2024 Club Season Primer: Under-the-Radar Middle Blockers to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's start rolling out some under-the-radar picks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've spent much of the past week preparing you for the fast-approaching 2024 club season. Much of that coverage has focused on duos we'll be excited to see, but we have plenty of individuals to discuss, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one's for the middles. Nebraska's club scene will feature a huge group of middle blockers who can take a huge step forward, and these are just a few of the names to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["189350"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"This feature will have a few athletes who can flex between the middle and the right side, and here's one of them. Bosiljevac is incredibly adept at seeing the block in front of her and working through the seams. That theme holds true regardless of what position she's playing. We've seen Bosiljevac lock down the opposite position in recent reps with Premier Nebraska, but her adaptability at middle blocker cannot be overlooked. We'll see which role takes precedence in 2024.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["269932"],"_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":"How about another one of those middle-opposite hybrids? Seagren has done a little bit of everything. We remember the early days of her prep career when she anchored the Oakland-Craig middle blocker spot en route to a state championship. She now represents Wahoo High School and has shown her willingness to be an impactful pin attacker. The same can be said for Seagren's club tenure with [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''], and we'll see if she keeps carrying the torch at opposite or gets reps at middle blocker.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["269911"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Dzingle might not be considered u0022under-the-radaru0022 for long after all of her appearances in high-level matches. The most recent example is Kearney Catholic's run to the Class C1 title match, where Dzingle made a persistent impact with her high-flying kills out of the middle. It was hard not to see this spectacular junior season coming after Dzingle thrived in the inaugural club volleyball season for Nebraska Pride. The central Nebraska scene is taking off with players like this.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["237412"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Miller is the kind of middle blocker who can lock down the net in a variety of ways. She is strong in front of the setter and can use her length to hit over opposing blockers with slower tempos. Columbus High School would even use Miller in sideout situations on the left pin. When she represents [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] in the 2024 club season, Miller will also remind us of her ability to shut down hitters with her physicality. This is a perfect do-everything athlete for the middle blocker spot.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["395147"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Kiichler is a volume scorer. That might be why Norfolk Senior High let her play on the pin for much of the 2023 season, and the junior rose to the occasion with over three kills per set for the Panthers. However, Kiichler also brings an extensive middle blocker background with Nebraska Elite and could resume that role in 2024. She is especially proficient on the 'gap' set away from the setter, so keep an eye on the ways Nebraska Elite uses Kiichler in the upcoming season.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["275897"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Nebraska Elite gets another middle blocker entry with Thaden paving the way in the Class of 2026. She became an ideal M1 for Millard West this fall and proved to be an ever-improving attacker on the slide. Thaden's length advantage will be spotlighted when she competes with Nebraska Elite's top 16s group, and this middle blocker's stock will likely keep rising.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["396764"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"We're fresh off of witnessing some of the best volleyball of Backemeyer's career. Her agility and range from the middle blocker position were an instant hit with Elmwood-Murdock as the Knights earned a spot in the Class C2 semifinals. Even when Backemeyer was not getting swings in the front row, her mere presence on the slide could spread out opposing blockers to help her teammates. That game-changing impact has materialized at Nebraska Juniors on the club side, too.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["216933"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Freeland represents the next wave of talent coming through Elkhorn High School, and her 2023 prep tenure allowed her to shine at a couple of positions. Her influence at Premier Nebraska has been primarily at the middle blocker spot, and that might materialize again with 16 Red next year. But, as we know, no lineups are set in stone early on. We won't rule out seeing Freeland on the right side, where she is more than capable of taking some tough out-of-system swings.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["298712"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Columbus Lakeview is getting a shoutout on this feature as the Nebraska club footprint continues to expand. Rowe put down over three kills per set on a 0.285 clip for the Vikingsu002du002dan impressive stat line for a sophomore middle blocker. The small-town representation will continue into early 2024 as Rowe heads to [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 16 Elite. We're ready for this excellent barometer of Rowe's development against some of the nation's best.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["257188"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"[program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 16 Elite has more small-town strength to report, and this is a new addition. Stehlik is bringing so much forward momentum to the club season after appearing this year's state championships with Platteview High School. Before that, she was a solid multi-position contributor with [program_tooltip program_id='428728' first='River' last='City Jrs'] on the club side. 2024 will mark the beginning of Stehlik's journey with [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''], and her potential multi-faceted role with 16 Elite will be fascinating to follow.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-657e8645ba719"} /-->