Wisconsin Small School Under The Radar Impact Athletes

The Wisconsin high school season starts in less than two weeks and we're already looking at who can make an impact.  Today, we're focusing on some small school athletes who might be a little under the radar.  However, for their hometown teams they will be ones looking to lead their squad to a deep post season run that can end at the Resch Center in Green Bay.      I was able to coach against [player_tooltip player_id='812924' first='Ella' last='Myers'] and River Valley this past week at the WVCA Summer Scrimmage. She is the type of player where it has people saying “Who is this?” - because dang - she's a gamechanger. Being from the Green Bay area, I don't always get to see teams on the Western side of Wisconsin (my apologies). River Valley is located in Spring Green which is West of Madison, home of House on the Rock. In 2025 Myers had 376 kills, good for four kills per set. She can attack and score from anywhere along the front line and can play the back row as well. She has already committed to Edgewood in Madison where she could be an immediate impact player for them.     [player_tooltip player_id='782939' first='Aniya' last='Zeeveld'] is another one to jump on my radar while I was coaching against Sheboygan Lutheran this summer. This was at the Prep Dig Sizzle in Appleton and I was wondering who that setter was. Zeeveld is pretty dynamic and plays with plenty of poise for the Crusaders. This group returns a strong core of players from 2025. Another Zeeveld in the lineup was [player_tooltip player_id='990189' first='Alisha' last='Zeeveld'] who led the team with 230 kills.     [player_tooltip player_id='840565' first='Leah' last='Schopf'] is tough. I was able to coach against Sevastopol this summer and Schopf stood out right away from the libero position. She covers half the court (sometimes more) and everything seems to funnel her way. Sevastopol is on the South side of Door County and competes in the Packerland Conference. The Pioneers should be ones to watch among small schools in Northeast Wisconsin. Schopf will be a junior and is already at nearly 700 digs for her career.     I knew Brillion was going to be tough with attackers in [player_tooltip player_id='522345' first='Emma' last='Schuh'] and [player_tooltip player_id='522949' first='Ava' last='Van Camp'], but this high powered offense is well orchestrated by rising senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='786208' first='Reina' last='Eijtjes']. She plays with such maturity and a high IQ. She had over 700 assists in 2025 and is over 1,000 for her career. Aside from her setting ability, she has a nasty serve that is pretty lethal for her opponents. She had over 70 aces in 2025. With their experience and firepower, Brillion will once again be a force this season.     Royall had a big season in 2025 going 23-8 and finishing 11-1 in the Scenic Bluffs Conference where they were champions. They did lose some key attackers from this team, but one setter to know would be [player_tooltip player_id='1015156' first='Elizabeth' last='Klipstein']. The rising senior already has over 1600 assists in her career which would put her on track for passing 2000 by the end of the season. Royall will be looking to rebuild with some point scorers, but they definitely have a veteran setter who can run the show.     I was able to coach against Northland Pines and was really impressed with this team. They are going to win a ton of matches this season. An athlete to keep tabs on would be their libero [player_tooltip player_id='830725' first='Eden' last='Smith']. She plays with a great spark on the court and covers a lot of territory. She was a standout for the Eagles at the Prep Dig Sizzle in July. She had over 500 digs as a sophomore and is also a threat to score points from the service line.     Sheboygan Christian has been one to watch the past few seasons. They went to the state tournament in 2024 and fell just short in 2025 falling to eventual D4 state champion Heritage Christian. A key returner for the Eagles is [player_tooltip player_id='818479' first='Samantha' last='Veldkamp']. She will be a senior who was the team leader in blocks and averaged 2.5 kills per set. Sheboygan Christian competes in the Big East which is a tough small school conference with two time defending state champion Manitowoc Lutheran, Howards Grove, and St. Marys Catholic.     Florence advanced to the D5 state tournament in 2025 and will return a strong core from that team for 2026. [player_tooltip player_id='765045' first='Kelsi' last='Chrisman'] is one of the most dynamic players in D5 where she collected over 300 kills, 429 assists, and nearly 400 digs. Another rising junior to watch for Florence would be Miley Vandenheuvel where she is a force at the net who had nearly 300 kills and 71 total blocks. This group will be fun to watch throughout the season where they will look to make a return trip to Green Bay come early November.     [player_tooltip player_id='1015154' first='Malia' last='Szews'] has built quite a career already at Three Lakes High School in multiple sports. On the volleyball court she notched 368 kills, good for nearly four per set as a sophomore. Three Lakes was 31-11 and 10-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference, but had an upset loss in post season play to Shiocton. Szews will be leading a strong group of juniors who led the team with a high powered offense that includes Bella Kowalkowski and Kate Koshuta.     Montello was really fun to watch at the state tournament in 2025. They brought quite the crowd and had a really dynamic team. A rising senior to watch would be [player_tooltip player_id='1015153' first='Emily' last='Barganz']. Last season she filled up the stat sheet where she had 220 kills, 236 digs, and 447 assists. Her athleticism is what stands out and her ability to make plays on the fly. She is one who can make something out of nothing for her side of the net. Montello graduated some key pieces, but along with Barganz they return incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='772045' first='Charlee' last='O'Malley'] who is another one who can set and score points.     Edgar has developed into a small school power. Located just outside of Wausau they had a 26-8 record, going undefeated in the Marawood South. They have two high powered scorer in twins [player_tooltip player_id='808061' first='Naquene' last='Ellenbecker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='808036' first='Makita' last='Ellenbecker'], but another athlete to watch is [player_tooltip player_id='898828' first='Mallory' last='Stencil'] who was a key contributor as a freshman. She was one of the leaders on the team in blocks along with Shiloh Karlen. The Wildcats should be coming back in 2026 with big expectations with their experience.     Stanley-Boyd had a huge 2025 going 41-5, but unfortunately ran into Barron in the sectional semifinal. One of their key players was [player_tooltip player_id='807989' first='Kelly' last='Lew'] who led the team in kills with 423 kills and racked up 340 digs. She was one of two Lew's on the roster with Amanda Lew also having a huge season earning All State honors with Kelly. Amanda had 368 kills and 396 digs in her freshman season. The Lew's will look to keep Stanley Boyd at the top of D3 with their firepower as they navigate a rugged Western Wisconsin sectional.     McDonnell Central is always going to be in the mix to make a trip to the Resch Center. They were 43-3 in 2025, losing to Eau Claire Regis in postseason play. The sectional is rugged to say the least. An athlete who will be looking to lead the Mack's back to the state tournament is Taylan Hanson. She had a huge freshman year earning All State honors with 285 kills and over 100 digs. This team returns their top five attackers and setter [player_tooltip player_id='724543' first='Erin' last='Siegenthaler'] who collected over 1000 assists in her sophomore year alone.

The Wisconsin high school season starts in less than two weeks and we're already looking at who can make an impact. Today, we're focusing on some small school athletes who might be a little under the radar. However, for their hometown teams they will be ones looking to lead their squad to a deep post season run that can end at the Resch Center in Green Bay.