Top Performers at the WIAA State Championships: Outside Hitters

The pins at state were DYNAMITE. It was amazing to watch the power and finesse of the outside hitters. A lot of them went all six rotations and showed their depth as athletes in serve receive, defense, and on offense. Here are some of the outside hitters who were top performers. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="91876" first="Cordelia" last="Kearns"] - 2023 - Oconomowoc</h3> Wow was Cordelia impressive at state. She was explosive and consistent. Cordelia was also extremely strong on defense, from the serving line, and on serve receive. She showed how dynamic she can be in all six rotations. Cordelia had some truly insane swings and wasn’t afraid to be aggressive and take risks even up against Appleton North’s massive block. https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1457161173544144897   <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="91875" first="Grace" last="Grocholski"] - 2023 - Kettle Moraine - Committed to Arizona State (Basketball)</h3> Grace is competitive and when she turns on, there is no one who can stop her. In the state quarterfinal match, Grace had 33 kills. When her team was down 4-7 against Burlington she had four kills in a row and 9 total kills in a game to 15! During the state semifinal match, Grace was blow for blow with [player_tooltip player_id="91876" first="Cordelia" last="Kearns"] and had 5 aces to build momentum for her team. https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1456432058876801042   <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="22407" first="Mckenna" last="Wucherer"] - 2022 - Brookfield Central - Committed to Minnesota</h3> McKenna was explosive across the board at state. She was essential to the success of this team this season and was a leader in Brookfield Central’s first-ever trip to the state tournament. She was powerful and consistent and was a go-to player on her team. https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1456326904491954183   <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="57241" first="Brianna" last="Cantrell"] - 2022 - Appleton North - Committed to East Tennessee State University</h3> Brianna is one of the top athletes in her class. She has a ton of power and can swing from anywhere on the court. Brianna is an energizer who will thrive at the next level and is an all-around great athlete. https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1456332755072073734 <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="91907" first="Kylie" last="Hanson"] - 2023 - Luxemburg-Casco </h3> Kylie is a dynamic pin who adds a lot of value to this very talented team. Luxemburg-Casco has won the state championship for the past three years and has been a varsity athlete on all three of those teams. She truly made a huge impact this year though. She had 9 kills in their championship match-up against McFarland. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="81270" first="Avery" last="Pennekamp"] - 2022 - McFarland</h3> Avery is an incredible athlete to watch. She has a lot of energy and is explosive in her approach and arm swing. Avery knows how to execute and is a valuable hitter both in and out of system. She also has great shots and is very consistent. She led the team in kills in both of their state matches and was highly impactful on defense and serve receive as well. https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1457071255870377992   <h3>Karli Molnau - 2025 - Lake Country Lutheran</h3> Karli was amazing in the first state-run of her high school career. She executed well in the front and back row and was a weapon for the LCL team in all six rotations. She was also impactful in serving and on defense and serve receive. Karli is a great six-rotation outside and added a lot of firepower to this already very talented team. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="22384" first="Karissa" last="Kaminski"] - 2022 - Howards Grove - Committed to Dayton</h3> Karissa was nearly unstoppable as a pin hitter. Though she is a trained libero, she has a huge vertical, a fast and explosive arm swing, and a great view of the court. She had 17 kills and had a 0.308 hitting percentage in Howards Grove’s state championship sweep of Lake Country Lutheran. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="118258" first="Hannah" last="Moe"] - 2022 - Oconto - Committed to UW-Oshkosh</h3> Hanna really showed her experience on the court at state. She led her team in kills against an incredibly strong Howards Grove team in the state semifinals. Hannah has a lot of power and a heavy hand on the ball. She is gritty on the court and leads by example. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="91856" first="Ellie" last="Gustafson"] - 2023 - Monticello</h3> Ellie is just a great athlete. She is gritty and has a huge vertical and a high volleyball IQ. She was a go-to hitter for Monticello and was great at executing in and out of system and from all six rotations. She is very consistent as well and has good shots on the pin. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="165407" first="Elizabeth" last="Krawze"] - 2022 - Wabeno/Laona</h3> Elizabeth was a huge asset to this team throughout the season and at state. She had 26 kills in the state semifinal match against Monticello. She is a very efficient hitter and has a good mix of power and finesse at the net. Elizabeth is a very gritty athlete and finds different ways to earn kills for her team. She is also a talented passer and aggressive server. <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="165403" first="Destiny" last="Baughman"] - 2022 - McDonell Central Catholic</h3> Destiny had a 0.310 hitting percentage and 12 kills in the championship match against Wabeno/Laona. She manufactured kills on offense for her team and is one of the go-to hitters for the Macks. Destiny was a fun player to watch go up against the other top athletes in the state. Other top performers: [player_tooltip player_id="122510" first="Danielle" last="Kopacz"] - 2024 - Pewaukee [player_tooltip player_id="117342" first="Mara" last="Schmidt"] - 2022 - Holmen Brynn Johnson - 2022 - River Falls Natalie Erdmann - 2022 - Oak Creek [player_tooltip player_id="122557" first="Ellie" last="Schumacher"] - 2024 - Lake Country Lutheran [player_tooltip player_id="81273" first="Emma" last="Johnson"] - 2023 - Unity [player_tooltip player_id="165406" first="Kelsey" last="Justman"] - 2024 - Wonewoc-Center