New Athletes To Know From Illinois 16s at Triple Crown

Coming into a convention center with over 60 courts and hundreds of athletes, it can be a daunting task to figure out who to cover.  This past weekend at Triple Crown I was focusing on the 16s and 17s, and of the 16s and 17s, I was trying to find athletes who I haven't seen play much before.  Who are the new athletes that caught my eye?  I have a list of plenty as I dive into some new names that others need to know about from the 16s Division.     I was able to see [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 16 Adidas start the tournament and it opened with a quick set to the middle from [player_tooltip player_id='546038' first='Caroline' last='Herbert'].  Herbert brings plenty of length and athleticism to the setter position where she is a sophomore at Glenbard West High School.  She is able to set all the tempos and is also a physical blocker in the front line.  This is going to be a team who has big potential and will be ready for an exciting national qualifier slate.      [player_tooltip player_id='490072' first='Freya' last='McBride'] commands the backrow for [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 16 Adidas where she brings a presence.  A presence in her communication, engaging with her teammates, and looking for the consistent first touch to get her side in system.  She can handle a high volume of serve receive and bring calm to the chaos on the second ball.       Physicality and athleticism is the name of the game for [player_tooltip player_id='529945' first='Caroline' last='Wright'] who is going to pack a punch out of the middle for [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 16 Adidas.  From the start of Triple Crown, [player_tooltip player_id='529945' first='Caroline' last='Wright'] came roaring in for a quick and terminated to the deep corner.  She has a violent arm swing and is relentless in how she works out of the block in transition to be available to swing.  Her style of play will translate well to the next level and she could have an exciting process that will officially begin on June 15 of this year.      I was able to see a couple matches for 1st Alliance 16 Gold over the weekend and Martinez was so consistent for this team.  As the libero and captain of the backrow, she plays very cool, calm, and collected but also brings a really positive vibe with a smile and good energy.  More often than not, I see liberos try to cover too much ground being chaotic.  Not Martinez, she is disciplined in how to play defense and provide consistent contact always bettering the ball.      [player_tooltip player_id='529827' first='Farryn' last='Burridge'] is a high motor middle who is always working for her side of the net.  She is quick to close a block, works in transition to be available for her setter, and isn't afraid to take a big swing.  Aside from her on court skill, she shows positive body language, celebrates her teammates, and brings a great vibe.  Her upside is exciting, with her length and athleticism there is a lot of really good volleyball ahead of her.     <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/RG1A2256.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-752485" style="width:471px;height:auto"/></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='530670' first='Mallory' last='Harrison'] is on brand with all the [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] liberos.  I have been watching [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] for years and am always impressed how their athletes are all around players who can pass.  As for liberos, they are efficient.  They don't have any wasted movement, they are stopped on contact, and keep the ball on their side of the court.  That is what [player_tooltip player_id='530670' first='Mallory' last='Harrison'] does for [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] where she brings a sense of calm to the court.  She handles the first contact extremely well and is able to get her attackers in a position to terminate in an out of system ball.     <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/RG1A2258-crop-3188x2093-1740079156.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-752484" style="width:510px;height:auto"/></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='530669' first='Eden' last='Hafermann'] is officially on the radar!  This 6'1 pin attacker who preps at Normal West High School was extremely impressive for [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] 16 Cardinal.  This team is solid, there is little weakness.  This past weekend they advanced to the Triple Crown Elite bracket with a 29th overall finish, drastically improving their incoming seed.  With Hafermann's ability to score from anywhere on the court, she will be a great get from Illinois.  The in-state schools will be sure to have her on their call list come June.       There is a whole lot of length and athleticism to [player_tooltip player_id='435843' first='Carly' last='Dawson'] where she has an all around skill set as well for [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] 16 Cardinal. She has plenty of pop on her swing where she can take it hard down the line or sharp cross to score points.  With her ability to serve receive and pass, she is also someone this team looks to score out of the backrow.  This team will have a busy March and April with some large scale events where college coaches will be sure to take note of Dawson.      [player_tooltip player_id='529814' first='Jayce' last='Prohaska'] is a pure point scorer for 1st Alliance 16 Silver, I was able to watch this team on the “big court” where they advanced out of pool play, won their challenge match, and finished among the best teams in the 16s field.  Prohaska had the ability to score points on the outside and the right side where she has great approach angles to give herself an open look.  She is able to make high contact with the ball and is very efficient.  The upside to her game is very exciting!       [player_tooltip player_id='529835' first='Ellie' last='Kowalski'] gets the party started for 1st Alliance 16 Silver.  She is rock solid in the backrow as the libero who can handle a high volume of serve receive and command the first contact.  Her 1st Alliance squad swept their pool going 3-0 and they won their challenge match which guaranteed themselves a finish in the top 32, among the elite.  With Kowalski getting plenty of touches, this team is sure to have a big March and April where they will look to punch their ticket to USAV Nationals in Dallas.      I was so impressed with the play of Sage Olson who is a true quarterback at the setter position.  She is so quick to the ball where her mindset is that she is getting her hands on everything.  She can hit all the tempos to her attackers and will find a way to get a favorable matchup for her attackers.  If the situation presents itself, she isn't afraid to be offensive.  She is a smash mouth volleyball player with some grit to her game. Oh, and she has a big lefty swing on the right side as well.      [player_tooltip player_id='546202' first='Claire' last='Evans'] is from the Class of 2026 who preps at Libertyville High School.  She has a lot of length and athleticism at 6'0 and can swing and score on both pins.  She will swing the majority on the right side where she can go cross court or down the line to score points.  Her ability to reach and provide a big block is also a huge asset to her game.      [player_tooltip player_id='586711' first='Maddie' last='Bryant'] brings a spark to the court as a setter for Sports Performance 16 Elite. She is quick to the ball where she can always get her hands up to set her attackers up for success. There is a lot of potential for this SPVB 16 Elite squad where I have seen them live twice now at Central Zone and Triple Crown. For college coaches, put this team on your list of 2027s to watch through this club season.

Coming into a convention center with over 60 courts and hundreds of athletes, it can be a daunting task to figure out who to cover. This past weekend at Triple Crown I was focusing on the 16s and 17s, and of the 16s and 17s, I was trying to find athletes who I haven't seen play much before. Who are the new athletes that caught my eye? I have a list of plenty as I dive into some new names that others need to know about from the 16s Division.