Stars of the North - Top Minnesota Players At NLQ

The Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier brings some of the top talent in the country, and some of that top talent tends to be local. In every division, there is talent and its a matter of finding it. After walking through 40 plus courts at the Minneapolis Convention Center this past weekend, there was plenty of “Stars” from Minnesota that were showcasing their skills to some of the top college programs as well. Take a look at some of the top athletes from NLQ. Olivia Tjernagel - [program_tooltip program_id='430406' first='High' last='Voltage'] 17-1 - Mayer Lutheran - Class of 2020 Committed To Northern Iowa <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <a href="https://x.com/otarnail?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@otarnail</a> getting use to the purple and black she will be wearing at <a href="https://x.com/UNIVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNIVolleyball</a> playing for <a href="https://x.com/HVVC_MN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HVVC_MN</a> 17-1 <a href="https://t.co/zAYMJFi6Jw">pic.x.com/zAYMJFi6Jw</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1121833690986893312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2019</a></blockquote> Tjernagel is so smooth with whatever she does, making it look easy. Her ability to play well above the net sets her apart from the rest. A multisport athlete for Mayer Lutheran, she will be looking to lead the Crusaders back to the top spot in Class A. Following her high school career she will be heading to one of the top programs in the Missouri Valley Conference, joining other Minnesota prep players Emma Schmidt of Champlin Park and Maizy Jackson of BSM. Lauren Crowl - Northern Lights 16-1 - Eastview - Class of 2021 Crowl is extremely strong on the right side. Not to mention left handed, physical, and athletic. She is a matchup nightmare for outsides where she can shut them down with her blocking alone. With a powerful left handed swing she brings a different scoring dimension to the court that is tough to stop. Erin Lamb - Northern Lights 16-1 - Stewartville - Class of 2021 To say that Lamb is springy would be an understatement. Her athleticism sets her apart from others in her class. Touching ten feet and extremely active along the net as a middle blocker puts her in an elite category of the Class of 2021. She can get to the pin to close the block and when you combine her and Crowl it makes for a tough block to get around. Lamb is also a top basketball player in SE Minnesota. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Lilly Wachholz of <a href="https://x.com/HVVC_MN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HVVC_MN</a> - Class of 2022 pin. <a href="https://t.co/sbLyxN5PGw">pic.x.com/sbLyxN5PGw</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1121836388046053379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2019</a></blockquote> Lilly Wachholz - [program_tooltip program_id='430406' first='High' last='Voltage'] 17-1 - Mayer Lutheran - Class of 2022 One of the top 2022 prospects that people haven't heard about...yet. Wachholz is a 6'2 pin hitter that has a major upside to her game and the potential to be one of the top small school players to come out of Minnesota. That's still three years away and plenty of time for Wachholz to write her legacy. A high contact point and plenty of power behind her swing, she can power the top of the block or put it down with authority. She will be teaming up with Tjernagel as well as her sister Anna Wachholz to take Mayer Lutheran back to the top. Chudear Tut - Club 43 18-1 National - Hopkins - Class of 2020 Committed To Coppin State Tut is quite the force for Club 43 who swept the 18 Elite Division at Northern Lights. The Senior to be at Hopkins High School has already committed to Coppin State, a Division 1 school in Baltimore. A middle blocker who is very quick laterally and a powerful swing, Tut finds way to score, she is also ones that is always talking on the court and on the bench - a definite go to in every way. Sophie Jesewitz - MN Select 16-1 - Wayzata - Class of 2021 [caption id="attachment_44011" align="alignright" width="353"] Jesewitz in maroon ready to serve receive[/caption] At 6'3 and touching over 10 feet, there is much more to Jesewitz's game than just being tall and athletic. Each time I've seen her play starting from the high school season she is constantly improving her game. She can play on either pin, has really improved her serve receive and is now mixing up shots to find different ways to score. Her high school team at Wayzata will be an early favorite to get to the X in a loaded sectional, but will have plenty of experience and talent to give them a chance. Lauren Galvin - Northern Lights 16-1 - East Ridge - Class of 2021 Galvin caught my eye when she started out the match against Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold completely on fire. The high flying outside from East Ridge was scoring points and making it look easy against another top team who has qualified for Open for USA Nationals. Galvin has a strong all around skill set as well as the ability to terminate on the left side. Natalee Rolbiecki - SWMNVB 17-1 - Minneota - Class of 2022 One of the top athletes in the Class of 2022, Rolbiecki was a starting outside hitter for Minneota who bulldozed their way to a state championship. Rolbiecki is playing two age levels up and didn't seem to skip a beat, her athleticism alone is what keeps her in the match as she is so versatile in how she can score points.