What 16s Can Impact the Badger Region Qualifier?

Let the qualifying season begin for these 16s. This weekend at the Baird Center in Downtown Milwaukee will be the first chance for the 16s age group to grab a bid to USAV Nationals in Indianapolis to be held late June.  Here are athletes to know from across the state who could have an impact for their team at the Badger Region Qualifier.     [player_tooltip player_id='545677' first='Brianna' last='Hagglund'] is coming off a big high school season for Kimberly as the top point scorer for the Papermakers where they advanced to the D1 state tournament. There is an explosive style to her game where she is aggressive, she isn't afraid to take a big rip, she is going to make something happen. This is going to cause chaos for the other side of the net and generate momentum on her own side. This [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 Elite team had a strong finish at Triple Crown and will be looking to get a bid to Indy this weekend.     A new addition to the Madtown 161 National team will be [player_tooltip player_id='586861' first='Willow' last='Kumprey']. The Class of 2028 outside hitter from New Berlin West is coming off a huge high school season. She registered over 300 kills and nearly 200 digs as a sophomore. There is an explosive style to her game where she can score from the front and backrow. This Madtown team was strong in 2025 and with added firepower like Kumprey they will be a major threat to others at the Badger Region Qualifier.     [player_tooltip player_id='522104' first='Brenna' last='Geiser'] is a libero to have on the radar who will be playing for [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 White. There is a lot of athleticism and physicality to her game where she does a nice job of anticipating the next touch. This can be on defense where she is able to get her side in system. She can also put up a really clean second ball and bring calm to the chaos for her squad. She can handle a high volume in serve receive and will be someone who can really light a spark.     A name that stands out right away from I AM VBC 16 Red is [player_tooltip player_id='708834' first='Brooke' last='Zoromski']. The sophomore out of Slinger has a quiet platform, she glides on the court where she is extremely efficient. She knows how to command the court with her presence and is the type of player the opposing coach will say “Don't hit at the libero”. This 16 Red team is coming off an undefeated weekend playing at the Sky High Presidents Day Classic. They will definitely be in the hunt for a bid to Indy.     Another lethal attacker from the Fox Valley will be [player_tooltip player_id='522100' first='Saylor' last='Meulemans']. The sophomore out of Freedom High School, Meulemans was named to the D2 Honorable Mention All State squad where she knows how to use all of her shots to put points on the board. She is able to go hard cross or line, but what is different about her game than others is the ability to change speeds with her swing. The defense is always off balanced when she goes up to swing.     What a breakout season for [player_tooltip player_id='796520' first='Macy' last='Stremlow']. She was one of the top sophomores in the Madison area where she led Verona to a state tournament appearance. She was named to the D1 WVCA Honorable Mention All State team where she had over 350 kills and 300 digs. What really elevates her game is how athletic she is. She can make something happen out of nothing. There is a dynamic style that is going to really raise the level of play on her side of the court.     This is definitely an example of a coach saying “Keep the ball away from their libero”. I know hitting it to the libero is never ideal, but with [player_tooltip player_id='545501' first='Marley' last='Connor'] as the ‘bro, she's one not to send a free ball too and also avoid serving. Connor was a major part of the success to the Sting 15 Black run to the National Division gold bracket at USAV in Dallas last summer. She takes away points, she commands the backrow, she does the dirty work to make sure her side of the net can be in system to score points. They will be a top seed in their pool on Saturday with [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] 16 White, WI Flight 16 Blue, and Milwaukee Jrs 16-1.     What a dynamic player. [player_tooltip player_id='587079' first='Quinn' last='Ische'] is able to do a lot of positive things for her side of the net. She is a well trained setter where she receives the ball high and neutral where she's tough to predict. Her ability to connect well with her middles really opens things up for everyone else on her team. When the defense starts locking in on her attackers she knows when to throw it down on her own with the second contact. This is an exciting 16 Gold team where they can beat their opponents in so many different ways.     A presence on the outside who can score points is going to be [player_tooltip player_id='918462' first='Aleeya' last='Minor'] who will be playing for MKE Sting 16 White. She has an active arm, a heavy ball which is tough for the opponents to keep in system. This past high school season she broke on to the scene where she notched over 200 kills as a sophomore for Kettle Moraine. This 16 White squad already has eclipsed the 20 win mark on the season and is coming off a top five finish from Presidents day in St. Louis.     MVP 16 Blue is a new team coming to the Badger Region Qualifier. In my time at Prep Dig, MVP was typically a JVA/AAU national team. This year they will be in the hunt to get a bid to USAV Nationals in Indianapolis come late June. This is a really strong group of 2028s (and 2029) where they are a team others need to know. One of the top players is [player_tooltip player_id='587090' first='Whitney' last='Jahimiak']. I was able to first see her at the Northern Lights Qualifier as a 15s last season. She has such an all around game where the more she's involved, the better the outcome will be for MVP. This will be an exciting weekend for MVP as a club where they have potential to make some history.     Tempo will be sending their teams out of Waterloo where the 16s could be a dangerous squad coming into the weekend for the Badger Region Qualifier. [player_tooltip player_id='522967' first='Lilli' last='Lauersdorf'] is a Class of 2029 outside hitter who can change the game, she has an active arm where she can go tool the block, go hard cross, high line, she has a variety of ways she can score. She also has a nasty serve that can put points on the board as well. This will be an interesting matchup for teams this upcoming weekend. Sneaky good is a good way to describe this team.     WI Flight 16 Black will head to the Badger Region Qualifier out of the Stevens Point area. Gebauer preps at Tomahawk High School where she is a libero who should be on the radar. I was able to see this team live at the Prep Dig Resolution in early January where they have plenty of balance that can be a problem for the other side of the net. When the likes of Gebauer can provide a clean first contact, this will give Flight a chance to get their offense rolling in Milwaukee.     [program_tooltip program_id='431479' first='Wisconsin' last='Juniors'] out of the Kenosha area will be heading North to the Badger Region Qualifier where this group of 2028s has a ton of firepower. I was able to see this group live quite a few times in 2025 and an athlete to keep tabs on would be [player_tooltip player_id='611353' first='Kinsley' last='Christensen-Bara']. The six rotation outside hitter was named “Top Attacker” in the Badger Region Power League. She has a high contact point and quite a snap on her swing which creates plenty of velocity. Other teams will need to be aware of her no matter what rotation she is in.     [program_tooltip program_id='428662' first='Wisconsin' last='Ice'] 16 National will be making the trip from the Wausau area to take on the Badger Region Qualifier. An athlete to keep on the radar for them will be [player_tooltip player_id='741169' first='Megan' last='Komarek']. The 5'10 sophomore from Rib Lake was part of their D5 state championship team and brings physicality and athleticism to the front line.

Let the qualifying season begin for these 16s. This weekend at the Baird Center in Downtown Milwaukee will be the first chance for the 16s age group to grab a bid to USAV Nationals in Indianapolis to be held late June. Here are athletes to know from across the state who could have an impact for their team at the Badger Region Qualifier.