First Impressions from the Prep Dig Chi-Town Classic
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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.
Gillian Koning (16) has been thriving on the left pin for Capital. pic.twitter.com/zjjJ7cWzbR
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 12, 2022
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 Gianna Trotter 5'11" | OH Fond du Lac | 2022 State WI coming up big again for @FCEliteVB 18 Navy. They close out set one against CVA 17 Adidas 25-23 #PDChitownClassic pic.twitter.com/ApGSgrmxlt
— 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 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!
ImpactDT 15U Rey/Abbey (Michigan) vs. Impact 15-National (Wisconsin) pic.twitter.com/6dKkdVVcf5
— Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) February 12, 2022