10 Teams,10 Athletes To Have an Impact In IL Class 4A

We'll be taking a look at athletes across the state of Illinois, starting with some names to know from the largest class in Illinois.  There are some names who have been at the top of the rankings the past few years that become pretty well know, but who else is among the impact players in the state.  They have proven themselves on the club courts as well as the high school scene.  Make note of who can be sneaky good and more for the 2024 high school season.     Hononegah is always a traditional threat where they continuously produce college level athletes. One of the next can be [player_tooltip player_id='490978' first='Addison' last='Erb'] who is a 6'5 middle blocker entering her junior year from the Class of 2026. She most recently played club up on the 171 Elite team of [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] out of Rockford. She can close the block and is able to hit a variety of tempos in front of the setter and can take off on one foot and terminate as well. There is a huge upside to her game where she will have an exciting process of recruiting ahead of her while also leading her high school team to a big season.       What a whip of an arm swing. [player_tooltip player_id='288652' first='Phoebe' last='Shorney'] can score points in bunches and will be one of the top attackers for the Huskies in 2024. This squad notched over 30 wins in 2023 and will miss the outside attack of Grace Nelson who starts her freshman year at Kansas, but the cupboard is far from bare. They return Shorney and attacker [player_tooltip player_id='323931' first='Samantha' last='Shelton'], both of these athletes can score from the outside or right side. Shorney will be taking her game out West to play for Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges , one of the top D3 programs in the country.       Edwardsville has always been a power out of Southern Illinois to make a run to the state tournament. One of the top attackers returning for Edwardsville is [player_tooltip player_id='540251' first='Ciara' last='Cunningham'] who is absolutely electric. She is a fast twitch middle blocker who can also play on the right side. Her hang time is just different where she can adjust to the block and take her swing to the deep corners. Cunningham is from the Class of 2026 who played for Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite out of St. Louis this past club season. She is in close proximity to a lot of OVC programs where I'm sure they will be knocking on her door.         Rink has been a main stay for Normal West where she averaged over four kills per set last season, leading the Wildcats to a 35-5 record and an appearance in the Super-Sectional. She does it all as a six rotation outside hitter. She plays her club volleyball for [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] and will continue her career at St. Louis University. The Cats will have to replace their setter and libero, but return top scorers in Rink and middle blockers in [player_tooltip player_id='324008' first='Avery' last='Feltes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='324012' first='Olivia' last='Ziemer'].     New Trier had a big 2023 where they advanced to the Super Sectional and finished with a 10-0 conference record, winning the Central Suburban. A big time attacker back for the Trevians is [player_tooltip player_id='288628' first='Katherine' last='McGregor']. At 5'11 and someone who just flies on her approach, she has the ability score from the outside and right side. She played club for [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] along with her high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='189850' first='Lauren' last='Cortina'] who is verbally committed to UCLA. They will look to repeat as conference champions and make another deep postseason run.       Heading over to Western Illinois, we'll take a look at Alyssa Dixon from Moline High School. The Maroons were champions of The Big 6 in 2023. Dixon is a swiss army knife type atlhlete where she can do it all as a six rotation outside. She could also be a defensive specialist/libero at the next level. She packs a punch with an aggressive approach and swing where she can use the hands or the blockers to her advantage, blast away cross court, or mix in a roll shot as well. She has played for Iowa Select out of the Quad Cities which has been a key club for Quad Cities and Western Illinois athletes to improve their game.       What a tough matchup for the opposing team with the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='327669' first='Georgia' last='Von Lehmden'] swinging big for Naperville Central. At 6'1 and touching ten feet, Von Lehmden has a heavy left handed swing from the right side, making it really tough to defend cleanly. She as played her club ball for Sports Performance where she has found plenty of success. In 2023, she led the team in kills, hitting efficiency, and blocks. After high school, she will head West to San Jose State.       One of the newest commits in Illinois is Class of 2025 setter Maddie [player_tooltip player_id='400158' first='Madison' last='Berry'] who will take her talent across Lake Michigan to Davenport University in Grand Rapids. Berry has been setting at the varsity level since her freshman year at Marist. This is a high powered program that has run into Mother McAuley the past few years in the sectional rounds. Could this be the year they breakthrough. With Berry running the offense and dishing to Northwestern outside hitter commit [player_tooltip player_id='311415' first='Bella' last='Bullington'] and Mississippi State middle blocking commit [player_tooltip player_id='325496' first='Cassidy' last='Cage'] they will once again be one of the top teams in Class 4A.    <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"> </blockquote>    Hoffman Estates had a strong 2023 campaign with 26 wins and one of their electric attackers out of the middle is [player_tooltip player_id='464177' first='Peyton' last='Young']. Young has quite the vertical and quick snap on her arm swing where her dynamic ability to score and block is elite. She had a big club season for [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] this past year and has verbally committed to play at Iowa. The will be her senior season for the Hawks who will look for a strong season in a really deep Mid Suburban that has been dominated by Barrington.       [player_tooltip player_id='734080' first='Katie' last='Schuele'] of Metea Valley is so dynamic from the setter position. She is the ultimate QB1 where she can find a way to get a one on one matchup for her attackers, she can pass, block, and attack as well. She has been playing her club ball for Sports Performance and will continue her volleyball career at East Carolina. Before heading off to college she still has one more year with the Mustangs who will also return attacker Maddie Hopkins and Winthrop commit [player_tooltip player_id='537641' first='Addison' last='Torain'] at libero.

We'll be taking a look at athletes across the state of Illinois, starting with some names to know from the largest class in Illinois. There are some names who have been at the top of the rankings the past few years that become pretty well know, but who else is among the impact players in the state. They have proven themselves on the club courts as well as the high school scene. Make note of who can be sneaky good and more for the 2024 high school season.