Impactful Athletes from the IL Top 250 Expo

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I had a blast at the Top 250 in Illinois. The 2.5 hours flew by and everywhere I looked I saw talented athletes working hard and playing high-level volleyball. Here are some of the impactful athletes that impressed me at the Top 250 Expo. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168702 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/68-Makena-Wesol-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Makena Wesol - Outside Hitter - 2022</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether it was warm-ups or hitting lines or scrimmage play, Makena gave full effort on the court. She was powerful and aggressive out of the front and back row. She was very consistent in serve receive and was an all-around impressive athlete. She showed great leadership and communication on the court as well. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168641 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/31-Larisa-Link-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Larisa Link - Setter - 2024</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Larisa is a very clean setter that moves the ball around very well. She is fast on the court and has super soft hands. She elevated the level of play of the athletes around me and impressed me from start to finish throughout the event. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168660 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/43-Lily-Mueller-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Lily Mueller - Middle Blocker - 2023</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lilly was an energizer on the court. She was aggressive at the net as a blocker and hitter. Her swings were to great spots and had a ton of fire behind them. She is also a really good passer and did well on defense. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168676 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/54-Alayna-Pierce-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></span></h3> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.75rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="135981" first="Alayna" last="Pierce"] - Outside Hitter - 2024</span></span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alayna is the definition of a great 6-rotation outside. She has a ton of power on offense and is gritty and scrappy on defense. Her serve is tough and dies at the perfect moment and she is fierce in serve receive. She was also a great communicator on the court and was constantly building up the athletes around her. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168691 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/63-Morgan-Stewart-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Morgan Stewart - Pin Hitter - 2025</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morgan hit effectively on both pins at the Top 250 and was always amping people up. She made great plays, has awesome fundamentals, and is an athlete that is simply fun to watch. She is an energizer and has a ton of power on the pin. Morgan is also effective in defense and serve receive. She is aggressive on the court and clearly loves the game and shows her passion in every play. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168656 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/41-Jenna-Meitzler-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="136595" first="Jenna" last="Meitzler"] - Setter - 2024</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jenna was one of the most talented athletes at the Expo. She has a high volleyball IQ, plays tough, and is well-rounded in all of her skills. She can play in the front and back row and is, quite simply, a stud setter. Her view of the court and execution of her sets were amazing and very consistent. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168654 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/39-Stella-Marrero-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="163355" first="Stella" last="Marrero"] - Libero - 2024</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stella is a fearless libero. She has great angles and picks up everything on the court. She is confident and runs the back-row defense efficiently. Her communication is top-notch and she is very consistent as a serve receiver. Stella makes big defensive plays and is very scrappy in coverage. </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-168652 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/12/38-Jaimie-Marquardt-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="135989" first="Jaimie" last="Marquardt"] - Libero - 2024</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jaimie was impressive to watch. She communicated incredibly well, even with athletes she had never played with before. What stood out was her consistency. Whether she was taking a ball on serve receive, a hard-hit ball on defense, or setting up her teammates on out-of-system balls, Jaimie played level-headed and had clean, crisp form. </span></p>