Under the Radar 2025s On The Rise From Central Zone
When heading to massive tournaments like Central Zone, it’s easy to pick out the top players. But who needs another look? Maybe it was one great play, something athletic they did, or maybe they just need another tournament or two…
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Continue ReadingWhen heading to massive tournaments like Central Zone, it’s easy to pick out the top players. But who needs another look? Maybe it was one great play, something athletic they did, or maybe they just need another tournament or two to get some more looks. There were plenty of stars at Central Zone, but who are the hidden gems – the ones who might be a little under the radar? I have a few from Central Zone 2024 that will need some looks leading up to Presidents Day weekend.
Addison Shefferly – CVC 17 Black
Setter
Ohio teams had a huge weekend and I was able to see CVC out of Cleveland put up a fight. I was impressed with the athleticism and movement of Addison Shefferly, setter at CVC. Shefferly has a positive vibe on the court, she is 5’10, lengthy, and can do a little bit of everything. She is a true 5-1 setter who can shoot it to the outside and knows how to establish her middle. One of her top targets out of the middle was Ella Brokaw who could find the deep corners off a quick from Shefferly.
Lindy Radaszewski – Elevation 17 Cabo
Middle Blocker
This is a sneaky good Elevation team who is going to give other 17s some problems this club season. I saw them play a few times last year and was fun to see the progression from 16s to 17s. Radaszewski is a middle blocker who has a lot of length and can flat out sky. She has to be touching over ten feet. I would think once the D1 live period opens up again she would be on the radar of plenty of MAC, Big East, Horizon League teams who get on their radar. Her ceiling is incredibly high and I think could be a big impact player at the next level.
Miriam Czarnik – Unified 17-1
Libero
Czarnik was able to hold down left back as the libero for Unified out of the North Detroit Metro. She was solid in serve receive and able to take pace off the ball to keep her side in system. She knows how to anticipate to get her feet in position to receive the ball.
Sarah Bradley – Unified 17-1
Outside Hitter
Bradley was a key point scorer for Unified this weekend where she provides and length and power on the pin. She is reliable in serve receive and has a heavy swing. Her cross court shot is her bread and butter where she knows how to terminate.
Natalie Powers – MKE Sting 17 Gold
Libero
MKE Sting 17 Gold has solidified itself as one of the top 17s teams in the country. Depth is an understatement and one of those positions they are plentiful in depth is the libero spot. They have Kati Berezowitz (Vanderbilt), Olivia Durst (Michigan State), and Natalie Powers. Powers is so steady. Her consistency is a huge asset to her team where she is so fundamentally sound. She can train and compete at a high level. A definite next level steal.
Emma Koceja – MKE Sting 17 Gold
Outside/OPP
Koceja is another key part of the Sting 17 Gold squad where she has a really heavy arm. She is able to play on the outside or right side where she is terminal on both sides. Her physicality is key where she can set the block and read the other attacker. She can adapt to whatever role her team needs. She is a big time scorer on her high school team where she has a high volume of swings. She is one of the top available outsides from the Wisconsin Class of 2025.
Abigail Kaminski – Boiler Juniors 17 Gold
Outside Hitter
I knew watching Boilers I’d be seeing a big swinging outside in Taylor Cripe. She always packs a punch. A new player I hadn’t seen live before was Abigail Kaminski. The 5’10 outside out of Franklin Central High School is a total terminator. I really like her aggressive approach and violent arm swing where she can really terminate a sharp cross court shot. She has great vision where she can mix it up to find the floor. Definitely one to have on the radar heading into Presidents Day.
Kendall Cook – Lexington United 17 Elite
Middle Blocker
Cook is the fast twitch middle blocker who is easy to spot with her athleticism. She had some great connections with Western Kentucky commit Katie Rush. She is explosive off the ground where she can terminate to the deep corners and isn’t afraid to take a rip.
“Tori” Vittoria Cravens – Ohio Premier 17-1 National
Setter
This is a really fun OPVC squad where they aren’t afraid to go toe to toe with some of the top 17s in the field. I remember this team from last year and it was great to see them again this past weekend at Central Zone. A setter to have tabs on heading into the spring is Vittoria Cravens. She is the type of setter who is really efficient with her feet, great release, and makes this easy for her attackers.
Sophia Loomis – NKYVC 17 Tsunami
Middle Blocker
As far as what I could find, Loomis is uncommitted. I would think once the D1 live period opens up on Presidents Day, there will be plenty of coaches who are going to be looking for an active, physical middle. Loomis checks all those boxes for NKYVC and then some. Dynamic is an understatement for Loomis. She can even be used to swing on the outside out of a few serve receive rotations for NKYVC. Put a star next to her name.
Natalya Bergant – AVC Cleveland 17 Red
Right Side
This is a really fun AVC 17 Red team where they are so scrappy and they have a really diverse set of skill sets on this team. They have a couple leftys, a setter in San Diego commit Belle Groomes who can do everything, and a lot of athletes who can play a variety of positions. Natalya Bergant is a 6’2 right side with a fast left handed swing. She is able to swing out of system or nail the quick tempo. Her skill set creates a lot of mismatch problems from her block to scoring ability.