6 Middles Causing Mayhem Heading into State

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We all know having a gritty and athletic middle on a volleyball team can be a game-changer, especially in must-win situations. And smart middles can cause a lot of mayhem for opposing defenses. These middles are headed to the state tournament later this week and will be instrumental athletes in their team’s success. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Megan Zielsdorf - Pewaukee - Class of 2022</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Megan is a gritty athlete. She is an amazing basketball player who started also playing volleyball as a sophomore. This gives her a bit of an edge on the court. She sees opportunities and shots from a slightly different perspective and can be very hard to read. On top of that, she is simply a gritty athlete. She is powerful and athletic and is one of the leading hitters on this talented Pewaukee team. Megan had 18 kills and hit a 0.773 in Pewaukee’s sectional championship match against Pius XI and only seems to be gaining momentum this season. </span></p> <p>https://x.com/prepdigrachel/status/1454604165250965505</p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-117017 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/11/Berkley-Mischler-2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Berkeley Mischler - Appleton North - Class of 2022 - Committed to Lipscomb</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Berkeley is the definition of an explosive athlete. She builds an incredible amount of speed and momentum as she takes her approach which gives her a huge jump and a lot of power on top of the ball. She also is an energizer on the court - making big plays at critical moments in games and simply bringing a ton of passion to each point she plays. </span></p> [caption id="attachment_117118" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-117118" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/11/Anna-Bjork-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="122475" first="Anna" last="Bjork"], 2024, MH.[/caption] <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="122475" first="Anna" last="Bjork"] - Oconomowoc - Class of 2024</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anna is fast and smart on the court. She is impactful on both offense and defense for the Raccoons. Her connection with<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="122568" first="Lilly" last="Wagner"]</strong> is smooth and efficient and comes from years of playing together. She sees the court extremely well and has a ton of power. Anna is a very fun athlete to watch because she is always engaged on the court and pushes herself and the athletes around her to be their best. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="82954" first="Myla" last="Glaser"] - Kettle Moraine - Class of 2023</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Myla is a hitter who is so hard to defend against. She has an explosive approach and an arm swing that’s as fast as a whip. She runs an extremely fast tempo ball and on top of her power, outpaces a lot of opposing blockers. She is also fast to close blocks and has great court awareness. Myla is a middle to watch out for as Kettle Moraine heads to state later this week. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-105236 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/Abby-Alan1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="119434" first="Abby" last="Alan"] - Burlington - Class of 2023</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Abby is a Swiss army knife of a player. She has a ton of power but has a soft touch and smart placement for tips. She is explosive in her approach but patient at the net for overpasses. She has great shots and a great connection with her setter. Whenever Abby has the ball, she is in control. She seems to know exactly how to manufacture a kill and is one of the most impactful players on this incredibly talented team. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-117121 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/11/Autumn-Flynn-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="82915" first="Autumn" last="Flynn"] - Luxemburg-Casco - Class of 2023</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Autumn is a tough middle to stop. She is one of the best middles in her class because she is fast, smart, and learns from every experience she has on the court. Her speed is one of her biggest assets as a middle. She can block pin to pin in the blink of an eye. She is also always engaged on the court, pulling blockers for other hitters, covering, and simply doing all of the little things that make an athlete great. </span></p> <h4><span style="font-weight: 400;">More middles to watch: </span></h4> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="81253" first="Morgan" last="Daugherty"] - Brookfield Central - Committed to Marquette</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149039" first="Harley" last="Bartels"] - Holmen - Class of 2022</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="81259" first="Haley" last="Graetz"] - River Falls - Class of 2022</strong></p> <p><strong>Mariena Coon - Oak Creek - Class of 2022</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>