18 Open is No Joke! NLQ Top Players, Performances, and Highlights of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Athletes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Playing 18 Open is no joke, not even a little bit kidding, this is where many of these athletes will be heading to some of the top schools in the country and could be playing in the NCAA Tournament by the end of 2019.  Omaha was center stage this past weekend for the 18s Northern Lights National Qualifier, one of the first major qualifiers of the year for teams in the 18s division to punch their ticket to nationals in Dallas. Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin teams showed why it provides the Big Ten and other major conferences with some of the top talent that comes from local clubs.  Here are some great stories, notable performances, and players you need to know from the 18 Open NLQ Qualifier. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Northern Lights 18-1 is the defending national champions from the USAV 17 Open division, but not only their top team is full of top tier recruits, but the 18-2 team came in as the 15th seed and finished in the top eight coming out of their pool on Friday and advancing to a Gold pool for Saturday.  The second team has the likes of <strong>Gabbi McCaa</strong>, a Boston College commit, <strong>Claire Nuessmeier</strong> to Marquette, and <strong>Tori Thompson</strong> to South Dakota State just to name a few. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>An Outside Delight! -</strong> Watching <strong>Kyndra Hansen</strong> the future Iowa Hawkeye play for Northern Lights was quite the treat with her ability to just fly and pound away.  She can hit a sharp angle or blast away through a seam. There is just something different about her swing when the ball comes off her hand. Defenders never see the same shot two times in a row always keeping the defense off balance.  <strong>Kenna Sauer</strong>, the Mizzou commit from Iowa PowerPlex just puts on a clinic on how to play all six rotations and really be a physical blocker at the net that can shut down a right side and a middle on a slide. <strong>Hannah Vanden Berg</strong> of FC Elite is heading to Marquette and with the combination of her and <strong>Maddie Koch</strong> heading to Purdue and <strong>Maggie Cartwright</strong> going to Arkansas provides quite the trio of outsides who can get it done on either pin.  These outside hitters have to have a bag of tricks in order to score. There is no such thing as a one trick pony at 18 Open. Just watch <strong>Maggie Cartwright</strong> swipe off the block or hit a thumb down top spin shot down the line, it makes you question how it gets done, but at 18 Open thats just how you have to do it to score points. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hattie Bray and Brooke Mosher two Class of 2021 recruits more than holding their own in the 18s Division for <a href="https://x.com/FCEliteVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCEliteVB</a> <a href="https://t.co/xJIdbRhwdm">pic.x.com/xJIdbRhwdm</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1084115031074242560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>The Class of 2021</strong> - The Class of 2021 are Sophomores this year and some athletes are playing at the highest level already.  <strong>Kennedi Orr</strong> is the high school volleyball household name already having worn the USA jersey for the youth national team won a national title with the Northern Lights 17-1 team last summer (when technically she could have played for the 15s).  Her footwork and hands make something extremely difficult look relatively easy. Never looking rattled or out out of control, she just has the “It” factor. She will be welcome with open arms by Nebraska fans when she will compete for them in the Fall of 2021.  <strong>Brooke Mosher</strong> of FC Elite is another 2021 setter who has already verballed to Illinois. She may not be Jordan Poulter (yet), the All American setter who led Illinois to the Final Four, but she definitely has the makings. With two older sisters playing at Marquette, Mosher has been around the game her whole life and has such a great sense of what to do when, a sixth sense for the game.  <strong>Anna Wolf</strong> is a new addition to MN Select this year and is a middle commit out of the Class of 2021 for Minnesota. Wolf just gets more confident each time she steps on the court and has made so many gains in the past two years. A humble, hard working athlete her ceiling is so high (Along with her approach touch which was recently recorded at 10’5). Another 2021 athlete who made an appearance this weekend was <strong>Hattie Bray</strong> for FC Elite.  A springy 6’1 middle who is touching ten feet and like Wolf, just gains more confidence each time she plays against top tier competition. She will be playing for the FC Elite 16s this season. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Two future MVC liberos in Kaitlyn Weimerskirch of <a href="https://x.com/MNSelect?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MNSelect</a> going to <a href="https://x.com/RedbirdVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RedbirdVB</a> and Kayla Kraus going to <a href="https://x.com/RamblersWVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RamblersWVB</a> <a href="https://t.co/M1hBuJXZIw">pic.x.com/M1hBuJXZIw</a></p> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1084168054559465473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>The Bros -</strong> If any team expects to have a chance in 18 Open, you must...must have a libero who is a difference maker.  <strong>Mari Hinkle</strong> leads the way for Northern Lights 18-1 and is committed to UCLA. <strong>Kayla Kraus</strong>, the Loyola-Chicago recruit was such a leader for FC Elite this weekend, playing at a whole new level, really leading the team vocally and extending so many points.  <strong>Dru Kuck</strong> of Milwaukee Sting is still uncommitted, but proved why she is one of the top liberos in Wisconsin this past weekend. She reads the hitters extremely well and not only keeps the heavy swing in play, but also in system for the offense to keep the flow.  <strong>Kaitlyn Weimerskirch</strong> of MN Select will be heading to Illinois State and just quietly finds a way to get the job done while Brenna Hesse of NL 18-2 is a Green Bay commit and so athletic, she is just going to continue to get better and better.  <strong>Savannah Perry</strong> of Iowa PowerPlex is committed to Colorado and not only has all the skill to take pace off some of the biggest swings in the nation, but if you listen to her communicate with her hitters and the rest of her teammates you'll understand why liberos are more than just making the dig, they call the shots. </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Looking for a great way to prepare your team for Nationals or end your season on a high note? Look no further than the Prep Dig Gauntlet!<br /> <br /> The Gauntlet will provide exposure and media coverage to players at all levels! <br /> <br /> ???? 5/31 - 6/2<br /> ????Madison, WI<br /> ???? <a href="https://t.co/5HsmtBvAN6">https://t.co/5HsmtBvAN6</a> <a href="https://t.co/mRykybgoOh">pic.x.com/mRykybgoOh</a></p> — Prep Dig Events (@PrepDigEvents) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigEvents/status/1084480489333944320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>