First Impressions from the Prep Dig Chi-Town Classic
In this article:
What a fun weekend in the Windy City!
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to cover so many talented teams and athletes from Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. This was a chance for me to watch countless players that I hadn’t seen yet this year.
That lack of familiarity forms the basis for this feature. I covered the Chi-Town Classic with Chris Fitzgerald and Rachel Kass -- two Prep Dig scouts firmly rooted in this Illinois-Wisconsin region. Meanwhile, I’m the Nebraska "outsider" that’s breaking out of the Cornhusker bubble. This Chicago event not only exposed me to a lot of new names and faces, but I also got to see the stylistic differences in the volleyball played around the Great Lakes.
Here are a few trends -- and players -- that I noted after a weekend in Chi-Town.
Six-Rotation Standouts
This event had a huge concentration of players who never left the court. Subs were rare.
Sometimes we get used to seeing club teams deploy a platoon of defensive specialists in the backcourt. That wasn’t really the case in Chicago this weekend, as there were a lot of great pin hitters who were expected to pass and play defense. We even saw a few six-rotation opposites helping out in serve receive, which is a rarity at any level.
There will surely be plenty of names featured here over the next few days that fit this all-around mold. Gillian Koning from Capital 16 Adidas is an outside hitter who makes a positive impact regardless of rotation. Meanwhile,
Claudia Merizon
Claudia
Merizon
5'6" | RS
Neenah | 2024
State
WI
of Impact 17-National was one of those aforementioned passing opposites that really plays a complete game.
Stay tuned as we feature more players just like these.
Big showdown underway between Capital 16 Adidas and FC Elite 15 Navy.
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 12, 2022
Gillian Koning (16) has been thriving on the left pin for Capital. pic.x.com/zjjJ7cWzbR
Aggressive Setting
These setters were not afraid to sling it around.
I always like to look for any regional variations in setting philosophies at the club level. Some states have a higher incidence of slower, high-ball offenses, while other teams are known for firing balls that barely reach the height of the antenna.
Chi-Town had some setters who really thrived when going against the flow.
Alexa Hernandez
Alexa
Hernandez
5'7" | S
Green Bay Southwest | 2025
State
WI
and
Madison Tripp
Madison
Tripp
5'9" | S
Kaukauna | 2025
State
WI
, for example, formed a nice duo in the two-setter offense of FC Elite 15 Navy. 16s champion Capital didn’t just have standouts at the pin, because
Reagan McIntosh
Reagan
McIntosh
5'11" | S
Verona Area | 2024
State
WI
really had some highlight moments at setter.
Biggest Hits!
We have to have a discussion of some of the most physical hitters at this event. There will be plenty of time name these players, so here are just a few.
Gianna Trotter
Gianna
Trotter
5'11" | OH
Fond du Lac | 2022
State
WI
had a flurry of terminal swings for FC Elite 18 Navy throughout the weekend. The Minnesota State commit’s effortless elevation can make a big first impression in any gym.
Gianna Trotter
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 13, 2022
Impact had a good collection of attackers in the teams they brought to Chicago.
Samantha Kempinger
Samantha
Kempinger
5'10" | OH
Fox Valley Lutheran | 2023
State
WI
regularly teed off on the left pin for 17-National, and
Kaylie Hernke
Kaylie
Hernke
5'8" | OH
Hilbert | 2025
State
WI
did the same for Impact’s 15s group.
Don’t forget about the middles, either. My favorite pair of middle blockers came from Michigan’s Impact Dynamic 15U Rey/Abbey, champions of the 15s division. Ella Deklyen and Kate Vanderhill left their mark on every match played by the Grand Rapids squad, and it resulted in a title.
Hard-hitting battle featuring two distinct Impact clubs!
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 12, 2022
ImpactDT 15U Rey/Abbey (Michigan) vs. Impact 15-National (Wisconsin) pic.x.com/6dKkdVVcf5
