Countdown to Nationals: 3 Teams Thirsty for Big Wins
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Only a few days left before nationals. Final practices are wrapping up and teams are physically and mentally preparing for the pinnacle tournament of their season. Teams have been preparing for this all season and are ready to take on…
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Continue ReadingOnly a few days left before nationals. Final practices are wrapping up and teams are physically and mentally preparing for the pinnacle tournament of their season. Teams have been preparing for this all season and are ready to take on the best in the country in just a few short days. Here are some teams thirsty for big wins at national.
Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold – Open Division
This team is STACKED with talent. They have dominated all season and have had huge success across the board. Five athletes on this team have attended USAV National Team Development training. Setter Lilly Wagner Lilly Wagner 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2024 State #42 Nation WI is a key athlete and leader on this team. She makes the toughest sets look easy and has an incredibly high volleyball IQ. Middles Gabriella Pitcel Gabriella Pitcel 6'1" | MB Mukwonago | 2025 State #42 Nation WI (2025) and Anna Bjork Anna Bjork 6'3" | MB Oconomowoc | 2024 State #54 Nation WI are some of the best in the sport for their ages. Fellow middle Rylea Alvin Rylea Alvin 6'2" | MB Randolph | 2024 State WI is smart and powerful and puts up a great block. Pin hitters Madison Quest Madison Quest 6'3" | OH DSHA | 2025 State #13 Nation WI (2025), Olivia Kwiatkowski Olivia Kwiatkowski 6'0" | OH Oconomowoc | 2024 State WI , Melia Johnson Melia Johnson 6'2" | OH Slinger | 2024 State #140 Nation WI , and Ellie Schumacher Ellie Schumacher 5'9" | OH Lake Country Lutheran | 2024 State WI are all massively powerful and impactful. All can play six rotations and can manufacture points from anywhere on the court. Olivia Wyma Olivia Wyma 6'4" | MB Arrowhead | 2024 State WI plays primarily right side on this team but is also talented out of the middle. She puts up a massive block and can swing over a lot of blocks to earn points. On defense, Jae Fitting Jae Fitting 5'8" | DS/L Cedarburg | 2024 State WI and Claire Luoma Claire Luoma 5'8" | DS/L Franklin | 2024 State #85 Nation WI play at a very high level and make some pretty crazy defensive plays. They are fun to watch and are both scrappy and gritty.
FC Elite 16 Navy – National Division
This team is very scrappy and gritty. They are super mentally tough and have a lot of high-level talent on their roster. They are led by setters Emerson Van Lannen Emerson Van Lannen 5'10" | S Appleton North | 2024 State #144 Nation WI and Kamryn Kaminski Kamryn Kaminski 5'7" | S Howards Grove | 2024 State WI . Both make quick decisions and are very precise with their sets. They are also very defensively strong and huge leaders on this team. On defense, Olivia Baierl Olivia Baierl 5'8" | DS/L Howards Grove | 2024 State WI and Elle Kennedy Elle Kennedy 5'5" | DS/L Howards Grove | 2024 State WI are awesome on serve receive. They are very consistent and can read opposing hitters well. Peyton Carlson (2026) and Annalise Patchett Annalise Patchett 6'0" | OH Fox Valley Lutheran | 2024 State WI are outside hitters who can play and execute out of all six rotations. Middles Mattea Kiepert Mattea Kiepert 5'10" | OH Xavier | 2024 State WI and Emma Nilson Emma Nilson 6'1" | MB Fox Valley Lutheran | 2024 State WI both put up huge blocks and are efficient across the net. They can hit well both in front of and behind the setter and are impactful on tempo plays. This team has huge potential to do well at nationals. They won some big-name tournaments including beating Sting Gold at the Badger Qualifier. They also took 3rd in Open at the JVA World Challenge. They have a ton of experience and are looking to bring in some big wins at Nationals.
Sting 17 Gold – National Division
This Sting team has some big names and big commits on their team. They are fast, powerful, and aggressive on the court. They have played some of the best teams in the country so far this season and will look to bring home some big wins in Indy. This team won the open division of the Badger Region Championships and the Badger Qualifier. They also performed well on a national level. They have two very talented setters Zoe Behrendt Zoe Behrendt 5'11" | S Whitefish Bay | 2023 State #113 Nation WI (Committed to North Carolina) and Elena Dragani Elena Dragani S Catholic Memorial | 2023 State WI (Committed to Wake Forest). Both of these setters are impressive and gritty. Molly Berezowitz Molly Berezowitz DS/L Burlington | 2023 State WI (Committed to Marquette) and Kati Goba Kati Goba DS/L Wisconsin Lutheran | 2023 State WI (Committed to UW-Milwaukee) are scrappy and have great court awareness. They impress every time they step on the court. Their middles Maddy McGath Maddy McGath MB Brookfield East | 2023 State WI (Committed to West Virginia), Emily Honzelka Emily Honzelka 6'3" | MB Kettle Moraine Lutheran | 2023 State WI (Committed to Toledo), Bella Lipski Bella Lipski MB DSHA | 2023 State WI , and Emily Clausen Emily Clausen 6'0" | MB Catholic Memorial | 2023 State WI bring speed and power to the net. Sylvie Zgonc Sylvie Zgonc 5'11" | OH Sussex Hamilton | 2023 State #115 Nation WI (Committed to South Dakota State), Karissa Fortune Karissa Fortune 6'2" | OH Appleton North | 2023 State WI (Committed to Drake), and Taylor Tetzlaff Taylor Tetzlaff 6'0" | OH Kaukauna | 2023 State WI are powerful and explosive on the pin.