Minnesota’s Northern Lights Ready To Rumble at the Gauntlet

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are less than a week away from gathering in Milwaukee for the 2023 Prep Dig Gauntlet! I've enjoyed watching the growth of the Gauntlet each year as teams gear up for their final run for a National title. You'll find a lot of volleyball buzz happening at the Milwaukee Sting "Hive" May 27th, 28th, and 29th. Here are some of Minnesota's Northern Lights teams participating in the Gauntlet and players I'm looking forward to seeing!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northern Lights 15-1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NL 15-1 is ready to make a big showing at the Gauntlet. They are battle-tested and have all the pieces to make a great showing this weekend. This team has one of the best setter/pin duos in the 15's division. [player_tooltip player_id='180652' first='Rayna' last='Christianson'] is a versatile setter with height and can attack from anywhere on the net. [player_tooltip player_id='199394' first='Romi' last='Chlebecek'] is the electric outside attacker the powers the offense. [player_tooltip player_id='199393' first='Sidney' last='Burley'] provides some versatility as a strong 1st contact and a hitter with a plethora of calculated shots. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='199396' first='Madeline' last='Kraft'] has been a consistent spark for this squad and she knows exactly how to get her team fired up each match. The front line includes [player_tooltip player_id='348386' first='Grace' last='Hertaus'] and [player_tooltip player_id='348388' first='Bella' last='Rosolanka'] as the quick and athletic middles while [player_tooltip player_id='199399' first='Kendall' last='Worwa'] brings the power and size to the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northern Lights 17-1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NL 17-1 is coming off a solid runner-up finish at the Molten Twin Cities Cup. They've been competitive in qualifiers and tournaments at the Open level. Along with a rigorous competition schedule and the Gauntlet, they should be in a good place heading to Nationals this summer. They benefit from having big attackers from the pin like [player_tooltip player_id='135311' first='Reis' last='Baune'] and [player_tooltip player_id='107899' first='Avery' last='Jesewitz']. Middle Blocker [player_tooltip player_id='135316' first='Paige' last='Wagner'] is a difference-maker with the ability to score as well as be a dominant defensive presence. This group has a lot of players capable of providing big plays in big moments. Setter, [player_tooltip player_id='135310' first='Maddy' last='Dombeck'], has been a constant for this group and she knows how to move the ball quickly to create a lot of opportunities for her attackers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1531427623510884353","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true,"align":"center"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1531427623510884353 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northern Lights 16-1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This group is FIRE! They won the Open Division at the Show Me Qualifier and took an impressive 5th place finish at the Lone Star Classic in the Open Division. They have a roster full of highly competitive athletes and they are looking to making some noise this weekend. One of the keys to this squad are the dynamic attackers from the pins including [player_tooltip player_id='177426' first='Mia' last='Weaver'], [player_tooltip player_id='117880' first='Mesaiya' last='Bettis'], and [player_tooltip player_id='177421' first='Ava' last='Ball']. Middle play is no joke with this group either with the net patrolled by [player_tooltip player_id='283773' first='Carly' last='Slusser'] and [player_tooltip player_id='177424' first='Keira' last='Schmidt']. They are offensively dynamic and won't hesitate to terminate the overpass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1531038898129862656","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1531038898129862656 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northern Lights 16-2</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lights is deep in talent and that includes some dynamic players on the pins for this NL 16-2 crew. [player_tooltip player_id='229965' first='Elli' last='Tufto'], [player_tooltip player_id='285235' first='Hannah' last='Koester'], and [player_tooltip player_id='285238' first='Josie' last='Tingelhoff'] are all electric from either pin. [player_tooltip player_id='348407' first='Anna' last='O'Keefe'] is a highly improved setter that is making a name for herself heading into her junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1530611645646610432","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BreitNelson/status/1530611645646610432 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->