Tremendous 12 – Power Pins From Huntley, Scholastic Cup
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What a weekend in Chicagoland where I got to see teams from all across the state. I am always amazed at the depth of athletes I see when I come to these tournaments. I was able to see the Friday…
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Continue ReadingWhat a weekend in Chicagoland where I got to see teams from all across the state. I am always amazed at the depth of athletes I see when I come to these tournaments. I was able to see the Friday night part of the Huntley Tournament and championship Saturday of the Scholastic Cup with St. Charles East. I will have plenty of articles coming from these events, but I’m starting with the high level pin hitters I saw. I’ll also be focusing on new athletes on the radar, and some of the highly effective, efficient, x-factor type athletes who are making a big impact for their teams.
Paige Lauterwasser Paige Lauterwasser 6'0" | OH Naperville North | 2023 State IL – Naperville North
Class of 2023 – Committed to Wyoming
What an athlete. Lauterwasser earned MVP ‘ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”]’ last=”] honors from the Scholastic Cup this past Saturday where Naperville North rattled off Saturday wins against St. Charles North, Neuqua Valley, and a convincing win against Benet Academy. They continued to build momentum throughout the day as did Lauterwasser. The Wyoming commit showed every shot in the book where she could find the dip corners, tools off the block, different attack angles to go sharp cross or painting the line. When Benet would adjust to the outside she would come out of the middle to find the corner. Fittingly, she had the final point against Benet to right back corner with a backrow attack. What a competitor. North is in a loaded section that will include Benet and defending state champion, Metea Valley. This was a statement weekend for North as well as Lauterwasser.
Bryanna Jones Bryanna Jones 5'10" | OH Neuqua Valley | 2023 State IL – Neuqua Valley
Class of 2023 – Uncommitted
This Neuqua Valley team was so much fun to watch. They played with a lot of fire and intensity everytime they took the court. One player who continued to make an impact was Bryanna Jones Bryanna Jones 5'10" | OH Neuqua Valley | 2023 State IL . She has to be contacting right around ten feet and can pack a ton of firepower into her swing. When she scores, it hypes up her team and opens up plenty of opportunities for the middles and right sides to get some open looks. I don’t like labeling where kids are at in regards to what level of play they should be at for college, but she could be a scholarship kid at a Division 1 level. Her all around ability passed the test as did her intangibles. Electric athlete.
Kate Goudreau Kate Goudreau 5'11" | OH St. Charles East | 2023 State IL – St. Charles East
Class of 2023 – Uncommitted
I know Goudreau was on the fence in regards to playing volleyball, but now I think the door is wide open for college coaches to have a chat. If I’m a Horizon League or OVC coach, I’m offering her tomorrow. She knows how to rip the seam, sling it down the line, and navigate her way around the block. The vibe for St. Charles East is fun, they smile, they are an easy team to photograph because they look like they really enjoy being around each other. Goudreau is key to their success, but there are a lot of high level athletes on this team to know (more to come).
Ava Nepkin Ava Nepkin 6'3" | OH Lincoln Way East | 2023 State IL – Lincoln Way East
Class of 2023 – Committed to Loyola-Maryland
I’ve seen Nepkin play plenty of times on the club courts and it was fun to see her be a key leader for Lincoln Way East. Her consistent play at the pin and at every rotation brings a calming force to a team who has plenty of weapons. Jada James is another athlete who is exciting to watch where she has such an explosive approach and swing. LWE is a favorite in their section and I saw why. This will be an exciting next few weeks for them with some big events and key matches where they will rely on the play of Nepkin to score and defend in clutch moments.
Ava Novak Ava Novak 6'3" | OH Benet | 2024 State IL – Benet Academy
Class of 2024 – Uncommitted
Novak was a key piece for Benet Academy this weekend as a six rotation all around player. She knows where to find the open spots and has a variety of ways to score points. She can also handle a bulk of serve receive and can pass to attack as well. Benet is a really athletic team and Novak brings a crafty game to the line up.
Morgan Jones Morgan Jones 6'1" | OH Huntley | 2024 State #116 Nation IL – Huntley
Class of 2024 – Committed to Indiana
I saw Jones her 15s year and she was good, and then saw her again quite a bit her 16s year over Memorial Day and she was better, but seeing her this past weekend – she is ridiculous. I mean that is a really positive way where her vertical is at a whole new level. Her athleticism is elite and again – Big Ten worthy where she is putting her armpits over the net with ease. Her all around game is improving where she is a threat from the backrow and is so tough to defend when she is in system along the frontline. Huntley has a few athletes who can really bounce the ball inside the ten footline.
Hope Regas Hope Regas 5'11" | OH Barrington | 2024 State IL – Barrington
Class of 2024 – Uncommitted
So smooth. Regas gets the job done for a high powered Barrington team who won the Huntley Invite where she plays within herself, and just hits the shots to score. She’s not trying to over swing, she’s not trying to hit shots that aren’t there, she’s doing what is best for her team. A lot of times, athletes have a shot in mind before they approach and force the issue. Not for Regas, she just gets it done and takes what the defense is giving her.
Ally Panzloff – Huntley
Class of 2023 – Committed to Brown
Pansloff is just fun to watch with her athleticism, aggressiveness, and vibe on the court. She plays with a smile, she looks like she enjoys the game, and has a ton of fun. The reason why I emphasize this is because there are a lot of elite players who look like they are having zero fun – not the case with Panzloff, she has the talent, intangibles, and assuming the smarts where she will take her game to the Ivy League and play for Brown.
Jessica Horvath – Barrington
Class of 2023 – Committed to Arizona (Beach)
Video doesn’t do justice, the athletic ability that Horvath has on the hardcourt. I guess after playing on the beach all summer, the hardcourt probably feels easy to jump on. Horvath is a really physical athlete who is electric on the outside. She does it all where she can transition quickly from blocking to attacking and passing to attacking. Having a gritty athlete who can do it all is such a spark and Horvath does exactly that for Barrington. They have the top seed in their sectional and will be looking to make a return trip Redbird Arena for the Class 4A Final Four.
Bree Messenger Bree Messenger 5'9" | OH Belvidere North | 2024 State IL – Belvidere North
Class of 2024 – Uncommitted
Another six rotation outside who does it all, this time it’s Bree Messenger Bree Messenger 5'9" | OH Belvidere North | 2024 State IL for Belvidere North. She is extremely fundamentally sound where her all around game is so fine tuned. Shei s a key scorer for North who has a lot of new faces on their team after finishing as the state runner up with a large senior class in 2021. They picked up a big win over Woodstock North Friday night at the Huntley Invite where they could potentially face them again come tournament time.
Kaitlyn Wickersheim – Woodstock North
Class of 2023 – Uncommitted
Woodstock North has a team of about six or seven athletes who could be the libero, they control the ball, and can play defense, Wickersheim included. However, Wickersheim is the top point scorer for Woodstock North on the outside. She’s a fun athlete where her last two steps are extremely fast to the ball. She’s is a libero/ds playing on the pin and doing it really well. She knows how to find the open spots and use the block to score plenty of points for the Thunder.
Katherine Scherer Katherine Scherer 6'2" | OH St. Charles North | 2024 State #163 Nation IL – St. Charles North
Class of 2024 – Maryland
So much athleticism from Scherer, she is definitely a Big Ten athlete where she will continue her career at Maryland. She has the length, finesse, and power to do a little bit of everything from outside. SCN is never really out of system when there is someone like Scherer on the court because she will find a way to score points. I have covered her future teammate, Lily Wagner (Oconomowoc, WI/MKE Sting) since her 15s year and these two athletes will be sure to combine for plenty of points for Maryland.