Exciting Freshmen Setting Them Up and Knocking Them Down: Iowa

<p>The freshmen class brought a burst of raw talent and fearless energy to the court, with setters and middles showing skills well beyond their first year of high-school competition. This group blended athletic upside with surprising polish, making them one of the most intriguing young groups at the showcase, working particularly well together from the beginning of the event. In particular, Johnson worked well with Carreon, McAfee worked well with Friessen, and Batchelder worked well with both Johnson and Wiech. It was great to see all of these freshman athletes playing on one court, and I thought it would be fitting to write about them together as well. After all, they helped each other get noticed at this event in the first place.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='856337' first='Bri' last='Johnson']</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/12/IMG_9250.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-916423" style="width:169px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='856337' first='Bri' last='Johnson'], 2029.</figcaption></figure>   <p>Johnson is a 5'10" setter from Waukee High School. Johnson showed one of the cleanest touches among all freshmen. Her hands are soft, her release is high, and she already has the confidence to run a faster tempo than most players her age. What stood out most was her ability to adjust mid-play by chasing down passes and still putting hitters in rhythm. She looks the part of a future high-level floor general and was one of my personal Top Performers of the day.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='907591' first='Sophia' last='Carreon']</h2>   <p>Carreon is a 5'10" middle blocker from Ankeny Centennial High School. Carreon was one of the most dynamic middles on the court. Quick off the floor with strong blocking instincts, she closed seams fast and made smart reads that are rare for a freshman. Offensively, her one-foot attacks and fast-tempo options flashed serious long-term potential.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='878230' first='Lily' last='McAfee']</h2>   <p>McAfee is a 5'5" setter from Southwest High School in Nebraska. Small but fast, McAfee plays with an edge. She brings quick feet, rapid decision-making, and a fearless willingness to use the whole court. She pushed the pace better than many older setters and showed some of the sharpest jump-sets of the group. Her competitive fire was impossible to miss.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='769009' first='Ellie' last='Friessen']</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/11/137A9324.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-904054" style="width:173px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hinton 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='769009' first='Ellie' last='Friessen'] at 2025 Iowa State Tournament. (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <p>Friessen is a 6' middle blocker from Hinton Community High School. Friessen was a presence with long, powerful, and efficient movements on the court. Her blocking stood out immediately as she gets well over the net and takes away space with disciplined hand positioning. She runs a high, authoritative slide attack and shows some of the hardest swings among all freshmen middles.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hadley Connell</h2>   <p>Connell is a 5'10" middle hitter from Prince of Peace High School. Connell plays with a mix of athletic explosiveness and grit. She gets off the ground quickly and hits with a heavy hand, especially in front-row transition. Her blocking is rapidly developing into a brick wall too difficult to hit around or through, and she showed a natural feel for timing second-chance swings and tips.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stella Weich</h2>   <p>Weich is a 5'5" setter from Underwood High School. Weich has excellent ball control and a calm, steady presence. She ran smooth patterns in both drills and live play. Her fundamentals are ahead of most freshmen, giving her a very high floor as she continues to grow physically. Her sets were a thing of beauty and so graceful that it was like watching a feather in the air move around the court, unless she chose to make it a missile heading to the floor on the other side of the court with a sneaky flip over the net at the perfect time.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='760983' first='Finley' last='Batchelder']</h2>   <p>Batchelder is a 5'8" middle hitter from Alburnett High School. Batchelder may not have the size of traditional middles, but she is fast, springy, and disruptive. Her quick lateral movement made her one of the toughest freshmen to score against. Offensively, she excels at finding angles and making smart, efficient shots.</p>   <p>This freshman group is both skilled and exciting, with setters who already run clean offenses and middles who bring vertical pop, timing, and high-end athletic traits. Their combination of polish and potential gives Iowa volleyball a strong future pipeline on both sides of the net</p>   <p></p>

The freshmen class brought a burst of raw talent and fearless energy to the court, with setters and middles showing skills well beyond their first year of high-school competition. This group blended athletic upside with surprising polish, making them one of the most intriguing young groups at the showcase, working particularly well together from the beginning of the event. In particular, Johnson worked well with Carreon, McAfee worked well with Friessen, and Batchelder worked well with both Johnson and Wiech. It was great to see all of these freshman athletes playing on one court, and I thought it would be fitting to write about them together as well. After all, they helped each other get noticed at this event in the first place.