Middles Taking on the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo This Weekend
In order to succeed, middles need speed, power, and an ability to read the other team. It is a tough job and having a great middle can take a team from good to great. We have some of the best…
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Continue ReadingIn order to succeed, middles need speed, power, and an ability to read the other team. It is a tough job and having a great middle can take a team from good to great. We have some of the best middles in the state playing in the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo this weekend as well as some young freshman and sophomores just coming onto our radar. All are dedicated athletes with a passion for volleyball and the skills to back it up!
Kaitlyn Coisman, Class of 2020, De Pere High School
Kaitlyn will playing up a year on on FC elite 18’s team. She was a starting middle for her high school team and had 156 kills and 109 blocks during the season. Kaitlyn has a strong presence at the net and is a great offensive asset on any team.
Sarah Mattes, Class of 2020, Greendale High School, Prep Dig Rank #40
Sarah was a captain on her high school team as a junior. 2018 was her third season on varsity and her growth as an athlete and a leader has been truly amazing. She is also an extremely efficient and effective player with 265 kills on 514 attempts and only 55 errors for the entire season. Her hitting percentage was an amazing 0.409. Sarah is an all around great athlete.
Katie Pogodzinski, Class of 2020, Pius XI, Prep Dig Rank #112
Katie’s sheer athleticism and reliability made her the go to middle for the Pius XI Popes this season. She is quick and can read the court extremely well.
Lily Steinbach, Class of 2020, University School of Milwaukee
Lily has been a varsity player since her freshman year. She is a dynamic middle who is not only a great middle blocker and hitter, but can serve well as well. She had 43 aces throughout the season on top of 156 kills (0.335 hitting percentage) and 65 blocks.
Linnea Svennes, Class of 2020, Newman High School
In her third year on varsity, Linnea really developed into a leader both as an athlete and an individual. On the court, she was a powerhouse on both offense and defense, clocking in 351 kills and 103 blocks. 72 of those blocks were solo. She is a dynamic middle blocker with a lot of raw talent.
Maggie Allaman, Class of 2021, Sun Prairie High School
Even though she is only a sophomore, Maggie made waves as a varsity athlete. She had 117 kills, 9 of which were during the state quarterfinal match against Oconomowoc. Maggie showed grit and determination throughout the season and will only continue to grow. She also contributed 72 blocks helping lead her team to a 15-0 conference record.
Tatum Catalano, Class of 2021, Germantown, Prep Dig Rank #6
This young athlete certainly has made waves, even though she is only a sophomore. She already has 423 kills, 83 aces, 211 digs, 725 service receptions, and 90 blocks to her name. This fierce and powerful athlete has an amazing future in volleyball ahead of her.
Elizabeth Danelski, Class of 2021, Oconomowoc
Oconomowoc was the Division I State Runner Up this year, not a small feat. And though Elizabeth only played 26 sets this season, she made the most of every single one. She had 14 kills and 12 blocks. This young athlete is sure to become the go to middle for the Raccoons in future years.
Natalie Johanknecht, Class of 2021, Oshkosh West, Prep Dig Rank #23
Two years in high school. Two years as a varsity volleyball player. Even as a freshman Natalie saw significant playing time, seeing the court in 76 sets and bringing in 117 kills. This year, as a sophomore, she had 169 kills, 46 aces, and 80 blocks. We only expect her impact that she has had on her team to continue growing.
Maia Johnson, Class of 2021, James Madison Memorial, Prep Dig Rank #47
Maia is a young athlete with a lot of potential. She started her varsity career in 2018 and had 59 blocks and 152 kills. Maia has a top 50 rank from Prep Dig in her class and is a versatile athlete with a lot to offer.
Monica LaFleur, Class of 2021, Arrowhead, Prep Dig Rank #77
This 6’3” middle dreams big and works hard to achieve those dreams, both in athletics and academics. Her team made it to the Division I State Tournament in 2018 and she continues to grow every time she steps on the court.
Martina McGrath, Class of 2021, Hartford Union
Martina is what we consider as a hidden gem. She might not have gotten a lot of press this year, but she should! Her grit and determination gives her amazing potential both for the rest of her high school career and in the future at a college level.
Delaney Ruhland, Class of 2021, Cary-Grove
While we don’t have a lot of volleyball history regarding Delaney, we can tell you this, she is traveling up from Illinois to play in the Expo. If that doesn’t show dedication, we don’t know what does!
Julianna Schmidt, Class of 2021, Brookfield Central
This Brookfield Central Sophomore learns fast and works hard. She reads the net well and continues to grow as a leader and an athlete every time she steps on the court.
Randi Wellhoefer, Class of 2021, Oshkosh West, Prep Dig Rank #75
Randi was one of only six sophomores to receive Fox Valley Association All Conference Honors. She received honorable mention in the FVA for her 205 kills and 82 blocks throughout the season.
Alayna Westenberg, Class of 2021, Watertown
Alayna is a talented athlete who can play across the net. She made the varsity team as a freshman last year and truly started to come into her own this year with 238 kills and 42 blocks. Her ability to play both middle and right side makes her versatile on any team she plays on.
Morgan Daugherty, Class of 2022, Brookfield Central, Prep Dig Class of 2022 Watch List
Morgan made the Brookfield Central varsity team her freshman year and earned playing time, quite the feat for a school with such a deep pool of athletes to choose from. She played in 115 sets and contributed 125 kills and 64 blocks throughout the season.
Haley Koch, Class of 2022, Oconomowoc, Prep Dig Class of 2022 Watch List
Haley wasted no time making a name for herself coming in as a freshman this year. She was a starting middle for the Raccoons, the Division I State Runner Up in 2018. She brought in 139 kills and 82 blocks. This 5’11 middle is definitely one to watch at the Expo this weekend.
Berkley Mischler, Class of 2022, Appleton North, Prep Dig Class of 2022 Watch List
Berkley was on the Badger High Performance training team this past year and made her varsity volleyball team as a freshman. She averaged 1.2 kills and 0.7 blocks per set. Even though she didn’t get in every set, when she did, she worked hard and made plays.
Abby Savatsi, Class of 2022, Mukwonago
Abby goes to school in an extremely competitive district, especially in volleyball. She works hard and learns a lot. This young athlete is brimming with potential.
Middle blockers are dynamic athletes that tend to develop in leaps and bounds as they spend more and more time on the court, reading other teams and exploding with quickness. This group of talented athletes will be amazing to watch at the Expo this weekend and throughout their volleyball careers.