Future Big Ten Stars Shine at Northern Lights Qualifier
Get ready to see these names on your TV sets before long. The Northern Lights Qualifier brought out so many future stars of college volleyball. It’s only fitting that at a Minneapolis event, we saw many of these standouts-to-be who…
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Continue ReadingGet ready to see these names on your TV sets before long.
The Northern Lights Qualifier brought out so many future stars of college volleyball. It’s only fitting that at a Minneapolis event, we saw many of these standouts-to-be who are bound for Big Ten programs. It’s been an elite conference for ages, and that’s not changing anytime soon with these athletes entering the mix.
Lockdown Defense
How about this group of future Big Ten liberos?
Take your pick here. A pair that immediately comes to mind is Penn State commit Ava Falduto of 1st Alliance and Ohio State-bound Olivia Hasbrook of Rockwood Thunder. We were lucky enough to see this elite duo spar in a high-stakes Gold pool duel that went right down to the wire. Both of these liberos presented some different defensive styles, making the matchup even more fascinating. While Falduto’s standout trait was her foot speed and ability to read opposing attackers, Hasbrook showed her knack for using her hands to snare hard-driven balls drifting above her shoulders. In short, we’re due for a few more elite battles like this at the next level.
But Falduto and Hasbrook weren’t the only Big Ten-bound ‘bros in NLQ’s Gold pools. Ryan McAleer of Dynasty 17 Black showed the same kind of talent and ferocity that we’re used to seeing from the Purdue commit. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking McAleer’s valuable contributions to her team, even as a bevy of Dynasty’s frontcourt standouts light it up along the net. McAleer’s ability to step into seams and take defensive burdens off her teammates is uncanny.
More Big Ten talent can be found with the 18s. Nebraska-bound libero Olivia Mauch continues to shine with Premier Nebraska 18 Gold while playing up as a 2024. Her quickness allows her to cover so much ground in both serve receive and floor defense, allowing the team’s lights-out attackers to flourish. This homegrown libero is bound for collegiate success.
Frontcourt Finishers
With liberos covered, let’s shift the conversation to the Big Ten’s next standout attackers. NLQ gave us quite a list.
We can stay with the aforementioned Premier Nebraska 18 Gold squad to bring up Grace Heaney, a Purdue signee who could make an immediate impact on the college game this fall. This dynamic lefty has dazzled us for several years with her incredible athleticism on the right pin, and that has culminated in her being a go-to attacker for a dominant club squad. Better yet, the Boilermakers know how to churn out elite opposites.
MN Select 18-1 finished runner-up to Premier in 18 Gold and has some Big Ten terminators of its own. The setter-hitter duo of Stella Swenson and Olivia Swenson connects in a way that only twins can, and they’ll continue the family tradition of competing with the Golden Gophers. They’ll have some familiar opposition in the Big Ten, though, as Select teammate Kaia Caffee is heading to Ohio State as a middle blocker who can change a match with her length and quickness.
Just across the way from MN Select, FC Elite’s 18s team also features a Big Ten-bound 2024 athlete playing up this year. Michigan commit Ella Demetrician has been an unstoppable force in the Wisconsin prep scene for a while, and she has proven herself while jumping multiple age groups on the club side. And, while we’re discussing Michigan recruits on the 18s level, 2023 setter Morgan Burke continues to lead the way for Nebraska Elite 18-1 and has so many tools at her disposal.
Nebraska gets another entry on the 17s side. It was a busy weekend for Skyler Pierce, who stuck around Kansas City to play basketball before making the trek up to Minneapolis for the final day of NLQ. That’s just the kind of competitive spirit that Pierce brings to the court, and she showed no signs of fatigue while playing against the best 17 Open teams at NLQ. Her effortless elevation and all-around skills are exactly as we remember.
And let’s bring Michigan State into the mix here. The Spartans look like a program that is about to pick up serious momentum on the recruiting trail, and nabbing athletes like A5’s Mia Hood helps a lot. Hood’s length makes her an instant standout for the Atlanta squad, but her ability to read the game and make quick blocking moves also stands out. This is a Big Ten-ready athlete, and Hood will have the benefit of playing against so many of her future college opponents.