Dig for Life Tournament – Off the Radar Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ryliegh Gresham – 2023 – 5'10” – Opposite – Fredericktown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lefty right pin was an eye-opener in the matches I watched. Ryliegh is long and athletic, provides a big block, and has the power to give the BlackCats a solid outlet with 44 kills and 12 blocks on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Linley Rehkop – 2023 – 5'7 – Middle – Fredericktown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She is a very athletic middle with tremendous vertical and power for her height, and watch out when she gets a hold of the ball—currently 2^nd on the team in kills with 55 and blocking leader with 18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tessa Grass – 2023 – 5'8” – Middle – Ste. Genevieve</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another undersized middle but very effective with power and lateral movement to the pins was quick. Tessa has a solid bounce, making her a dangerous hitter out of the middle and a solid blocker for the Dragons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Arie Taylor – 2023 – 5'7” – Outside – Ste. Genevieve</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A smart outside hitter for the Dragons gives them two solid outsides. Taylor is a strong defender and passer and uses power and finesse to rack up 60 kills in the early part of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='225325' first='Kate' last='Rubel'] – 2026 – 6'0” – Middle – Cape Notre Dame</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a player you need to keep on your radar as she will be a dominant player in the next couple of years. She can already bounce the ball, keeps improving with each touch, and gets her head above the net when blocking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240203' first='Clara' last='Brune'] – 2024 – 5'10” – Opposite – Saxony Lutheran</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boom! Quick swing and powerful hitter and second on the team in kills with 52 and second with 22 blocks. The lefty helped her team to the Dig for Life Tournament title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Josey Wahlers – 2023 – 5'11” – Middle – Saxony Lutheran</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another favorite for the champions is Josey, a thunderous hitter with a great vertical and big blocker. She leads her team in kills with 81 and blocks with 35, and in the upset of Class 2 favorite Jefferson, she would knock down ten kills and add five blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Montana Pearson – 2023 – 5'7” – Outside – Clarkton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Reindeer played for the first time in the Red Division at the Dig for Life Tournament and held their own. Montana was a big part of that as she gives Clarkton a solid outside hitter that can do damage at the net and solid defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='234483' first='Bree' last='Winchester'] – 2024 – 5'10” – Middle – Clarkton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bree has good power out of the middle, moves to the pins well, and has one more kill than teammate Montana Pearson 75 to 74. By season end Clarkton should be a contender for the state playoffs with Winchester, and the youth movement for Clarkton keeps improving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->