10 Teams That Impressed At The Sunset Slam

COMMUNITY FIRST CHAMPION CENTER – There have been some wrinkles in 2020 but Prep Dig has been leading the charge in getting our prep athletes back on the court. The first session of the Sunset Slam competition was refreshing. The play was gritty, fun, and competitive! There was no re-seeding or re-pooling as each of the 32 teams competing were placed into a bracket of 8 ahead of time and the 8 teams got to battle it out to determine their final place. 16 teams per wave with designated bleacher spots and not switching sides between sets, no handshakes at the start or end, designated entrance and exits and a crew cleaning between waves are just of the few things that are turning into common practice. Oh, and the face masks of course which no one loves, or even like BUT if it means we get to play and compete, then game on! No team played anyone a second time and each bracket was able to play out to its final place within the 8 teams. It was apparent which teams had been getting more time in the gym due to county and school district rules. As a result, some teams got a late jump and picked up steam as they went and hot back into a groove. Some results can be a bit deceiving because many teams were playing with different line-ups or trying some players at new positions since this is the last chance before tryouts to get a solid idea of what you might be working with. There were also some notable players absent last week such as Grace Demitrician – 2021 – Defensive Specialist – Appleton North and Jenna Placek – 2022 – Middle Blocker – Mosinee. I am sure others were missing since it is summer after all. With that being said, here are the 10 teams that impressed me the most in the few hours I was able to watch them. I’m only touching slightly on individual players since I’m still trying to figure out who some of them were. Between the masks and possibly having to play under a name other than their school, it makes for some detective work! [caption id="attachment_106625" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106625" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC09808.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Howards Grove[/caption] Howards Grove Like many others, I have extremely high expectations for Howards Grove over the next few years. The Tigers return [player_tooltip player_id="22384" first="Karissa" last="Kaminski"] (2022 – Committed to Dayton), [player_tooltip player_id="82282" first="Saige" last="Damrow"] (2023 – Committed to Wisconsin), Maddy Near (2021 – 5’10 – Middle Blocker), [player_tooltip player_id="56454" first="Mackenzie" last="Holzwart"] (2021 – 5’7 – Libero), and [player_tooltip player_id="57252" first="Emma" last="Baierl"] (2022 – 5’7 – Setter) among others. Howards Grove was looking sharp and at a great starting point for the season. Will the Tigers be able to have an equally strong showing this week? They battled with Luxemburg-Casco for the bracket win and it looks like they may meet up again this week. Can they beat them the 2nd week in a row? If this early showing indicates anything, the Tigers will be a state-tournament team again this fall. [caption id="attachment_106626" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106626" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC08757.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="81257" first="Sydney" last="Lewellin"][/caption] Lake Mills The L-Cats finished at the top of the NACC bracket, so it’s no surprise they were impressed. But in all honestly, it is not really how they played in general that impressed me but rather how they improved from their 1st set to their last. They also showed they know how to find a way to win. They lost their top point scorers from 2019 but they still have their main distributor in [player_tooltip player_id="81257" first="Sydney" last="Lewellin"] (2022 – 6’0) and the L-Cats played with passion and scrappiness. Luxemburg-Casco The defending Division 2 State Champs showed they are going to be right in the mix of things again this fall. After graduating their top blocker, defender, and setter the Spartans were still one of the best teams in the GLIAC bracket. This is a program with depth and they don’t look like they’ve missed a step. Oh, and they still have some seriously dangerous right side hitters.   [caption id="attachment_106627" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106627" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC09405.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="81258" first="Claire" last="Ammeraal"][/caption] Madtown This is a fun group that is a mix of Madison area players. I’m not sure who all of them were but they were fun to watch with the out of the box thinking of using [player_tooltip player_id="81258" first="Claire" last="Ammeraal"] (2022 – 6’2 – Madison LaFollette) as a setter in a 5-1 while also having her play in the middle during some rotations in the front row. It’s so fun to watch her passers feel free to pass a tight ball and watch her wail away or see her easily jump set and send it out to [player_tooltip player_id="57273" first="Hannah" last="Rounds"] (2022 – 5’10 – McFarland) to pound. [caption id="attachment_106628" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106628" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC08472.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Merrill[/caption] Merrill 1 At first glance, Merrill is a very undersized division 2 squad, but you can tell there is an emphasis on ball control and gritty defensive play. They return their solid passing libero, [player_tooltip player_id="80780" first="Rachel" last="Travis"] (2021), and consistent middle blocker, [player_tooltip player_id="89563" first="Jordyn" last="Henrich"] (2021 – 5’8). But most impressive is the all-around play from [player_tooltip player_id="80734" first="Kelly" last="Page"] (2021 – 5’5) who despite being a good 3-5 inches shorter than a majority of the opposing blockers is highly effective outside hitter and then sets when she makes her way into the back row. Merrill is also incredibly deep with defensive specialists and it shows in their tenacious defensive plays. They do have a little height in Nicole Zoellner (2021 – 5’11) as one of their right sides and I look forward to seeing how this team develops this season. [caption id="attachment_106629" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106629" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC08421.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Mosinee[/caption] Mosinee Purple Mosinee may have lost their top attacker and a key middle, but they have a lot coming back and some players that have seriously stepped up their game in the offseason. Let’s start with the smart move to run a 6-2 with 2 players, [player_tooltip player_id="80813" first="Brooklyn" last="Montgomery"] (2021 – 5’7) and Jessica Maurer (2022 – 5’6) that are super solid all-around players and can also swing on either pin in the front row and are studly defenders. They return a pair of dynamic pin hitters in Emily Wicklund (2021 – 5’8) and [player_tooltip player_id="80822" first="Sheridan" last="Swiderski"] (2021 – 5’11). They also have Zoe Gburek (2021 – 5’4) returning to run the backcourt along with the scrappy defensive specialists Claire Selenske (2022 – 5’4) and Jillian Sirny (2021 – 5’3). One of the big pieces coming into place for Mosinee is the middle blocker, Abbi Martin (2022 – 5’11), who took quarantine as an opportunity to work and it shows! [caption id="attachment_106631" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106631" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC00176.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"][/caption] Sauk Prairie Ok, the first thing I thought when I saw this team battling with Howards Grove in the first round was that they are LEGIT! There is SO much to like about the Eagles. The big question I had about Sauk Prairie was “Who are these players and where did they come from!?” This group has scrappy defenders and big swings led by [player_tooltip player_id="90597" first="Aida" last="Shadewald"] (2022 – 5’11 – Outside Hitter). I cannot wait to see them play again this week!   [caption id="attachment_106633" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-106633" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/08/DSC08996.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="91936" first="Molly" last="Rohde"][/caption] The Attackers There is so much to like about the The Attackers (from Hortonville). It all starts with their tough serving, scrappy defense, and solid ball control. Add to that the fact that they refuse to give you an easy point making them a competitive group. Their setter gave her hitters a ton of great opportunities and as they get used to each other I would expect the offense will get quicker and quicker. This will make [player_tooltip player_id="91936" first="Molly" last="Rohde"] (2023 – 5’11 – Middle Blocker) even more lethal. Watertown Luther Prep Luther Prep won the Midwest/CCIW bracket and I would say they are a team to watch out for this fall. The Phoenix were fun to watch in a tight match with Oconto. One player I could watch all day is Grace Kieselhorst (2021 – 5’9). She is such an athletic and competitive setter/right side hitter AND she is a lefty! Kieselhorst is very driven and her team just feeds off her energy! Wisco Lutheran Wisco was right in the thick of it last week. When you lose a top attacker, defender, and setter you must expect a little bit of a transition period but Wisco was looking as strong as ever. I would even say they are an early favorite in D2 simply based on the talent the Warriors are returning and their history of growing and advancing as the season goes along.