The Showcase: Class of 2020 Prospects To Watch

March Madness begins this weekend for volleyball with the whole month being full of qualifiers, big tournaments, and plenty of college coaches recruiting, athletes taking visits, and for some the recruiting process will be wrapped up with a decision. Here are some athletes who are from the Class of 2020 that might be worth taking an extra look at this weekend at the Mizuno Showcase held at the Wisconsin Dells this upcoming weekend. Taylor Birr - One Wisconsin 17-1 - Setter Extremely athletic and dynamic - best way to describe Birr who is starting to become a late gem in the Class of 2020 for setters. This 17-1 team from One Wisconsin is scrappy and plays extremely well together with Megan Piton and Aubree Bucheger holding down the back row and high school teammates Raechel Russo and Claire Chier teaming up on the left and right side. They had a big win earlier in February taking one from Michigan Volleyball Academy at the JVA Jamboree. Jacqueline Smith - Wisconsin Ice 18 National - Outside Hitter Smith has been climbing up on the list of growing prospects where she comes from Northern Wisconsin and is one of the top high school players in her area. An all state outside hitter, Smith is solid in all six rotations and can swing from any spot in the front row. She is a big time point scorer and will compete with Ice in the 18s Division. Maddy Dokken is another 2020 pin hitter that will be one to watch as well this weekend for Ice. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Milla Malik with the kill for <a href="https://x.com/CapitalVbAll?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CapitalVbAll</a> with an already first set win against NE Elite. Opening round of Gold Bracket <a href="https://t.co/kC4Rav0CA2">pic.x.com/kC4Rav0CA2</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1084463719474696197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Madelyn Kelley - Capital 17 Adidas - Middle Hitter Kelley along with Capital teammate Jordan Armstrong had quite the year teaming up for Verona High School this past Fall and are doing so again this winter. Kelley is a middle blocker who can close the block and runs a really smooth slide. With her ability to stretch the block that really opens up the options for Capital where Ella Foti can attack as a setter or for “McMalik” to do some damage from the pin. Capital 17 Adidas has KJ McNabb on the outside who is committed to Loyola and Milla Malik who will be heading to Buffalo. Makenna Hollman - Kokoro 17-1 - Middle Hitter Hoffman stands at 6’1 and does the dirty work out of the middle for Kokoro. She is very fundamentally sound where she can swing to the deep corner and hit the open spots. With a lot of power on the pins for Kokoro, Hoffman is left with plenty of one on one matchups where she works extremely well with setter Maddi Kealy (UMD) or Lauren Stenman (Lewis). Kokoro 17-1 will be in a power pool with Wisconsin Juniors, Capital, and Illini Elite. Great matchups all around. Fun Fact: Emily Bannit of Kokoro and River Falls High School will get a chance to play against future Loyola teammate in KJ McNabb from Sun Prairie High School. Olivia Johnson - MN Select 17-1 - Setter MN Select just had their outside hitter Jordan Stalpes commit this past week to Nebraska-Omaha and I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson was high on the radar for plenty of schools as well. Well trained, fundamentally sound, and a great competitor, Johnson can run a 5-1 and make it look easy. With multiple hitters to go to, this is a great team to watch compete and will be a favorite in the 17s Division. Riley Kindt - Motion (MVP) 17 Blue - RS/Middle MVP is extremely athletic and dynamic. They may not outmatch you with their size, but the tempo and speed they play with is definitely something that makes them a tough match. Kindt plays out of the middle and right side with a huge vertical and when they can use her in system she can be a major game changer. MVP also has Nikki Censki who can play any position in the front row and can be a tough matchup for the opposing team when she is on the right side. Tahya Pozorski is getting multiple Division 1 looks and is their libero who gets their offense started with a solid first contact. Ashley Sharkus - VC United 17-1 Elite - Libero Sharkus and high school teammate Tayler Alden from Oconomowoc play for VC United out of Rockford, IL. Tahya Pozorski is also a part of the Oconomowoc team which finished second this past high school season in the Division 1 State Tournament for Wisconsin. Sharkus is very fundamentally sound in the backrow and provides a solid first touch where Alden can dish or swing. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Presley Fink of <a href="https://x.com/VitalVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VitalVolleyball</a> continues to have a great tournament. Lethal line shot. <a href="https://t.co/CpjYtfbBpu">pic.x.com/CpjYtfbBpu</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1089603397404241921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Emma O’Connell - Vital 17-1 Gold - Outside Hitter Vital is an electric team to watch where they can score from any front row position. O’Connell plays high on the outside and could even be a scorer from the right side as well. This team overall is very athletic with the likes of Presley Fink on the pin, Claudia Stahlke in the middle, and Claire Segner at libero. They don’t start off in a power pool, but I would definitely wouldn’t sleep on this team with the type of athletes they have. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Tight first set between <a href="https://x.com/WiJrs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WiJrs</a> and <a href="https://x.com/KIVAVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KIVAVB</a> <a href="https://t.co/aojTkG9amo">pic.x.com/aojTkG9amo</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1097257759710605312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Eileen Tarcha - Wisconsin Juniors 17-1 - DS/Outside Hitter Whatever the team needs, Tarcha can do it, she can swing on the pin or is a sure bet in the backrow. Between her and libero, Amber Bischel, Wisconsin Juniors has strong ball control and serve receive. Tarcha stepped up in a big way for Juniors at the Big City Luau in January where they lost to Kokoro 15-13 in the third set of the finals. This team is a matchup nightmare and plays with consistent intensity. Grace Rohde - V-Hawk Xtreme 17 Adidas - Outside Hitter Rohde, who is from Winona, Minnesota and plays for V-Hawk out of La Crosse really was able to show off her talent at the Badger Region High Performance camp where she made the HP team that competed in Tulsa. An incredibly efficient and high IQ player, Rohde also has a solid six rotation game with a big arm. This will be an exciting team to watch who also has UW-Milwaukee recruit Marissa Kleman