Eagle Invite Standouts

The Eagle Invite did not disappoint when it comes to showcasing a lot of talented young athletes.  They took the court in a packed gymnasium in Apple Valley to battle with a highly competitive collection of teams.      Let's take a look at some of the teams and players who caught my attention Friday night.    <h2>Lakeville North</h2>   North made a big run to the championship match and having lethal attackers from every position was a big part of that.  Senior right side hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='195120' first='Sydney' last='Carlson'], knew just where to place the ball and took a lot of really smart swings.  Temple commit, [player_tooltip player_id='86644' first='Ava' last='Blascziek'], ran the offense and made some crazy good saves with jump setting or smart timing on a setter dump.  She really knows how to control her offense.  Freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='199395' first='Rayna' last='Christianson'], is really fun to watch because she is a high-motor middle blocker who is always running an aggressive route and has a highly effective serve, making her ideal for international play where middles have to serve.      <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/09/LN-Rayna-Christianson.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-230293" width="443" height="295"/></figure>   Bemidji commit, [player_tooltip player_id='174729' first='Sidney' last='Wissbrod'], was solid in serve-receive, giving Blascziek a ton of options.  Wissbrod also has really nice fast-twitch reflexes when covering her hitters.  Minnesota State Moorhead commit, [player_tooltip player_id='174726' first='Emily' last='Ramsay'], has a crazy tough cut shot from the left pin.  I love her craftiness in her attack style.  She definitely kept defenders on their toes.    <h2>Prior Lake</h2>   I enjoyed watching this group battle, especially knowing they have some young pins who might get battle-tested this year and be a force to reckon with next year. [player_tooltip player_id='180615' first='Elizabeth' last='Coleman'] can elevate and gets her whip going to find the split in the block or take an aggressive swing to find high hands. She's also solid in serve-receive. Sophomore pin hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='229965' first='Elli' last='Tufto'], is really long and has good court awareness to anticipate a setter attack. She has a super high contact point and can smoke the line.   From the service line, outside hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='117638' first='Kyla' last='Ahlstrom'], can catch a lot of players hiding up by the net, as well as pounding the deep corners creating a lot of chaos for the receiving team.  She also does a nice job finding hands with her swing for the kill.  Freshman libero, [player_tooltip player_id='199393' first='Sidney' last='Burley'], did a solid job holding her own against a relentless and powerful Wayzata attack.  I was also impressed with sophomore middle blocker, [player_tooltip player_id='229966' first='Greta' last='Tompkins'], and how she got a lot of touches and put up a big block.      <h2>Wayzata</h2>   Friday didn't quite go as they may have planned in Apple Valley on Friday night when they lost in a tight 3rd set 15-12 to a gritty [program_tooltip program_id='430430' first='Lakeville' last='South'] squad. But they sure returned with a vengeance on Saturday and didn't drop a single set to take a 5th place finish in this extremely competitive tournament. The Trojans had a very physical and quick middle in [player_tooltip player_id='205530' first='Katie' last='Kelzenberg'] who got a ton of big touches. Kelzenberg and [player_tooltip player_id='177434' first='Reilly' last='Kurth'] were both highly effective at working the angles and around the opposing block to be offensive threats. On the outside, Minnesota commit, [player_tooltip player_id='107898' first='Olivia' last='Swenson'], could pound the sharp cross or line, as well as simply hit over most blockers.   <figure class="wp-block-embed alignright is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1573545973837713410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1573545973837713410%7Ctwgr%5E65c6e02a4967c8f425a25496a1b024556fb72785%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.x.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Fx.com2FBreitNelson2Fstatus2F1573545973837713410widget%3DTweet </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='229949' first='Bianca' last='Nistor'] got plenty of action as well and got to show off her powerful swing. On the right pin, we saw [player_tooltip player_id='106358' first='Kaitlyn' last='Vogt'] receiving a lot of sets and, as a lefty, she worked the edges of the block really well while also being able to take a really aggressive approach and swing. Minnesota commit, [player_tooltip player_id='107264' first='Stella' last='Swenson'], ran a 5-1 and she is a total game-changer when she puts up a ginormous block. She also takes a huge swing from the right side and makes an out-of-system attack just as lethal as being in-system. Cal commit, [player_tooltip player_id='135295' first='Sophia' last='Johnson'], was really scrappy and covered a lot of court behind her big attackers.   <h3>Some other players who caught my eye: </h3>   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='117645' first='Addison' last='Mattes'] – 2025 – 6'4 – Middle Blocker – East Ridge </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229973' first='Alexa' last='Dietz'] – 2024 – 5'11 – Middle Blocker – East Ridge </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229971' first='Ava' last='Bertsch'] – 2024 – Setter - [program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432082' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430384' first='Eagan' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='86659' first='Avery' last='Rosenberg'] – 2023 – 6'1 – Middle Blocker – Chaska </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='168255' first='Brielle' last='Riess'] – 2024 – 6'0 – Middle Blocker - Marshall </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='166341' first='Caitlyn' last='Christenson'] – 2023 – 5'5 – Libero – Marshall </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='191402' first='Carly' last='Gilk'] – 2025 – 6'1 – Right Side Hitter – Champlin Park </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229968' first='Ellie' last='Egan'] – 2023 – Pin Hitter – [program_tooltip program_id='430430' first='Lakeville' last='South'] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='73485' first='Emily' last='Moes'] – 2023 – 6'0 – Outside Hitter – [program_tooltip program_id='430430' first='Lakeville' last='South'] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='117644' first='Hadley' last='Burger'] – 2024 – 5'11 – Right Side Hitter – East Ridge </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229970' first='Isy' last='Purrigton'] – 2025 – Pin Hitter – [program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432082' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430384' first='Eagan' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='73493' first='Kaitlyn' last='Sellner'] – 2023 – 6'2 – Middle Blocker – [program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432082' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430384' first='Eagan' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='177424' first='Keira' last='Schmidt'] – 2025 – 6'3 – Middle Blocker – [program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432165' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432082' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430384' first='Eagan' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229972' first='Lauren' last='Wherry'] – 2023 – Setter - Marshall </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='86655' first='Leah' last='Jones'] – 2023 – 6'2 – Outside Hitter – Marshall </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='230237' first='Lily' last='Riese'] – 2024 – Middle Blocker – Champlin Park </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='106351' first='Marlie' last='Hanson'] – 2023 – 5'11 – Outside Hitter – Champlin Park </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='73481' first='Mikayla' last='McDougall'] – 2023 - 6'0 – Outside Hitter – East Ridge </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='135316' first='Paige' last='Wagner'] – 2024 – 6'3 – Middle Blocker – [program_tooltip program_id='430430' first='Lakeville' last='South'] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='191429' first='Rowan' last='Carr'] – 2025 – 5'9 – Outside Hitter – [program_tooltip program_id='430430' first='Lakeville' last='South'] </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='229969' first='Sasha' last='Bovard'] – 2024 – 5'8 – Outside Hitter – Chaska </li></ul>   <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='73475' first='Sydney' last='Jaynes'] – 2023 – 6'0 – Outside Hitter - Northfield </li></ul>

The Eagle Invite did not disappoint when it comes to showcasing a lot of talented young athletes. They took the court in a packed gymnasium in Apple Valley to battle with a highly competitive collection of teams.