2022 Club Season Spotlight: Nebraska Elite 18-1

<p>We’ve reached the 18s age group of our run through Nebraska Elite teams over the past week. Let’s do it!</p> <p>It’s worth mentioning here that we’ll definitely have time throughout the early stages of the club season to spotlight so many more teams. We’re just getting started, and upcoming events will help us get a better sense of a team’s lineup. I have personal aspirations to cover as many players as possible in 2022, and these spotlights will be a helpful way of doing that.</p> <p>So, let’s keep the momentum going with a discussion of Nebraska Elite 18-1.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Along the Net</strong></p> <p>We’ll start with a handful of players who are poised to make a big splash in the frontcourt.</p> <p>Where do you even start? You could perhaps begin with a discussion of some athletes who have won a state title on the high school side, and there are plenty of names that fit this description. [player_tooltip player_id="37532" first="Ava" last="Heyne"] wrapped up her career at Omaha Skutt Catholic last fall with a fourth championship trophy. Not bad, right? This left-side hitter has progressed at an amazing rate over the years, and she’ll have one more chance to shine with Elite before heading to the Ohio Bobcats.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="58776" first="Bailey" last="Helzer"] is another outside hitter on this team who went out on top last November. Her championship with Oakland-Craig was a historic moment for that program, which shows you the kind of gamechanger Helzer is. What a great representative for the small-town schools.</p> [caption id="attachment_161149" align="alignright" width="479"]<img class="wp-image-161149" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1834.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="319" /> Mroczek puts up the block for Elkhorn South.[/caption] <p>This discussion of title rings has to include [player_tooltip player_id="143576" first="Mia" last="Mroczek"], who won a championship in 2020 with Elkhorn South. The Loyola Maryland commit has always had such a commanding physical presence at the net. Mroczek surely won’t be the only intimidating middle blocker on this team, though, as [player_tooltip player_id="58778" first="Bianca" last="Martinez"] and [player_tooltip player_id="58772" first="Sydney" last="Raszler"] will provide a lot of size and strength to anchor the block and score in front of the setter.</p> <p>Out on the right pin, Michigan Tech-bound outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="135106" first="Meg" last="Raabe"] will definitely be worth following this year. She has shown an uncanny knack for pounding balls at the opposite position and will continue to be a key contributor in all phases of the game.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Ball Control</strong></p> <p>That’s a lot of talk about the attackers on this team, but ball control could arguably be the strength of this team.</p> <p>Let’s start in the backcourt, where there are a lot of big names to cover. Fremont athlete [player_tooltip player_id="88290" first="Elise" last="Estudillo"] has been lighting up stat sheets for a long time, and now she has a chance to go out in style with 18-1. Her tremendous defensive skills will undoubtedly be an asset for this team.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="58811" first="Katie" last="Galligan"] has a similar story. She’s been so solid in serve receive and defense for several years, and her experience shows every time she’s on the court.</p> <p>As far as setter go, Nebraska Elite has two good ones in this group. Doane-bound Lily Vaughn has the hands to play setter and the fearlessness and body control to play defensive specialist. That’s always a good combination. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id="37531" first="Abby" last="Schomers"] is coming off a series of spectacular performances in last year’s state championships. Before going to Central Florida in the fall, she will make one last impression on the Nebraska prep scene with Elite 18-1.</p>