"Just a Small Town Girl" - 15 Small Town Standouts

Defining “Small Town” has always been an interesting concept to me.  I grew up in a town of around 5,000 people in North Iowa and compared to the other towns around me, I didn't think we were small.  Once you get out of your bubble and start talking to others they say they are from a small town of 50-100,000 people and went to a high school that only had 200-300 in their class.  That's a big lol.  The real small town kids know everyone in their graduating class, have been to their town celebration street dance (always lit), have an FFA program at their high school with tractor day, and are mostly likely involved in three in school clubs outside of sports.  All generalizations, but we're showing love for the small town athletes.    Kyra Carothers - Mendon Unity (IL)    Mendon, IL - Population - 1,092    Carothers is one of the top kill leaders in Class 1A in Illinois from Mendon, Illinois that is North of Quincy, Illinois and a short drive from the Mississippi River.  She's a multi-sport athlete where she has a major physical presence on the court where she can touch high, move well, and make sometime out of nothing.  She can hit from the pin and then go to the middle and cause havoc with her block.  Her Mendon Unity squad has 30 wins on the season and the top seed on their site of the sectional, but will have Springfield Lutheran at the end for a potential big time sectional final.      [player_tooltip player_id='215407' first='Gracie' last='Furlong'] - Galena (IL)    <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/06/47-Gracie-Furlong.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-205203" width="339" height="226"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='215407' first='Gracie' last='Furlong']</figcaption></figure>   Galena, IL - Population - 3,168    I've seen Furlong play live when she plays for [program_tooltip program_id='429023' first='Six' last='Pack Volleyball Club'] out of Cedar Falls, Iowa.  Her 15U team was an Open level qualifier for USAV.  She has a really active arm and she always puts a ton of pace on the ball and is a flat out scorer.  She attends Galena High School which I always thought of a the picturesque, small town with plenty of trees, hills, and the valleys just east of the Mississippi River.  Furlong leads Galena with nearly five kills per set while her team is 34-1.  They have a gauntlet of a post season ahead of them that could result in a sectional final with top ranked Freeport Aquin.      [player_tooltip player_id='225843' first='Hollan' last='Everett'] - Norris City-NCOE (IL)    Norris City, IL - Population - 1,325   [player_tooltip player_id='225843' first='Hollan' last='Everett'] has been a key player for NCOE her whole high school career.  She just surpassed 1,000 kills in her career which for athletes in Illinois who also had a year of Covid era volleyball is a really difficult feat.  Illinois plays in less sets than Iowa and Wisconsin where all of their matches are two out of three.  They also had a significantly shortened season in 20-21 where she only had 42 sets played.  Everett is currently averaging 4.5 kills per set for her NCOE High School team who is 33-2 and has the top seed in their section.  Norris City is in Southern Illinois inbetween Carbondale and Evansville, IN.      [player_tooltip player_id='245005' first='Emersyn' last='Robbins'] - Fairfield (IL)    Fairfield, IL - Population - 4,912    Robbins is putting up video game like numbers for Fairfield High School out of Southern Illinois.  Robbins plays her club volleyball at Evansville United and is an electric six rotation outside hitter.  She is one of the top kill leaders in Illinois regardless of class.  She can find a way to score from anywhere.  The Mules have a 30-5 record and have the two seed in the Pickneyville Section.  With someone like Robbins swinging and defending they always have a chance in the game. Should be an exciting post season for them!      <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/12/Claudia-Aschenbrenner.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-118924" width="336" height="224"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='79667' first='Claudia' last='Aschenbrenner']</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='79667' first='Claudia' last='Aschenbrenner'] - Osage (IA)    Osage, IA - Population - 3,549    Aschenbrenner has been a huge name in North Iowa and for Osage High School where she really has done it all.  She will be attempting to lead her team to qualify for another state tournament where she has ended each season on the state tournament floor.  She won a state title as a sophomore and was named conference player of the year in basketball in 2022 and in volleyball just over a week ago. And like most small town athlete she's the lead in her high school musical winning awards for her performance in Mamma Mia and is the type to sing the national anthem and minutes later crush a ball inside the ten footline.  She is an uncommitted 2023 who would be a major boost to plenty of programs.      [player_tooltip player_id='79687' first='Reagan' last='Jansen'] - Sioux Center (IA)    Sioux Center, IA - Population - 7,592    By Iowa standards, a town the population over 7,000 is starting to be a little bigger than a “small town”, but Sioux Center has produced plenty of high level volleyball players and is also home to Dordt College who is a top NAIA program.  Northwest Iowa in Class 2A and Class 3A is one of the toughest regions to get out of for the state tournament with the number of traditional programs who are loaded with talent. Jansen is a Augustana (SD) commit and could be leading her team to a state tournament appearance where they will take on rival, Sheldon for a trip to Coralville.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/ClubIowa/status/1574452491877597184?s=20&t=4o19UBHDfJDYKEZ1l-xsTw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='168170' first='Carlie' last='Willis'] - Grundy Center (IA)    Grundy Center, IA - Population - 2,671    Grundy Center is among several powers surrounding the Cedar Valley Area (Cedar Falls/Waterloo).  Willis is one of their top attackers, leading a team who is loaded with extremely talented juniors.  Willis has over 500 kills and nearly 250 digs on the season.  Her Club Iowa (CIA) teammate who sets for high school and has been a libero for club is [player_tooltip player_id='168171' first='Ellery' last='Luhring'] who has over 800 assists and is such a savvy athlete.     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/chris_rogne/status/1582901177728974848?s=20&t=0eJYoRGrtK-zk-6mvjVdvA </div></figure>   Ellie Hanna - Lake Mills (IA)    Lake Mills, IA - Population -  2,108   Lake Mills has been a traditional power in North Iowa for decades.  They are led by legendary head coach, Jim Boehmer who recently passed 950 wins.  The Bulldogs are led by Top of Iowa West Player of the Year, Ellie Hanna who has nearly 350 kills and is hitting over .400 on the season.  They will have a tough task ahead of them as they travel to Grundy Center for a big regional final Monday night.      [player_tooltip player_id='389079' first='Bailey' last='Boeve'] - Hinton (IA)    Hinton, IA - Population - 805    Hinton, Iowa is just outside of Sioux City, not too far from the Iowa/Nebraska border near the Missouri River.  Hinton is usually strong at a lot of sports and this Freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='389079' first='Bailey' last='Boeve'] will be one to watch across multiple platforms in her career at Hinton.  Hinton is a top seed in their regional and has a key regional semifinal matchup tonight vs. Lawton-Bronson.  Boeve is averaging nearly four kills per set and is leading the team in multiple categories.  She's going to be one to star from the Class of 2026.      Johanna Andrae - Sevastopol (WI)    Sevastopol, WI - 2,659    Highly recommend a visit to Sevastopol where you are at the Southern Part of Door County which is the Peninsula that separates Lake Michigan from the “Bay”.  Their high school is minutes from Whitefish Dunes which is one of my personal favorites for a summer hike :) Sevastopol High School is battling in sectional play in Wisconsin D4 where they have a 26-9 record.  Andrae is an electric pin who can score a lot of different ways.  She has  nearly 500 kills on the season and 2.5 digs per match.  They have a huge sectional matchup against conference rival Green Bay NEW Lutheran Thursday night.       [player_tooltip player_id='165406' first='Kelsey' last='Justman'] - Wonewoc Center (WI)    Wonewoc, WI - 761   Justman led Wonewoc Center to the state tournament in D4 last season as a really dynamic left handed attacker who can score points from anywhere.  As a Junior, she has more career kills than there are people in Wonewoc, WI.  They are still in contention to make another trip to the Resch Center in Green Bay where the state tournament is held.  She has over 500 kills, good enough for six per set so far this season.  She has been coming up clutch the past two seasons in must win tournament matches.      [player_tooltip player_id='174746' first='Kelsey' last='Cooper'] - St. Croix Falls (WI)    St. Croix Falls, WI - 1,863   St. Croix Falls would be a beautiful place this time of year with the town lying along the Mississippi River along the Minnesota/Iowa border.  [player_tooltip player_id='174746' first='Kelsey' last='Cooper'] has been a major part to this team's success where she has over 5 kills per set and is hitting over .300 on the season.  She's long and physical where she always has an impact on every play.  They have a huge sectional game Thursday night against Unity which is another small town, small school team who advanced to the state tournament in 2021.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1493408871637041153?s=20&t=PkLxVOywgAi9ukpZS6IMmw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='91911' first='Meghan' last='Scholz'] - Tomahawk (WI)    Tomahawk, WI - 3,156    Tomahawk is known for the fishing, boating, and great views as an “Up North” community for weekend getaways in the summer.  Absolutely gorgeous there.  They have also built a pretty solid volleyball team this fall led by the Scholz sisters.  Meghan is a 6'3, physical middle blocker who is committed to play at De Paul.  She is hitting nearly .500 on the season with 4.3 kills per set and nearly 100 blocks.  The one who is distributing is her twin sister McKenzie Scholz who has nearly 800 assists on the year.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1492968438335213575?s=20&t=PkLxVOywgAi9ukpZS6IMmw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='277430' first='Peyton' last='Carlson'] - Waupaca (WI)    Waupaca, WI - 5,916    Carlson is one of the top freshmen in Wisconsin and has already made her mark on the club world.  Earlier this year, she was the [program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] for [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 Navy when they were the USAV 16 National Division Champions.  She had a big time high school season as a freshman where she had nearly five kills per set and nearly three digs per set.  Her approach on the kill is violent, she's looking to score and put a hurt on the ball.  With her all around skill set, she will have plenty of college coaches taking a look the next two seasons before they can start officially recruiting her.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1547699104460861441?s=20&t=PkLxVOywgAi9ukpZS6IMmw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='149057' first='Grace' last='Rochon'] - Kewaskum (WI)    Kewaskum, WI - 4,224   Rochon has been part of a highly successful senior class at Kewaskum where they are among some of the top D2 teams in Wisconsin.  They are currently 34-3, ranked in the top five in the state, and blazed through their conference schedule.  Rochon is an electric outside where she brings a ton of pop from her swing.  She has nearly 350 kills on the season and is one to be involved in every play from serve receive, defense, to play at the net.

Defining “Small Town” has always been an interesting concept to me. I grew up in a town of around 5,000 people in North Iowa and compared to the other towns around me, I didn't think we were small. Once you get out of your bubble and start talking to others they say they are from a small town of 50-100,000 people and went to a high school that only had 200-300 in their class. That's a big lol. The real small town kids know everyone in their graduating class, have been to their town celebration street dance (always lit), have an FFA program at their high school with tractor day, and are mostly likely involved in three in school clubs outside of sports. All generalizations, but we're showing love for the small town athletes.