The libero for Borgia has done an excellent job filling in a void that I think Borgia suffered from last year. Scooping up 14 digs in the loss to Mater Dei and then adding 19 in the win over Rock Bridge. She keeps this up for the Knights, and they will be in the hunt for a final four appearance again this year.   [player_tooltip player_id="119220" first="Lily" last="Dudley"] (2023) | Rock Bridge Here’s one player that I loved watching her play. She was made to play volleyball, and at 5’10, she has a nice advantage but toss in her leaping and hang time, and you see why she’s the go-to hitter for the Bruins. The great arm swing and power she has made her one tough hitter to stop. Defensively she is solid, and her 10’s are just as deadly. Unfortunately, no stats were available, but I’m sure she put down at least 30 on the day. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Lily-Dudley-Rock-Bridge-crop-513x337-1632763606.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158856" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Lily-Dudley-Rock-Bridge-crop-513x337-1632763606-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="101566" first="Ella" last="Swindle"] (2023) | Rock Bridge Ok, I get all the hype around this 6’3 setter and University of Texas commit. Silky smooth setter, monster block, and a setters dump that’s more of a slam than a dump over the net—such a fun player to watch play. Unfortunately, no stats were posted at the time of the article, but her stats do not matter. The kid is a flat-out baller and puts up great sets all the time. So glad I was able to catch her in action this year. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Ella-Swindle-Rock-Bridge-crop-619x407-1632763531.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158854" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Ella-Swindle-Rock-Bridge-crop-619x407-1632763531-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Kaylen Rush (2023) | Rock Bridge Another Bruin that I enjoyed watching and the best libero out of all three times, in my opinion. Not a fancy loud player, but she does the job and does it very well. I watched her repeatedly dig up powerful hits with ease and never gave you the impression that it wasn’t common for her to take missiles and turn them into perfect passes. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Kaylen-Rush-Rock-Bridge-crop-304x200-1632762943.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158845" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Kaylen-Rush-Rock-Bridge-crop-304x200-1632762943-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Tori Mohesky (2022) | Mater Dei, IL When I walked into the gym on Saturday, Mater Dei was doing their hitting lines. As I was walking to my seat, I heard thunder in the gym! Tori makes the perfect contact on the ball to give off that thunderous boom when she hits. Whether set on the outside, middle, or back row, the pop coming from her hitting is exciting. Again no stats were posted, but I’m sure she was over 30 kills for the day. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Tori-Mohesky-Mater-Dei-crop-457x301-1632763290.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158848" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Tori-Mohesky-Mater-Dei-crop-457x301-1632763290-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Riley Kleber (2022) | Mater Dei, IL The other outside for the Knights also is a powerful hitter. Once her counterpart rotates to the back row, Riley comes up to provide another power hitter. With this combo on the outside for Mater Dei, I see why they are one of the top teams in Illinois. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Riley-Kleber-Mater-Dei-crop-513x337-1632763371.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158850" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Riley-Kleber-Mater-Dei-crop-513x337-1632763371-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Alyssa Koerkenmeier (2025) | Mater Dei, IL 6’4 freshman middle was a pleasant surprise to watch play. Still a raw player, but you can’t teach height. She will develop into a monster middle blocker in four years. Nice lateral movements and gets off the ground to give her setter a big target. Her blocking wasn’t just effective because of her length, but she can get off the ground and takes up a lot of space blocking. Keep an eye on this one. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Alyssa-Koerkenmeier-Mater-Dei-crop-622x409-1632763449.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-158852" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/Alyssa-Koerkenmeier-Mater-Dei-crop-622x409-1632763449-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>