Impact Middles from Top 250 Expo: Minnesota Session 1

<p>Session 1 refers to the morning session of the Top 250 Expo in Minnesota where all the freshmen and sophomores came and showed us what they can do. Let's take a look at these special athletes and what individual talents they have to offer.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/IMG_2913.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-492421" style="width:168px;height:auto" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='396876' first='Lauren' last='Bunge']</h2>   <p>Bunge is a 6'1" middle hitter from the freshman class at East Ridge High School. Bunge is a great blocker and always turns her hands in so the ball she blocks falls in bounds on the opponent's court. She is very athletic with a long reach and can jump up on the ball and hit it to the ground at a tough angle to defend. Impressive athlete!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Aliza Carvell</h2>   <p>Carvell is a 5'11" freshman middle hitter from Eastview High School. Carvell has a great vertical and follow-through on her hits. She has a very impactful swing and great court awareness. She is a power hitter with extreme accuracy when hitting for the back line.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/05/NL141-Taylor-Hagedorn-2-crop-4800x3152-1702937190.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-492195" style="width:202px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='396880' first='Taylor' last='Hagedorn'], MH from Farmington High School, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='396880' first='Taylor' last='Hagedorn']</h2>   <p>Hagedorn is a 5'11" middle hitter from the freshman class at Farmington High School. Hagedorn is long, lean, and athletic. She is a quick-moving athlete on the court and other players have difficulty keeping up with her. She makes smart decisions at the net and has a light touch to roll the ball or a heavy hammer when she hits.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Natalia Singer</h2>   <p>Singer is a 5'11" middle hitter from the freshman class at Lakeville North High School. Singer is a power hitter and blocker all the way. She is fast getting a hard block or hit up at the net when needed. She is smart with her timing and a point-maker on the court.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='447958' first='Jade' last='Dierkhising']</h2>   <p>Dierkhising is a 5'9" sophomore middle hitter from Spring Lake Park High School. Dierkhising is a middle that has a ton of athleticism and versatility. She has a great vertical and can get the touch from the opponent's block or by hitting the back-row defenders to get a touch. She is a smart athlete that I wouldn't want to face across the net.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kaelyn Greenly</h2>   <p>Greenly is a 5'11" sophomore middle hitter from Cherry High School. Greenly has a hammer for an arm. She is either blocking, hitting, or popping up a blocked ball for another hitter. She is really effective in the front row but also has a good platform and serves.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/IMG_2911.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-492422" style="width:172px;height:auto" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='308370' first='Brielle' last='Janssen']</h2>   <p>Janssen is a 6'1" sophomore middle hitter from [program_tooltip program_id='430438' first='Maccray' last=''] High School. When Janssen starts to move on the court, you can tell she is a special athlete with great skills. She is strong, fast, and jumps big with a perfect swing. She is a phenomenal player and I cannot wait to watch her develop over her high school career.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Presley Krahn</h2>   <p>Krahn is a 5'11" sophomore middle hitter from St. Croix Preparatory Academic High School. Krahn was noted for making playing middle look easy at the expo, even though we all know it is not. She is a strong and graceful athlete and a joy to watch on the court. She has a great vertical, powerful swing, and great placement.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/IMG_2912.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-492423" style="width:196px;height:auto" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='364704' first='Hailey' last='Laffond']</h2>   <p>Laffond is a 6'1" middle hitter from Eden Prairie High School's sophomore class. Laffond is such a quick-moving hitter and blocker. She has a great vertical, reach, and is a fantastic blocker. She is very hard to defend because she can climb right up on the ball and hit nearly impossible degrees to the ground. She is fun to watch and enjoys the game. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wendi Peterson</h2>   <p>Peterson is a 6' sophomore middle hitter from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. Peterson is a hard-hitting and blocking machine. She has a lot of strength behind her hits and does not back down from a fight at the net. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Audrey Rydell</h2>   <p>Rydell is a 6'1" middle hitter from Fargo North High School's sophomore class. Rydell does great with the slide attack and is really good at moving to the ball. She jumps really well and hits very hard. She was truly one of my favorite picks at middle at the expo. She has so much speed and athleticism on display and seems like a very difficult opponent to play against.</p>

Session 1 refers to the morning session of the Top 250 Expo in Minnesota where all the freshmen and sophomores came and showed us what they can do. Let's take a look at these special athletes and what individual talents they have to offer.