Attackers In the 2025 Top Ten
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When seven out of the top ten in the 2025 Rankings are attackers we’ve got to recognize that this class has some heavy arms. I also want to note that just because I am not recognizing Anya Schmidt Anya Schmidt…
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Continue ReadingWhen seven out of the top ten in the 2025 Rankings are attackers we’ve got to recognize that this class has some heavy arms. I also want to note that just because I am not recognizing Anya Schmidt Anya Schmidt 5'10" | S Rogers | 2025 State MN and Addison Rossum Addison Rossum 5'11" | S Alexandria | 2025 State MN doesn’t mean they aren’t setters that can’t swing. I just wanted to focus on these specialized hitters for a minute.
It’s no secret that I’m a Kelzenberg fan. She is a ferocious competitor and intimidating 6’2 presence at the net. After playing for Northern Lights 15 Black in 2022 and earning recognition as a AAU All Star in the 15 Club division last season she really embraced her training and took it to another level. This past fall she earned Class AAAA State All-Tournament Team honors and helped Wayzata to another Class AAAA State Championship title. In 2023 you will find her competing with the MN Select 16-1 squad.
Highlights
I saw Mattes competing with Northern Lights 15-1 last year and I felt she was close but something intangible was missing. Then I saw her this fall and she figured it out. Confidence. Mattes is playing with so much more confidence than less than a year ago. Whether that came during her training with USAV National Development Training Program over the summer or recognition of making the AVCA Phenom Watchlist, it has helped her elevate her game. Mattes earned Class AAAA State All-Tournament Team honors in November and will be competing with a talented Northern Lights 16-1 group in 2023.
Gilk is such a fun athlete to watch. I saw a lot of video from her club season last year but I was even more impressed when I saw her in person this fall. It is no surprise she was named to the AVCA Phenom Watchlist and garnered a spot on the Class AAAA All-State Team. You will find her competing along side Kelzenberg on the MN Select 16-1 team.
Highlights
Ball is another player I saw competing at the Prep Dig Gauntlet last summer and she had already improved so much from December 2021 when I saw her at our Prep Dig MN Top 250 Expo. In 2022 she earned All-Region 2nd Team and Class AA All-State Team. I saw her compete at the Class AA Showcase and she was even more explosive than when I saw her at the Gauntlet. Ball just gets better every time she steps on the court. Can’t wait to see her playing with Mattes on the Northern Lights 16-1 squad.
Bettis is another player that I saw at the 2021 Prep Dig MN Top 250 and I immediately knew she was going to be a big deal. I saw her again at the 2022 Prep Dig Gauntlet and enjoyed watching her shut down the opposing attackers as a right side. She earned a spot on the AVCA Phenom Watchlist and helped Burnsville make a trip to the X. I can’t wait to see her compete live with Ball and Mattes again on Northern Lights 16-1.
Highlights
I first saw Schmidt at the Prep Dig Gauntlet last summer and got to interact with her a bit when I got her photo as a top performer. She may be one of the nicest kids around and her coaches agreed. But when she steps on the court don’t let her sweet smile fool ya, she is a competitor! I am looking forwaed to seeing her take the court again with Ball, Bettis, and Mattes for Northern Lights 16-1.
Winchell was definitely newer to the rankings and my radar. I took notice at the Class AA Showcase but she really made her presence known at the State Tournament this year. I wasn’t the only one who noticed her feisty and gritty style of play and her ability to work around some much larger blockers in front of her. Winchell earned a spot on the Class AA State All-Tournament Team and helped Cannon Falls to a Class AA State Championship title. I am looking forward to seeing Winchell compete with SMV 16-1 this year.