12 Must Know '27s from the Freshman Showcase

<p>The talent from the Freshman Showcase absolutely blew my mind. The ability of these athletes is incredibly impressive. This was our first-ever Freshman Showcase, so I was unsure what to expect, and the athletes came out confident and communicated very well. Here are some must-know athletes from the Freshman Showcase. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Abby Bathelemy - 5'4" - DS/L - Grafton High School </h2>   <p>Abby was an athlete who impressed me from positional work through 6v6 play. She is a very scrappy athlete who will get a touch on nearly any ball. She sets herself up for success with sound fundamentals and quick reactions. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435879' first='Amy' last='Denkert'] - 5'7" - S - Waunakee</h2>   <p>Amy had numerous valuable intangibles as a setter. She was always communicating on the court, whether it was encouragement or working through connections with her hitters. She has great form and clean and precise sets. Amy brings great energy and leadership to the court and high-level play. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Annalise Coon - 5'5" - DS/L - St. Mary's Springs Academy </h2>   <p>Annalise does all the little things right. She calls shots for her hitters in every drill, communicates between plays, and never stops encouraging her teammates. Her passing skills are also high-level, and she is very confident and collected on the court. When she makes an error, she doubles down and can put up a great pass on the next one. Annalise stood out as a leader in nearly every drill. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='388537' first='Ella' last='Eckhoff'] - 5'10" - OH - DC Everest </h2>   <p>Ella is an athlete who has been on my radar for a while. She played up an age division for club, so I wrote about her as a 2026, only to find out she was in the class of 2027! This alone indicates her high level of play. Ella has great ball control as well and is very efficient in transition. She is well-rounded and balanced in all of her skills. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='434920' first='Sierra' last='Hoeft'] - 5'9" - S - Port Washington </h2>   <p>Sierra is a player who is a great setter but a solid defender as well. She has awesome court awareness and keeps a fast tempo on her sets. Sierra was a stand-out athlete at the showcase and a top performer as well. She ran the court efficiently but was disciplined on defense. Sierra was fearless in running down the ball and made aggressive choices. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435883' first='Bella' last='Kaldor'] - 5'9" - S - New Berlin Eisenhower</h2>   <p>Bella is a setter who impressed me from the very first play of the showcase. She has a soft touch on the ball. She was one of the top setters at the showcase. She has a clean jump set and moves the ball around quickly and efficiently. She is aggressive with her choices and makes great plays at the net. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='517283' first='Mara' last='McNaughton'] - 5'3" - DS/L - West Salem </h2>   <p>Mara was a huge energizer and communicator. She never stopped talking and kept the energy up on every point. She was a positive influence with her great attitude and hustle. She was valuable in coverage and could get some great touches on tough balls. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='388454' first='Paige' last='Proefrock'] - 5'8" - OH - Grafton </h2>   <p>Paige is an incredibly talented 6-rotation athlete. She takes an explosive approach and has a tool box of shots to utilize. Her serve receive is clean and consistent and she has a lethal back row attack. She played up an age division this past club season and was a key player on a talented team. She was one of the most well-rounded and powerhouse pins at the showcase. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435895' first='Lily' last='Renz'] - 5'7" - OH - Xavier </h2>   <p>Lily was another really well-rounded pin hitter from the showcase. She is a high-level passer and is incredibly versatile. She could play on either pin and across the back row. She was engaged and disciplined. Lily is a talented athlete who was impressive in all six rotations. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435890' first='Greta' last='Schreiber'] - 5'11" - RS - Oconomowoc</h2>   <p>Greta had a massive presence at the showcase. She was a powerhouse right side hitter with a huge vertical and high contact. Greta was fast in transition and could manufacture kills on fast-tempo balls. She also put up a great block and was an awesome first line of defense. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435897' first='Lucy' last='Ripley'] - 6'1" - MB - Oconto Falls</h2>   <p>Lucy is a powerhouse middle that was a great communicator and energizer on the court. She balanced taking smart shot and big swings well. Lucy protected the net fiercely and was aggressive on overpasses and tight sets. She is an impact middle who can be relied on to earn points and be a momentum-changing athlete. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435902' first='Samantha' last='Stikel'] - 5'5" - S - Oak Creek </h2>   <p>Samantha is an absolute gamer. She steps on the court with confidence and runs the court efficiently. She is one of those players that can make even the toughest plays work and makes big, energizing saves on defense and when running down balls. Samantha is a talented setter that is fun to watch and plays at a high level. </p>

The talent from the Freshman Showcase absolutely blew my mind. The ability of these athletes is incredibly impressive. This was our first-ever Freshman Showcase, so I was unsure what to expect, and the athletes came out confident and communicated very well. Here are some must-know athletes from the Freshman Showcase.