Five Quick Observations From Waupaca Boatride Junior Doubles

This summer was like a celebration with the lifting of restrictions. Another Waupaca Boatride wraps up and there was a ton of youth talent on the sand this year. The competition was fierce at all age levels, and all were a blast to watch in their own right. There were plenty of exceptional battles and phenomenal players, so I wanted to share some observations. Boatride to the Sizzle <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Hazel-Cook-crop-3460x2272-1626647861.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-149020" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Hazel-Cook-crop-3460x2272-1626647861-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> These kids have been busy this summer. While outdoor volleyball blew up last summer with the limited indoor opportunities, the indoor game is back in full force. Prep Dig followed up the Waupaca Boatride with our JV and Varsity Sizzle Tournaments. I saw some familiar names including Keira Jahner (FVL), who is a gritty libero and my first Top Performer find of the Sizzle. [player_tooltip player_id="144876" first="Hazel" last="Cook"] (Seymour) is another standout at the Sizzle who competes regularly in sand tournaments, including Boatride, and found her way to our Top Performers list. Ashley Hutter (Pewaukee) is a young prospect who finished 5th in 14 Elite and then made her way onto the floor as a libero for an experienced Pewaukee squad. Final Hurrah <img class="size-medium wp-image-149029 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Alyssa-Gerzel-4.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> Many 2021s are getting in their final hurrah before moving on to their collegiate careers on the court or in the sand. [player_tooltip player_id="117312" first="Rachel" last="Mueller"] (University of Pacific) partnered up with Alyssa Gerzel from Grayslake, IL to take a 2nd place finish. This was a fun duo with the combination of Mueller's high level of beach IQ and Gerzel's lefty swing and gritty athleticism. [player_tooltip player_id="80726" first="Sammie" last="Seib"] (Hope) partnered up with [player_tooltip player_id="80807" first="Savanna" last="Carleton"] to bring a lot of ball control and fun plays to make a 3rd place finish. From Near and Far <img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-149028" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Madison-Quest-2.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> One of the exceptional things about this tournament was that teams come from all over the country. This is not something you see at most Wisconsin outdoor tournaments, but the Waupaca Boatride is not your normal tournament. It really was awesome to see players from neighboring states, as well as a little bit farther. A pair from the Vegas Aces Volleyball Club in Nevada came to compete, and they were no joke. Tova Craig and Aubrie MacKinnon took a 2nd place finish in the 14 Elite division. And this duo was fiercely competitive taking Sting's Billie Reiter and Madison Quest deep into a 3rd set in the championship. In the 18's division, Minnesota brought a couple studs in Madison Renz and [player_tooltip player_id="31589" first="Mya" last="Krystosek"] to win the age group. In 16's, Impact's [player_tooltip player_id="91931" first="Kate" last="Henze"] brought in an Illinois counterpart, Olivia Van Kooten, to help take a 3rd place finish. Ice And Impact Making A Statement <img class="size-medium wp-image-149030 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Brenna-Lehrke.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> These two beach clubs have some big-time weapons with leadership and training from former AVP pros, Kerri Schuh (Impact) and Taryn Vaughn (Ice). Their expertise and passion, as well as sending players to compete in each other's tournaments, has paid off for these beach programs. In the 18's [player_tooltip player_id="117312" first="Rachel" last="Mueller"] is a college beach commit from Impact, while Ice was represented by [player_tooltip player_id="90599" first="Kylie" last="Struble"] (Bemidji commit) and Brenna Lehrke who finished 5th. Meanwhile in 16's Impact's Leah Krohn (Winneconne)/Maddi Choinski (Oshkosh West) took a 2nd place finish. Tying for 3rd was Molly Fischer competing with Keira Jahner, and also [player_tooltip player_id="91931" first="Kate" last="Henze"] (Impact) with Olivia Van Kooten ([program_tooltip program_id='431567' first='Adversity' last=''], IL). Ice was represented by [player_tooltip player_id="122507" first="Paige" last="Guld"] (Newman) and [player_tooltip player_id="122517" first="Ava" last="Krueger"] (Marathon) who took 5th place. Ice Sand is definitely a younger program, and it showed in the 14's with 4 teams between the two levels offered in the age division. Addison Vaughn (D.C. Everest) and Reilly Rajek (D.C. Everest) took 3rd place in the 14 Elite, while Sidney Geiss (D.C. Everest) and Ryden Lehrke (D.C. Everest) took 2nd in 14's. To go a bit deeper, Ice also had Sydney Palmer and Nora Kruger place 3rd in the 12's division. Warmed Up with High Performance<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-149031" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/07/Billie-Reiter.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> The week leading up to Boatride the Badger Region hosted its High-Performance Camp, and there were more familiar faces. From the Select group, you could tell players [player_tooltip player_id="122517" first="Ava" last="Krueger"] (Ice/Marathon), Izabelle Shea (Impact beach/Xavier), Billie Reiter (Sting), Katlyn Tarkowski (RVA), Ashley Hutter (Sting/Pewaukee), and Myla Unterweger (Sting) would be good sand players as they have strong ball control and are solid all-around players.