C-2 Prep Preview Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On August 12th volleyballs will be flying, bouncing, and into the hands of prep athletes all across The Volleyball State. Let's continue in a series of previews of standouts from last year's State Tournament field. Let's take a look at a very talented C-2 field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting off with last year's 8th seed in 21-10 Summerland. They had a tough draw against powerhouse and State Champion Lincoln Lutheran.The Bobcats return [player_tooltip player_id='495053' first='Lydia' last='Robertson'] who hammered 254 kills, had 58 blocks and 396 set assists last season. She is athletic and can do a little of everything you need on the court. Caydence Schumacher also returns as a junior and chipped in with 101 kills last season. Look for the Bobcats to build around those athletes in 2024.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crofton returns outside and middle hitter [player_tooltip player_id='495073' first='Lexi' last='Wiebelhaus'] who had the second most kills on the team with 170 and 25 total blocks. She is more of a finesse and shot placer when it comes to her getting kills. Wiebelhaus's strength is also hitting high hands off the block. She also has a nice float serve.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='495072' first='Cassie' last='Allen'] is a hustler on the floor. She returns with 248 digs for the Warriors. Allen does a nice job of digging balls down the line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clarkson Leigh loses a lot of firepower to graduation, but there are some familiar faces returning with good experience. [player_tooltip player_id='269955' first='Izzy' last='Hollatz'] is a setter who had 151 kills, 549 set assists, and 30 aces. She is definitely an offensive threat at the net, as she is not afraid to dump or tip wherever. Hollatz has top notch floor defense too. 5 '7 " Outside [player_tooltip player_id='495056' first='Brynn' last='Settje']'s strength is finding high hands and swinging away. She also does a nice job of hitting deep court shots. She returns after having 145 kills last year. 5 '9 " Baylee Settje is a middle who does a great job of hitting behind the setter. She hits the cross court shot well. She had 142 kills last season for the Patriots.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oakland-Craig probably has one of the most talented returning teams this upcoming fall. They return a lot of firepower at the net. 5 '11 " [player_tooltip player_id='173516' first='Brandi' last='Helzer'] had an astonishing 484 kills. Helzer has a huge swing and lots of power behind her. Her cut shots are hard to dig. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='464903' first='Briar' last='Ray'] had 64 aces for the Knights last season and she too brings a lot of power. She has a quick approach and a fast arm. The Knights will be a fun team to watch this upcoming season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family has talent coming back this fall as well. Middle/Outside [player_tooltip player_id='495080' first='Alexis' last='Groteluschen'] had 56 blocks for the Bulldogs last fall. She is a really strong blocker.Junior [player_tooltip player_id='173538' first='Claire' last='Korth'] returns as well with 293 kills. She is athletic and sees the floor well. Korth can be sneaky with a quick roll shot or a tip over the block.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Lutheran, the defending State Champion, returns a lot of athletes from last year's title run. Husker commit [player_tooltip player_id='155029' first='Keri' last='Leimbach'] returns with 55 ace serves and 550 digs. She reads so well and can get a hand on everything. She brings lots of energy to the floor as well and will be a good leader for the Warriors this fall. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='275943' first='Lily' last='Wohlgemuth'] returns with lots of power and 315 kills in her back pocket. [player_tooltip player_id='349457' first='Bella' last='Sjuts'] returns as well . She plays both middle and can set as well. She had 192 kills last fall. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='342613' first='Jillian' last='Donovan'] is also back as quarterback to the offense. She had 1053 set assists. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='453482' first='McKenzie' last='Sidlo'] returns for her sophomore campaign. She comes off a great freshman season with 127 kills. Lincoln Lutheran will be tough to beat this fall as they have a ton of high caliber match experience with them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>C-2 will be a fun class to watch with a ton of teams returning lots of talent. It will be a fun journey to see how it all plays out come November! It is fun to see small school talent shine on a big stage!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->