Southwest Michigan’s Top Underclassmen, Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 fall season brought out a lot of new talented faces in Southwest Michigan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A dozen underclassmen really made a big impact and will be among the stars of the state in the upcoming years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's Part 1 of our look at Southwest Michigan's top sophomores and freshmen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Lashell Blair, Fr. MH Mendon/Dead Frog</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blair looks like a hitter that we will be hearing a lot from in the upcoming years. She has good length at the net and uses it well, but her quickness and smooth swing really make her a hitter that can take over a match. She had over 220 kills and nearly 70 blocks as a freshman to earn All-State and All-Prep Dig honors in D4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='811729' first='Braylee' last='Burg'], So. MH Three Rivers/Next Level</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standing nearly 6-feet, Burg plays very long at the net and has been able to be an impact player with her attacks and her blocking. She anticipates the play well and makes sure opposing hitters don't get many clean looks against her. Her timing on her attacks keeps improving as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='811788' first='Brianna' last='Campbell'], So. MH Dowagiac</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbell is a young hitter that has been able to play anywhere along the net and be successful. She stays consistent in her approach and swing, which generates steady power. As she adds new shot speeds and attack angles into the mix, Campbell's game should take a big step forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Kiersten Chalupa, So. OH Grand Haven/Dead Frog</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chalupa got some opportunities to shine this fall and she took advantage of it. She has a long reach and she takes an aggressive approach at the net. Her swing is smooth, but has an extra gear it finds at the end to produce a lot of good velocity. Chalupa definitely has a high ceiling for how dominant a hitter she can become.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='916077' first='Amelia' last='Elder'], So. OH Michigan Lutheran/Krush</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elder was a well-balanced outside for Michigan Lutheran this fall, as she had over 300 kills and 300 digs in the fall. Elder was a very alert player that transitioned well from offense to defense and vice versa. She was All-State in D4 this fall and <a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/12/2025-michigan-hs-d4-all-prep-dig-teams/">All-Prep Dig</a> as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ashlyn Fickle, So. OH Quincy</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fickle is a talented, well-balanced player that uses her overall athleticism to make an impact wherever she can. She moves well on the floor and stays light on her feet, which allows her to have a nice spring on her attacks, but also cover a lot of space to make some tough defensive plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->