Class AA Playoff Key Athletes and Dark Horses – Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The postseason is here and in full swing. Sections are taking shape as teams get eliminated and some squads build serious momentum with each set played. Here are some players and teams that could make some waves in the next couple of weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Southwest Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most think of [player_tooltip player_id='107900' first='Luca' last='Bredenberg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='135317' first='Taylor' last='Miedema'] when they think of the Stars, but some really key role players have helped them succeed this season. [player_tooltip player_id='278404' first='Kylie' last='Beckering'] is a defensive specialist who moves really well and is extremely solid in her role. [player_tooltip player_id='494949' first='Ada' last='Dekkers'] is a middle blocker and while she is strong at the net she's also gone on some really crucial serving runs. The Stars are an athletic squad with a 23-6 record and a spot secured in the Quarterfinals. Most of their offensive firepower comes from seniors Miedema, [player_tooltip player_id='462220' first='Maddie' last='Schmidt'], and [player_tooltip player_id='180615' first='Elizabeth' last='Coleman']. They've also got a young gun in [player_tooltip player_id='497702' first='Breanna' last='Beckering'] currently hitting .290. This group has experience in big matches and they've got a target on them as a 1 seed. Their next match-up will be against Wright County Conference foe, Holy Family Catholic on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1705362873650720942","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1705362873650720942 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nova Classical Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm glad I saw Nova play at the Class AA Showcase in September because their libero, 2027, Rei Yang definitely caught my attention. She is a speedy defender who is just about everywhere on the court. They've also got quite an offense where the pin hitters are being fed by senior setter, Fern Fisher. Sophia Barbie takes advantage of cheating blockers and isn't afraid to swing high off of the blocker's hands. [player_tooltip player_id='177421' first='Ava' last='Ball'] has the big arm that scores a ton but Barbie and outside, Ava Van Gorp, help expose teams that pay too much attention to Ball. The Knights have a bye into the Quarterfinal round so they won't be playing until Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Emma Kittleson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Caledonia","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kittleson caught my attention at the Class AA Showcase because of her speed and the great touches she was getting on just about every ball that entered her court.  Caledonia heads into Sections as a #2 seed and a 22-5 record.  The Warriors have a core of strong seniors leading them including setter, [player_tooltip player_id='108103' first='Emma' last='Rommes'], who knows how to utilize all her weapons with a variety of tempos.  Meanwhile [player_tooltip player_id='209367' first='Logan' last='Koepke'] is a gritty 6 rotation outside who knows how to score points.  The height and power of Braelyn Lange, [player_tooltip player_id='194732' first='Liv' last='Myhre'], and Sienna Augdahl will be crucial aspects to the Warriors game plan at the net.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6539fa4ec2f34"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1705356280028619163","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true,"align":"center"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1705356280028619163 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='485544' first='Kelsey' last='Lobitz']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32925","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Albany","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cp style=u0022text-align: leftu0022u003eLobitz is a lefty that isn't afraid to take the swing down the line.  She is a sophomore for Albany and has 119 kills recorded this season.  Lobitz has length and hops as well as the ability to adjust to score when swinging from different spots on the floor.  The Huskies have [player_tooltip player_id='177445' first='Hannah' last='Klein'] as their big go-to swing but when teams focus on Klein they forget about other big weapons such as [player_tooltip player_id='485662' first='Brynn' last='Panek'] and Lobitz.  They are the players that could really break a match open.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["177440"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"I really like Bicknese as a young libero on this Chatfield squad.  She moves really well and is solid in serve receive. Bicknese is fast approaching 500 digs on the season as a freshman and will be a key to the Gopher's success for the next few years.  [player_tooltip player_id='117630' first='Jaelyn' last='LaPlante'] has the big arm on this squad along with hops and experience that help her use a variety of shots to score.  The Gophers have a great mix of highly contributing ages as sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='261237' first='Harper' last='Goldsmith'] has been coming up big as a setter, attacker, and from the service line.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6539fa4ec3002"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"></h2> <!-- /wp:heading -->