How Was Year One? Prospective For Aspiring College Players
Sunday many of us sat around and watched Selection Sunday, the day we find out which 64 teams have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. Additionally, we learn what 32 teams get to participate in the NIVC Tournament.…
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Continue ReadingSunday many of us sat around and watched Selection Sunday, the day we find out which 64 teams have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. Additionally, we learn what 32 teams get to participate in the NIVC Tournament. The NCAA Division II tournament also kicks off this week. The NJCAA and NAIA are off and running. I want to do something different this year. Many athletes aspire to play volleyball at the next level. This is a dream and goal many work hard towards for years. Last year was my first full year working with our player rankings. I thought it would be fun to take a look at a range of players from the class of 2021 and see how their first seasons went or is going leading into tournament week. This is two-fold from my perspective. We can see how accurate we were in our rankings and where our team and network of contributing minds got it right. We also want the younger athletes to see both how hard it is to play at the next level and how there are ample opportunities available for those who work hard to achieve this dream.
Top 6
Kendra Wait – Creighton University
What a season for our top-ranked player from a season ago. If it wasn’t for her teammate, she possibly would have been named freshman of the year in the Big East Conference. Wait led her team to a Big East regular season and tournament title and will play this weekend in the NCAA tournament. She eclipsed the 1000 assists mark in year 1 with 1137 assists. She was also stellar defensively as evidenced by her 332 digs and 96 blocks. She was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team
Caroline Bien – University of Kansas
Big 12 Freshman of the Year is the award we’ll start off with for Caroline Bien. She was twice named conference rookie of the year and led her team in kills for the regular season with 295. She also was an anchor in the back row where she had 256 digs. Her Jayhawks earned an NCAA tournament bid and will play this weekend.
Sarah Bingham – University of Illinois
We are unsure but think Bingham may have redshirted this season as she has no stats available. Like Wait and Bien, her team qualified for the tournament after a strong season in the Big Ten Conference.
Camryn Turner – University of Kansas
Turner started getting playing time early in the season running a 6-2 offense but earned the position down the stretch as the team moved to a 5-1. She helped lead the team on an important finish of the year to earn a trip to the NCAA tournament. She was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team while dishing out 503 assists on the year.
Brooke Stonestreet – Iowa State University
Stonestreet earned time in her freshman year as a DS, while also playing some libero in an important stretch for the Cyclones as they pressed towards an NCAA tournament berth. She once earned Big 12 Rookie of the Week after a stellar libero showing versus Oklahoma. She played in 38 sets and had 76 digs entering into tournament play this weekend.
Jaden Ravnsborg – Kansas State University
The Mill Valley graduate saw action in 13 matches this season mainly as a serving specialist or defensive substitution for the tournament-bound Wildcats.
40-44
Meghan Brockmeier – Bethel
Brockmeier had a strong first season for NAIA Bethel in 2021. She played in 82 sets and twice has a season-high of 11 digs in contests.
Bri Franklin
Our initial information had Franklin committed to Kansas Wesleyan. Our research didn’t find any information on the 2021 roster.
Mollie Mae Brooks – Ottawa University
The Braves advanced to the NAIA tournament in 2021. They bowed out in the first round. There were no stats for Brooks listed however Ottawa does run a Junior Varsity program as well which she could have contributed to.
Emma Williams – Washburn University
We were happy to see Williams fight her way back from injury this fall. She played in 14 sets for Washburn as a defensive specialist. They kick off their Division II tournament play this week.
Katie Berg – Long Island University
The McPherson product had a strong first season on the east coast this fall. She played in 92 of 100 sets and made an impact. She contributed 109 kills and 56 blocks from the middle.
70-71
Ainsley Corwine – Kansas City Kansas Community College
Corwine was able to see action in 13 matches for the Blue Devils this fall. The setter had 96 assists on the year as they went 22-11
Sydney Lentz – Butler County Community College
The Maize middle played in 10 sets over 5 matches in her first season. Her stat line included 6 kills and 5 blocks.