Scouting Report & Photos: Pleasant Valley
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Pleasant Valley entered the season ranked 10th in Class 5A. I left here on Thursday night thinking there’s no way nine teams were better than the Spartans. They cruised to three straight-set victories in the MVC/MAC…
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Continue ReadingIOWA CITY, Iowa – Pleasant Valley entered the season ranked 10th in Class 5A. I left here on Thursday night thinking there’s no way nine teams were better than the Spartans. They cruised to three straight-set victories in the MVC/MAC Challenge at Iowa City West High.
PV graduated a lot of talent off of last year’s squad that reached the state championship match. It reloaded in a big way.
Here are player scouting reports followed by photos of the Spartans:
Molly Albrecht
Molly Albrecht
The lone senior on the roster, Albrecht holds down the back row, settling pace, turning it into usable passes for sets to a talented group of hitters. The team captain moves well laterally and gets low with a good base for digging. She shows quick reflexes and reaction time.
Smith transferred in to Pleasant Valley after leading Davenport Central with 132 blocks last season to go with 25.0 blocks. I saw her play multiple times this summer for Iowa Rockets 15U. She continues improving and owns a high ceiling. Her long arms and athleticism help her defend at the net. She also can hammer it on offense.
Kremer teamed up with Smith and others in forming a potent front line for the 15U Iowa Rockets during club season. I enjoyed watching Kremer in that setting and was impressed with her here in a bigger role. She continues developing her swing and already possesses excellent power for only being a 10th-grader. Her long arms provide an imposing presence at the net defensively.
Highlights
Mazie Sweers
Mazie Sweers
Plenty of players I didn’t know much about coming into this event popped up. None of them were more impressive than Sweers. She shines on the outside on offense but her versatility and all-court presence give her an incredibly high ceiling. In other words, she does not look like a freshman. She plays with poise and a polished skill set.
Lauren Brohm
Lauren Brohm
Brohm has been developed in the program, playing on a limited basis for the varsity last season. The process looks to have paid off for the junior. She appeared comfortable feeding the many hitter mouths worthy of feeding on her team. She smoothly slides into position, shows a soft touch and consistent accuracy while mixing up her sets.
Another cog in the Spartans machine that boasts an embarrassment of riches, Ragins would stand out even more on a team not this loaded with talent. The junior exhibits all the traits you’d want in a middle. She stands out on defense and can swing it when given opportunities.
Highlights
Addison Allaman
Addison Allaman
Allaman is part of an Iowa Rockets 14U team that inflicted plenty of pain on opponents this club season. She’s settling nicely into the Pleasant Valley rotation, providing coaches with versatility to perform all around the court. She’s capable of pounding a kill from the outside, digging from the back row or producing an ace.