MEQ 17 Open: The Committed and Uncommitted of IL and WI

The Mideast Qualifier is always a big recruiting event in the heart of qualifier season.  There are going to be college coaches of all levels on many of these courts and athletes from Illinois and Wisconsin are always ones to watch.  The 17 Open field is loaded this upcoming weekend and here are some athletes to know where some are already committed and some are not.  Here are some to know about heading into 17 Open.     The [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] 171 Elite team will kick off their qualifier slate in 17 Open at MEQ. An outside hitter to watch who has given her verbal to Marquette is [player_tooltip player_id='530605' first='Lola' last='Robertson']. At 6'0, Robertson has plenty of spring in her approach where she is able to contact high and find the open spot on the court. She knows when to swing big or use her offspeed where she has plenty of options in how she puts points up on the board. There is a complete all around skill set for her where she can serve receive, pass, and attack while also being an outlet to score out of the backrow.     This is a slam dunk commit for Dayton where Dayton has been able to develop highly successful middle blockers. [player_tooltip player_id='529792' first='Ainsley' last='Wilson'] of 1st Alliance 17 Gold is next in line as a Flyer where she is dominant out of the middle with a big upside. She has the length and athleticism where she is so smooth along the net, making something really difficult look easy. The efficiency from Wilson is something that sets her apart where she is going to be smart with her shots. As a blocker, the opposing attackers always have to know where she is - that length is difficult to contest.     [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] has a really exciting team who has found ways to win tight matches consistently throughout the past couple seasons. A strong and steady defender for this team is Charlie Fleege. She is the top libero in the Illinois Class of 2028 where she knows how to anticipate, make the difficult plays look routine, and has great intangibles with her on court presence. The [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] 17 Adidas team will compete in 17 Open at MEQ where they are carrying an American bid out of the Great Lakes Region Qualifier. This is a sneaky team who will be able to knock off some top squads with their grit.     There is no secret to the game of [player_tooltip player_id='479571' first='Maggie' last='Kurpeikis']. The future Michigan Wolverine has shown she can score points at a high level where she is a violent attacker. She brings an extra edge to the court where she is going to will her team to win while scoring points. She can do this from the backrow at all. She is the third Kurpeikis sister to play Division 1 volleyball with two older sisters having played at UW-Green Bay. The [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 17s team will be competing at MEQ, Windy City, and Salt Lake for their qualifiers where they have the athleticism and physicality to compete with some of the top teams in the country.     [player_tooltip player_id='435890' first='Greta' last='Schreiber'] is a right side for [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 17 Gold who causes problems for the opposing side of the net. She has length and strength where she can shut down an outside hitter with a big block. Offensively she contacts at a high point with the ability to take her swing to a variety of spots on the court. She is part of a very talented group of athletes from Wisconsin's Class of 2027 who will play for St. Thomas. The Tommies are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and generating plenty of recruiting momentum.     A major impact player out of the middle is [player_tooltip player_id='828145' first='Alyssa' last='Gray'] for [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 17 Black. Gray is 6'4 with quite the contact point where she is so terminal in system. She will take her talents to South Dakota State who has been able to pull some big time Wisconsin talent that includes [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] alum Sylvie Zgonc who was the 2025 Summit League Player of the Year. Sting 17 Black already picked up a bid at the Badger Region Qualifier and will be playing in Open this weekend at MEQ.    Uncommitted    If you need a setter who just finds a way to get it done that would be [player_tooltip player_id='529823' first='Natalie' last='Bochantin']. She is accustomed to being on winning teams where she was part of Lockport's state tournament run in Illinois this past fall and being part of 1st Alliance there is always an expectation and standard of winning. She has quick feet where she can find a way to get her hands to the ball. Her ability to chuck the ball across the court and put it on the money to either pin is impressive. 1st Alliance 17 Gold has a National bid secured and will look for an upgrade this weekend in Indy.     Kalyn Brookbank is uncommitted…for now. I was able to see her play at Triple Crown last month and was really impressed with her game. The outside hitter out of Barrington High School has been a big spark for this [program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''] 17 Adidas squad. She has plenty of length and athleticism where she has a high ceiling to her game - her best volleyball is ahead of her. When it comes to attacking she has a high contact point with a whip of an arm swing that allows her to score points on both pins as well as middle back.     Michio 17 Blue Smoke has a really scrappy and athletic squad that will be taking on 17 Open at MEQ this weekend. An athlete to have on the radar would be [player_tooltip player_id='779214' first='Kailey' last='Skurka']. When she strikes the ball on the right side it just hits different. She brings an aggressive approach and is not afraid to take a big swing to score points. What is impressive about her attacking is how she doesn't need a big window, she is fast to the ball and can hit it square off a quick tempo. She can be utilized in multiple spots across the net to keep the defense off balance.     [player_tooltip player_id='530633' first='Malley' last='Green'] has plenty of tools to use with her offense at Michio. This 2027 setter out of Chicagoland is one of the drivers of this high powered scoring attack where they have terminators at each position. Green has great footwork as a setter where she is able to get herself in position to put up a clean ball. She is able to connect with her attackers along the net where she knows how to run a fast tempo offense while also utilizing the backrow. She is accustomed to high level training and competition and will be starting Friday out on Court 66.     One of the top setters out of the Wisconsin Class of 2027 is [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High']'s [player_tooltip player_id='435900' first='Payton' last='Scifres']. She has length, athleticism, and a physicality at the net that poses problems for opponents. She was out with an injury during the 2025 club season and is coming back with a vengeance. What makes her tough to defend is how she is so neutral when she receives the ball, making her tough to read. This [program_tooltip program_id='432009' first='Sky' last='High'] team already has a bid to Indy in July for USAV nationals, but they will now look for an upgrade and play some high level competition in 17 Open this weekend.     [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] out of Rockford, Illinois has been able to draw some strong athletes from Wisconsin, one being [player_tooltip player_id='435878' first='Amorina' last='Compean-Costello']. She is a 2027 libero who will be playing for [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] 171 Elite and plays high school ball for Brookfield East out of the Milwaukee area. There is an athleticism and physicality about her game while also being calm and controlled. When she is taking pace off the ball, she is able to slow the game down. Her side can stay in system when she is able to make the first contact. I was able to see her team in Milwaukee at the Winter Classic in January and excited to see the progress they've made the past two months.     What I really like about [player_tooltip player_id='509342' first='Adelyn' last='Merck']'s game is that she is consistently approaching hard as if she is getting the ball every time. Being a middle blocker is tough when it comes to closing the block, transitioning, and approaching hard with no guarantee of getting the chance to terminate. Merck does the dirty work as a middle where she can do a little bit of everything to help her team. She knows how to find the deep corner offensively, and with her block she can take up plenty of space with her hands making it tough for opposing hitters.

The Mideast Qualifier is always a big recruiting event in the heart of qualifier season. There are going to be college coaches of all levels on many of these courts and athletes from Illinois and Wisconsin are always ones to watch. The 17 Open field is loaded this upcoming weekend and here are some athletes to know where some are already committed and some are not. Here are some to know about heading into 17 Open.