Minnesota Top 250 Expo: GameChangers

Werwie was one of the first players to grab my attention during warm-ups.  There is just something about a smaller but explosive player.  She’s listed as a Defensive specialist/libero but I saw her take big backrow swing and then later she had the hops to get up and put up a big block.  Werwie is athletic, smooth and has great court vision.

Faber had really nice footwork from the start and her hands were really quick and clean.  This setter has some height to help with the tight pass but she displayed her ability to hold the blockers and run a loaded offense.  Faber was consistently making plays with her killer instinct and high game IQ.

This Saturday Expo had a lot of great defensive talent and Vold was one of those.  She does a nice job of making the middle back defenders job easy because she covers so much court.  It isn’t rare to see her flying to cut the ball off as a wing defender.  She stays cool and collected to make a hustle play look easy.

Peters took such a heavy swing and knew just how to work the angles really well.  She is a solid 6’0 middle but her presence at the net makes her feel about 6’4.  Peters could block some of the biggest swings in the gym and return a well placed attack when her number was called.  Her fast footwork and her size makes her a prospect you need to have on your wishlist.

Hill is another powerful 6’0 middle that can generate as much power for her swings as anyone else in the gym.  Her blocking is no joke either as she is strong and athletic on both sides of the ball.

Jaynes commands the net on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  She can run an offense and knows just when to place the setter dump to take a team out of sync.  Jaynes really seems to be more and more confident each time I see her play and her control of the court has improved along with the confidence.  She is a highly athletic 6’0 that could be a highly sought after prospect in June.  Jaynes was quick to create some good connections with the hitters on her courts.

Weeks caught my attention as I was walking past her court she got a hold of a ball and hammered the ball inside the block.  There was just different sound when she connected.  Weeks is explosive and knows where to place the ball anywhere on the court giving defenders a real workout.

Faber is another standout defender from Saturday and she is non-stop hustle.  She is absolutely everywhere on the court and no ball can be assumed dead.  Faber is smooth moving across the floor and gets herself in good position to pass in serve receive and she makes big digs look easy.

Neeley takes a really nice approach to the ball and makes solid contact at a very high point.  She plays with a competitive edge and consistently brings a strong swing at the net.  Neeley went up against some pretty big blockers but she never hesitated to take a swing and find a way to terminate.

I’m officially a Kelzenberg fan.  I saw her play in September for Wayzata and she was a solid role player but Saturday she was so strong and confident at the net it almost seemed like she was 2 or 3 years older.  Kelzenberg stands at 6’2 and is a playmaker both on the offense and defense.  She is driving hard and making herself available on EVERY play.  Kelzenberg’s work ethic was apparent even in a showcase setting and when you combine that with her talent you find a recruit that will be getting calls in June.

Meyer grabbed my attention with her great hustle play.  She was energetic and her defensive play was intense.  Meyer was a great communicator and gave the players around her a lot of energy.

Boelter was really impressive in the libero work with how she could control a hard driven attack.  She was sacrificing her body to get under the ball and putting up a settable ball.  Standing at 5’7 she actually covers the court like she is 6’0 because she gets such a good read on the attack.

Friedrichs has some serious hops and takes a fast swing down the line from either pin.  She is also solid in serve receive where she showed good form.  Friedrichs adjusts well on defense and takes a strong swing out-of-system.  She was also challenging a lot of passers with her serve.

Keaveny has a really nice fast clean release of the ball.  I also really like how she gets her feet to the ball and her placement of the ball in on point.  Keaveny adapts well to the constant changing of passers and hitters which can really throw some players off.  She did a great job always getting in good position to set the ball and give her hitters plenty of options.