Club Preview: VCN 15’s Elite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Club season is right around the corner and VCN's 15 Elite has been training hard in the gym, since right after Thanksgiving. They had a phenomenal 14's season last year and are looking to take that next step to be a contender. Here is a look at some of the athletes on Elite to keep an eye on as they begin to make a name for themselves after the high school season and into the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'10” Outside Hitter Alli Bornschegl appeared in 30 sets for the State Runner-Up Norris Titans as a freshman last fall. She had 50 kills with a .293 hitting percentage for the Titans playing mainly front row. Bornschlegl also had a ton of reps playing all six rotations on the junior varsity as well on the outside.&nbsp; Her growth from 14's to the fall was exponential and she is becoming a solid six rotation player. She has long levers, really athletic&nbsp; and can hit with lots of power. Bornschegl also has nice shots and can tool off of bigger blockers as well. Look for her to be a go-to for 15 Elite this season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'9” Outside [player_tooltip player_id='458123' first='Hallie' last='Lauenstein'] had a breakout freshman year.&nbsp; She helped lead the Vikings to the State Tournament and an exciting opening&nbsp; round 3-1 loss to eventual State Champion Skutt Catholic. In the quarterfinals she had 14 kills against the Skyhawks. Hallie racked up 228 kills, 365 digs, and 35 ace serves. Lauenstein has good court sense and does a great job of seeing the open floor. She is super athletic and can swing hard through the block, tool shot or hit that deep back line. She too will bring a lot of firepower and consistency up front for Elite.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5'9” Outside [player_tooltip player_id='458124' first='Gracie' last='Lauenstein'] also had a nice start to her prep career. She hammered 183 kills, had 169 digs and chipped in 24 ace serves for the Waverly Vikings. Gracie has a fast arm swing and is really athletic as well. She has a nice roll shot as well to add to her arsenal on the pin. She had a season high 12 kills against State Semi Finalist Bennington in October. Elite will have a ton of options in the front row and lots of depth at the pin position.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Waverly Viking, [player_tooltip player_id='458165' first='McKinley' last='Moser'] played in all 93 sets this past fall, she had 16 set assists, 31 ace serves and 100 digs. She played mainly right back defense. She was behind senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='187798' first='Caylee' last='Rowley'], but set for the junior varsity this past fall. She is really athletic and can do many things at a high level. She has a great float serve and does a great job of playing defense first. She has great hands and look for her to rack up the assists with the talented pins and middles for Elite!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'2” Malcolm Clipper Middle Hitter [player_tooltip player_id='458168' first='Laurel' last='Johnson'] will be a force in the middle this club season. She led the Clippers in total blocks with 71 in her freshman debut. The Clippers ended their season in a 5 set thriller loss to Pierce in the C-1 State&nbsp; Quarterfinals in November. She hit .226 with 174 kills and had 45 ace serves. Johnson hits well from the right pin as well and has long levers.&nbsp; She has a high ceiling and keeps improving! Keep her on your radar!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='458164' first='Kaelynn' last='Lottman'], a libero and defensive specialist out of Norris will add a lot of versatility to Elite. She has a great jump float serve that can put teams out of system. She has a high volleyball IQ. Lottman can do lots of things well, including having great hands in out of system balls. She is the lone returning defensive specialist/libero from last year's 14 Elite team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>State Champion Mckenzie Sidlo started off her prep career on the right foot. The 5'10” middle was a key component in Lincoln Lutheran's C-2 State Title run this past fall. She tallied 127 kills in her freshman debut out of the middle. She also had a lot of reps on junior varsity as well. Sidlo may be doing some setting too for Elite. She has a high ceiling and a lot of top level championship experience which will be huge this year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elite will be competing at Triple Crown in Kansas City in February, Sunshine Qualifier in Orlando, Mideast Qualifier in St. Louis and Show Me in Kansas City. They will compete in Power League as well and then the JVA Showdown in Lincoln. Looking forward to watching 15 Elite compete this winter and spring club season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->