Fresh Faces Make Immediate Impact on Opening Night
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The high school volleyball season opened up on Thursday and there is a ton of new and young talent on the court this season. Many of these freshmen made an immediate impact on the floor on opening night! Here is…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season opened up on Thursday and there is a ton of new and young talent on the court this season. Many of these freshmen made an immediate impact on the floor on opening night! Here is a look at some of the fresh faces in top programs:
Elkhorn North received a nice gift in the off-season with the move of Reagan Wallraff Reagan Wallraff 6'0" | MB Elkhorn North | 2027 NE . Wallraff, a freshman who moved from Phoenix and played club for Arizona Storm Elite is a 5’11” hitter who has already made an immediate impact on the Wolves. She is so athletic and runs the slide so smoothly. Wallraff also had a great back row kill against Elkhorn High on Thursday from left back. Her ability to hit from all over the court makes her a force for the Wolves. In her prep debut she hammered 12 kills against Elkhorn High as a middle. With a talented group around her and a veteran setter in Reese Booth Reese Booth 5'7" | S Elkhorn North | 2024 State NE look for Wallraff’s stock to continue to rise!
Waverly has a trio of freshmen who lost a heartbreaker to 2022 State Champion Lincoln Lutheran in five sets. Setter McKinley Moser McKinley Moser 5'8" | S Waverly | 2027 NE had 13 assists and 18 digs with 1 ace serve in the loss. Moser is really athletic and moves well. She has great court sense for a freshman. Her and senior Caylee Rowley Caylee Rowley 5'9" | S Waverly | 2024 State NE make a good setting duo. Moser’s athleticism is so fun to watch!
The Launstein twins have already made noise in their first prep game as well. The 5’9” sisters combined for 33 kills in their seasoning opener. The younger sisters of former Husker volleyball player Whitney Launstein are making a name for themselves. Hallie has a quick arm and can hammer the line shot. She jumps really well too and is super athletic. She had 20 kills and hit .364 in the season opener. Gracie has a great shot selection and can power through the block with some great tool shots. She had 13 kills and 12 digs in the loss. It will be fun to see Moser, and the Launstein girls continue to grow. All three were part of VCN 14’s Elite’s successful team this past club season.
On the other side of the net Lincoln Lutheran’s 5’10” freshman McKenzie Sidlo McKenzie Sidlo 5'10" | MB Lincoln Lutheran | 2027 NE is an outside who is really athletic. She has a nice quick arm. She had 4 kills in the win against Waverly. She too was on VCN 14’s Elite. She has a high ceiling and it will be fun to see her growth with so much talent surrounding her.
Norris has two fantastic freshmen as well. 5’10” Freshman setter Malorie Boesiger Malorie Boesiger 5'9" | S Norris | 2027 NE is running the Norris offense this year. Boesiger has high volleyball IQ and came off a 3rd place finish in 16’s Open at Nationals with Nebraska One 16’s Synergy. Malorie has a great serve. She had 4 aces in the season debut triangular with the Huskies and Wahoo. She also does an outstanding job of playing floor defense first as she tallied 11 digs. She is a great blocker with long levers and is an offensive threat in the front row. She finished the night with 42 set assists.
Her floor demeanor is calming and confident for a freshman. She has a lot of offensive weapons around her with Long Beach State commit Anna Jelinek Anna Jelinek 5'9" | DS/L Norris | 2025 State NE , Omaha commit Ceila Spilker and Lexi Hasselbach. Norris has a phenomenal veteran back row crew so first ball contacts and ball handling should be at a high level all season! Keep tabs on her throughout the season!
A 5’10” freshman outside Alli Bornschlegl Alli Bornschlegl OH Norris | 2027 NE from Norris stepped onto the stage this past club season playing on VCN 14’s Elite as well. Her game has really improved and could potentially turn into a high-caliber six-rotation player. Her serve receive and floor defense improved so much over the club season. She had 8 kills against Aurora on Thursday. She is super athletic and has long levers. She has a great line shot that can keep blockers off balance. Alli does a great job of flying to the ball as well. Keep her on your radar!
It is always fun to get the season started and get a glimpse of the new faces and talent on the court in the 2023 season! Keep an eye on these freshmen as they pave their way!