Illinois and Wisconsin Stars Shine at NLQ 15s

Covering the 15s age group is always exciting because I get the chance to find new athletes who are starting to take charge of their high school careers.  At the Northern Lights Qualifier, I was able to see some 15s from all over and in this article I'll be taking a look at the Wisconsin and Illinois athletes who stood out to me.  I was mostly on the courts on Saturday during the gold pools of 15 American and USA.  Here are more than a few names to know from NLQ.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-prep-dig wp-block-embed-prep-dig"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://prepdig.com/2025/03/prep-dig-chris-photos-nlq-15-american-and-usa/?itm_source=parsely-api </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-prep-dig wp-block-embed-prep-dig"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://prepdig.com/2025/03/midwest-names-to-know-the-notes-app-from-nlq-15s/ </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/03/RG1A3437.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-762923" /></figure>    [player_tooltip player_id='546199' first='Katelyn' last='Beirne'] of 1st Alliance 15 Silver really jumped out (quite literally) for the club out of Chicagoland. She is a six rotation outside hitter who brings a lot of length and athleticism to the court. This team uses her in multiple ways to attack where she is an outlet on the pin, but can also score out of the back court and a two ball out of the middle. She has a high reach and can find the deep corners. Beirne preps at Mother McAuley and is accustomed to solid year round training at a high level between her high school and club ball. She is definitely one to have on the radar for the Class of 2028.     [player_tooltip player_id='522626' first='Ellery' last='Cabaj'] is the prototypical setter/right side that 1st Alliance has consistently produced over time and time again. In the front row, Cabaj has a presence as an attacker, blocker, and off block defender. She covers quite the ground where she can provide a solid first contact while transitioning to attack on the right side where she is terminal. In the backrow, she is the team's setter where she just glides on the court. She anticipates well to get her feet to the ball where she can get her offense rolling whether they are in and out of system. I'm looking forward to seeing Cabaj and her team compete next month at the Windy City Qualifier.     Solid and consistent are two words that come to mind watching [player_tooltip player_id='522628' first='Hope' last='Garland'] of 1st Alliance 15 Silver play. She has a well controlled, quiet platform where she is able to get her side of the net in system. She can handle a high volume of serve receive, put up a consistent second ball, and take pace off of a hard driven swing. You can tell she has put in countless reps to get to this point with how she has such great ball control.     [player_tooltip player_id='545501' first='Marley' last='Connor'] of [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 15 Black brings a certain level of athleticism and physicality to the libero position. Before the ball is even contacted from the other side of the net she is in a great defensive position, ready to make that first positive move to make the play. She is really strong in the aspects of the unpredictable. She covers the tips, tools, and roll shots really well where she brings some calm to the chaos. This Sting squad is real gritty and has a certain feistiness to the court while Connor displays on each play.     Jillian Flannery is the type of player that teams need. A really scrappy right side with a big left handed swing who can score points when her team really needs it. She isn't afraid to take a big rip where she can find the deep corner. Her ability to get her feet to the ball is really good at the 15s level where this is always something athletes are working on at every level. She is always an available outlet and definitely adds a spark to this squad who found themselves in the gold bracket of the 15 USA Division.     [player_tooltip player_id='545509' first='Sylvia' last='Flood'] of MKE Sting 15 Black is who you call when your team needs points the most. She is highly skilled, but also has the size, athleticism, and physicality to perform at a really high level. As a six rotation outside hitter she scores points out of the backrow, can attack out of serve receive from the right side, and is extremely terminal on the outside. She has a knack for taking what the defense gives her, she can hit the line and cross court shots, but is also really good at using the hands of the block as well as mixing in an offspeed shot. The defense needs to know where she is in every rotation.     This [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 15 Silver team is a lot of fun. They play with a spark and a smile where I had a lot of fun watching their court. One athlete who played with no fear was [player_tooltip player_id='771023' first='Amaya' last='Beers']. She was taking big swings and making things happen for her side of the net and got this Sting Silver team going. I always believe you swing to win and thats what she was demonstrating for her squad where they played aggressively.     I really enjoyed watching this [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] 15 Blue team in Minneapolis this weekend. There is so much balance to this team, they have six attackers who can put a ball away along with really clean ball control. One attacker that I took notice of was Attie Benz who has no fear when it comes to swing big on the outside. There was one play where she just crushed it down the line Saturday morning and I just wrote “Yes” in my notes. She packs a punch and her team gets really fired up when she swings. She's had a strong club season so far being named to the St. Louis Presidents Day All Tournament team.     Solid all the way around, [player_tooltip player_id='587090' first='Whitney' last='Jahimiak'] is one to watch from [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] 15 Blue. She has length and athleticism where she moves effortlessly on the court. She is a primary passer in serve receive where she is really strong with being able to make a first contact while transitioning into an attacker. She is also one who can score points out of the backrow. This was a really athletic team to watch this past Saturday where they don't have a lot of weakness, they know how to compete and were going toe to toe with teams at the top of the 15 USA Division.     Fast, athletic, high impact is the name of the game for Kylie Tuescher of [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] 15 Blue. She brings such an exciting style of play for the middle blocker position. She has a fast approach, a violent armswing and is the type of player where she just makes things happen. Another middle blocker for this [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] team is Zofia Kasprzak where the two of these athletes are quite the combination for [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] out of the middle. When [program_tooltip program_id='432160' first='[program_tooltip program_id='432076' first='[program_tooltip program_id='430137' first='[program_tooltip program_id='429142' first='MVP' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] can get these two the ball in system their pins can just fire away. Impressive performance for the club out of Milwaukee.     Spiketown 15.1 out of the Appleton area had a big weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier. They finished 7-1, falling to a Houston Skyline team in the 15 American Gold Bracket. One of the key players for this team out of the middle is [player_tooltip player_id='743018' first='Eliana' last='Mejia']. The middle blocker has a lot of length and athleticism where she was so active along the front line. She demonstrated a strong IQ where she knows when to hit the deep corners or can tip to the open spot. Things were really clicking for Spiketown this weekend.     Charlee O'Malley is quite the combo player for Spiketown 15.1. She is a setter/right side where at 5'10, her length is a huge plus for her squad. She can receive the ball high, can find the favorable matchup for her attackers, and there were a few opportunities where she absolutely crushed for a kill. There is a major upside to her game where the sky is really high on her potential.     [player_tooltip player_id='771025' first='Luci' last='Weisbrod'] was impressive for Sting United 15 Red out of the Madison area. She has a heavy swing where she brings plenty of pop to the outside hitter position. I was able to see her on Saturday where her Sting squad was on quite the run. There is a nice balance to this team with dynamic athletes at every position. She preps at DeForest High School where I've noticed a few athletes this club season who will be gearing up for a big high school season at DeFo.     [player_tooltip player_id='771027' first='Riley' last='Kinney'] is quite the dynamic athlete where she brings plenty of skill and playmaking ability to the setter position. The Class of 2028 prospect for Sting United 15 Red out of the Madison area moves really well around the court, she's smooth, she is efficient, and she is looking to make a play that is positive for her team. She gets the rest of her team involved and has a great way of making things happen on her side of the net.

Covering the 15s age group is always exciting because I get the chance to find new athletes who are starting to take charge of their high school careers. At the Northern Lights Qualifier, I was able to see some 15s from all over and in this article I'll be taking a look at the Wisconsin and Illinois athletes who stood out to me. I was mostly on the courts on Saturday during the gold pools of 15 American and USA. Here are more than a few names to know from NLQ.