Top Players Going Beyond State Lines For Club Volleyball
When it comes to club volleyball there are no boundaries as far as where you play, it doesn’t even have to be your own state. With many athletes looking for the best opportunity for their club volleyball, it might actually…
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Continue ReadingWhen it comes to club volleyball there are no boundaries as far as where you play, it doesn’t even have to be your own state. With many athletes looking for the best opportunity for their club volleyball, it might actually be closer for them to play across state lines. Between Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois there are plenty of athletes going across borders and making a huge impact for their club and then coming back to their high school in the Fall to find success as well. Here are a few noteworthy clubs with players that come together from different states.
Kokoro Volleyball – North St. Paul, MN
This up and coming club has quite the flavor of Wisconsin involved. Plenty of the River Falls athletes, who recently finished second in the state in 2017 are playing for Kokoro. Some of the River Falls athletes include Izzy Barr (Augsburg commit), Marissa Stockman (Illinois State commit), and Elise Banitt. The 16s for Kokoro feature Emily Banitt and Halle Olson who will be looking to continue the dominance of River Falls volleyball this upcoming season as Juniors, not to mention Anna Wolf from the Kokoro 15s who has already committed to playing at Minnesota Others who play for Kokoro from Wisconsin are MacKenzie Kummer of Ellsworth, Katie Mattson of Luck, Jenna McNally of Grantsburg, and Abigail Widiker of St. Croix Central. The ability for the athletes of Western Wisconsin to go play in the Twin Cities has greatly improved the level of volleyball on this side of the state, making state tournaments, and competing for state titles which was predominately ruled by schools out of the Milwaukee area.
V-Hawk Xtreme – La Crosse, WI
Viterbo has one of the top NAIA volleyball programs in the nation and the ties between Viterbo and V-Hawk have been great for both sides. V-Hawk has produced some top talent from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Located in La Crosse, WI they have the draw from the La Crosse area and the Southwest part of Wisconsin as well as Winona to Rochester and the bluffs of Southeast Minnesota. Mari Crowley of Cotter High School in Winona has been a standout defensive player for V-Hawk reaching over 1000 digs in her high school career. Mariah Edgington of Spring Grove, MN is a D2 verbal for the Class of 2019 to Minnesota State. Madisyn Heaney of Caledonia will be heading to D2 powerhouse in Southwest Minnesota State next Fall. Heaney’s high school teammate, Adrianna Reinhart will stay close and play at Viterbo. In the upcoming classes there is plenty of talent from Minnesota playing in La Crosse with Lydia Lange, a Class of 2020 MB/OH who plays extremely high and is a Division 1/high Division 2 prospect. Grace Rohde is from the Class of 2020, playing for Hope Lutheran High School in Winona and made the High Performance Camp for the Badger Region in July at UW-Green Bay. The talent pool is deep and has been a huge benefit for the V-Hawks of Viterbo.
Selena Levendoski – Clayton, WI – MN Select
MN Select is always a powerhouse out of the Twin Cities with alums that are scattered across the Big Ten. Selena Levendoski plays for Clayton (WI) and was a All State selection last Fall as well as winning a state title plays is on the MN Select 17-1’s team. MN Select 17-1 currently has athletes committed to Wingate, Northern Iowa, and North Dakota State. Levendoski plays middle blocker opposite of Sami Hilley, the younger sister of Wisconsin setter Sydney Hilley. The Twin Cities Metro area has some of the top volleyball in the country, and the state of Minnesota has some of the top Division 2 schools in the country as well. The competition week in and week out is some of the best you will find in the Molten Series which is comparable to the Great Lakes Power League in Aurora, featuring the top clubs in the Twin Cities area.
Alyssa Eske – Milwaukee King
Kennedy Muff – Westosha Central
Kampbell Hehr – Big Foot
Sky High Volleyball Club – Crystal Lake, IL
For athletes in Southern Wisconsin there are plenty of options for club volleyball. Going to play for an Illinois club is one and may even be closer for some than playing in Milwaukee. Sky High is a highly competitive club out of Crystal Lake, IL which is about 75 miles from Milwaukee. Alyssa Eske is a libero/ds from Milwaukee King and has committed to play at the University of Illinois. Kennedy Muff is a setter from Westosha Central that has committed to play for Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida along the Atlantic Ocean. Kampbell Hehr is a setter from Big Foot that has committed to play for Georgia State. All three of these athletes have an extremely strong beach game, some of the top beach players in the state which Georgia State and Flagler both offer.
Tayler Alden and Elle Shult – Oconomowoc High School – VC United (Rockford, IL)
Alden and Shult will be a pivotal part of Oconomowoc High School’s return to the state tournament this Fall. Alden, a Class of 2020 top prospect as a setter recently gave her verbal commitment to the University of Northern Iowa, a volleyball rich university that makes it a tradition of competing in the NCAA tournament year in and year out. Shult, a middle blocker also has high caliber college potential. The two are playing for the VC United 18 Elite team which is comprised of mostly players from the Class of 2019 and 2020. This new club out of Rockford, Illinois is on the rise and growing after just being established this year. If this crew sticks together for another year of 18s they will a powerhouse to compete with at the regional and national level. Alden and Shult have received excellent training as well as a trip to China to play against clubs/schools over there (and some sight seeing as well). Lahni Palmer and Greer Lettenberger of Big Foot are on the Elite teams for VC United as well.