What Up and Coming WI HS Programs Are Building Momentum?

With nearly a full club season come and gone in 2021 there are some high school teams that have had athletes on the rise, showing great improvement and will be aiming for a big season come this fall. The following teams may be a little new on the radar, they are teams who haven't been to the state tournament in quite some time. However, in 2022 they will be a threat to do some damage. They might have some big time goals with conference, regional, sectional titles, and beyond. Here are some squads who are ready to make a splash in 2022. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Chippewa Falls with a big win over Freedom to advance to the finals of the <a href="https://x.com/Hales__Yeah?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hales__Yeah</a> Division. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/PDSizzle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PDSizzle</a> This squad has a ton of firepower! <a href="https://t.co/zImC2oBh9H">pic.x.com/zImC2oBh9H</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1415711837136564234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Chippewa Falls I saw this team at our Prep Dig Gauntlet in 2021 and they definitely made an impact and little did I know, a lot of these athletes were underclassmen. They were 37-3 in 2021 with all three of their losses coming to River Falls, including a five set thriller where RF claimed yet another sectional title and state berth. The Cardinals will return over 1,000 kills with all of their top attackers coming back which includes Class of 2023 outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="149694" first="Samantha" last="Perlberg"] who had 337 kills and 2024 outside, [player_tooltip player_id="148970" first="Madison" last="Hunt"] was right behind with 2024 attacker [player_tooltip player_id="148971" first="Sophie" last="Robinson"] with just over 300 kills. Another 2024 attacker who is springy and real gritty is [player_tooltip player_id="179085" first="Paige" last="Steinmetz"] who could be a big time X-Factor for this team. They will also return setter Maddy Bauer who had nearly 1,000 assists in 2021. This team will be a fun match up for other state tournament caliber teams when they come to the Prep Dig Sizzle come mid July.   [caption id="attachment_166474" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-166474 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/11/41-Bridget-Moen-e1649879946955-300x262.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="262" /> Moen[/caption] Hortonville Hortonville has quite the gauntlet of a conference and sectional with the likes of Appleton North, Kimberly, and Kaukauna, but the Polar Bears are definitely going to be in the hunt for conference and sectional races. They will return ball control an powerful attackers. [player_tooltip player_id="91936" first="Molly" last="Rohde"], senior middle blocker just gave her verbal to play Division 1 volleyball at Rider University in New Jersey and they will also return Senior pin attacker in [player_tooltip player_id="149604" first="Bridget" last="Moen"] who was on the Impact 18 National team this past club season. [player_tooltip player_id="179730" first="Marin" last="Grossman"] is a Class of 2023 attacker who had over 100 kills as well in 2021. They also return libero [player_tooltip player_id="178222" first="Molly" last="Fischer"] who made a huge splash as a Freshman, she's a dynamic athlete who could also swing on the pin if needed. With this team having another year of experience and Class of 2025 class with a lot of depth it should be an exciting season!   Middleton [caption id="attachment_111549" align="alignright" width="237"]<img class=" wp-image-111549" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/10/DSC00995-e1652805255396-300x280.jpg" alt="" width="237" height="221" /> LaScala[/caption] Middleton is another team who feel in a five set thriller to Holmen last fall to advance to the state tournament. A loss like that will fuel a team over the offseason which this team has definitely been building up a strong offseason with a strong senior class. They return over half their overall kills in [player_tooltip player_id="91883" first="Jordan" last="LaScala"], [player_tooltip player_id="149575" first="Sierra" last="Pertzborn"], and [player_tooltip player_id="91952" first="Evinae" last="Jordee"]. All of these players have been a key piece to the success of Capital 17 Adidas out of Madison. LaScala is a six rotation outside hitter who can score from anywhere on the court, she's been a dominant player since she first put on a Cardinal jersey. She is an uncommitted 2023 outside hitter. Pertzborn has been on the rise all year, she recently committed to Toledo to play Division 1 volleyball in the MAC. She is long, athletic, and dynamic. [player_tooltip player_id="91952" first="Evinae" last="Jordee"] is the one who gets this all going with her ability to set and swing. The lefty is crafty and high IQ. The Cardinals will have a beefed up schedule which will be key for them heading into the postseason.   [caption id="attachment_117022" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="wp-image-117022 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2020/11/Carizma-Muth-2-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Muth[/caption] Randolph Randolph will be in their second year of D3 where they lost to Lake Country Lutheran in the sectional final and eventually finished state runner up. What the Rockets will be excited about is the return of 2024 middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id="122468" first="Rylea" last="Alvin"] who was out with a knee injury for volleyball and basketball. She is one of the top overall athletes in the Class of 2024 that people might not know about yet. She will be back with a vengeance for the 2022 season. Their top point scorer, floor leader, and one of their top defenders will be back and gearing for a big Senior campaign is [player_tooltip player_id="119400" first="Carizma" last="Muth"]. She had over 400 kills in 2021 and has had a big time club season for [program_tooltip program_id='432005' first='Madtown' last='Juniors'] 17 National and that experience will raise her level of play even more. She is definitely a 2023 outside that college coaches would gain by having her in the gym. Another multi sport athlete is Jory Buwalda who is an All State basketball player and a fierce competitor. Randolph knows how to win as they have consistently been in the top ten for volleyball, basketball, and softball - with a 33-0 season in basketball this past season.   [caption id="attachment_158224" align="alignright" width="356"]<img class="wp-image-158224" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/09/DSC09074.jpg" alt="" width="356" height="237" /> Belle Shea[/caption] Xavier Another group of a lot of underclassmen from 2021 that has had a big offseason is Xavier out of Appleton. They have plenty of athletes and will have a ton of depth heading into the 2022 season. The Hawks will return their top four attackers from last season, where they were all freshmen and sophomores. Halle Van De hey and [player_tooltip player_id="151738" first="Mattea" last="Kiepert"] are the top two point scorers where Van De hey his a six rotation pin hitter who can score from the backrow as well. Kiepert is an uber quick middle who can get up quick and thump on the sharp corners. They will also return soon to be Juniors in libero, [player_tooltip player_id="122583" first="Izabelle" last="Shea"] and setter, [player_tooltip player_id="144816" first="Mariah" last="Potter"]. Shea, Potter, [player_tooltip player_id="122526" first="Olivia" last="Neumann"], and [player_tooltip player_id="178352" first="Madison" last="Daley"] have all been playing together on the FC Elite 16 White squad out of Appleton who has had a huge club season winning the American Division of the Mideast Qualifier and has racked up a record of 63-7.