Minnesota Standouts At JVA Jamboree
Minnesota brought plenty of clubs across Wisconsin to compete in the JVA Jamboree held at the Wisconsin Center Downtown Milwaukee against some of the top clubs in Wisconsin as well as others from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Crossfire, Minnesota Volleyball Academy, MN Select, Vital Volleyball , and Club 43 were a few who made the trek on I94 Southeast to the shores of Lake Michigan. Here are a few that really made an impact for their team and across the whole tournament.
Jordan Stalpes – MN Select 17-1 – Outside Hitter (Title Photo)
Class of 2020
I haven’t seen Stalpes play since the state tournament, where she finished on the all tournament team and was part of the state championship team for Champlin Park. Whenever I’ve seen her play it’s usually from way up in the stands and seeing her up close on the sport court I didn’t realize how high her attack and contact point is. She really uses that to her advantage where she has a variety of shots. She can hit for power, use her finesse to roll, hammer down the line, and use the block. She can flat out score points and she’s creative with how she does it. She knows how to win, comes from high school and club programs who win, and would be a solid get at the next level with her all around game.
Both teams just getting after it in the middle @stingvb1988 and @crossfirevbmn – in set 3 pic.twitter.com/Y47XjakfXq
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 2, 2019
Elise Rossing – Crossfire 16-1 – Right Side
Kiya Durant – Crossfire 16-1 – Middle Blocker
Class of 2021
The combination of these two athletes at the net make for a huge block going up against the opposing teams top outside. Rossing stands at 6’0 tall as does Durant, the two of them combined are extremely strong and work well with each other in setting and sealing the block. Durant is very offensive where she has a quick whip for a swing and can find a way to score points just by being aggressive. In a key match against Milwaukee Sting 16 White, they face three players who were 6’2, 6’2, and 6’3. They completely neutralized the height of Sting and gritted out a three set win against a really high quality opponent.
Weidemann to Gray. @MNSelect taking control of set two. pic.twitter.com/HPtihflPfW
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) February 3, 2019
Skylar Gray – MN Select 16-1 – Outside Hitter
Class of 2021
Gray is well known as a Class of 2021 pin who will be heading to the Gophers after graduation, but it was hard not to notice the impact she had on the court not just from a point scoring point of view, but the intensity and fire she plays with. In the championship match against FC Elite, whether it was a block or a kill, Gray was just trying to find a way to will her team to a victory. She plays the part, she has great body language, and will do what it takes to put her team ahead.
Claudia Stahlke – Vital Volleyball 17-1 Gold – Middle Blocker
Class of 2020
Stahlke had a really solid all around tournament offensively and defensively. The 17s division this past weekend was wide open, with FC Elite out of the Appleton, Wisconsin area finishing second in their pool to come back and win the championship. Vital Volleyball lost to FC Elite in a close three set battle in the semifinals, which safe to say Vital Volleyball was one of the top 17s teams there. As for Stahlke she was very aggressive pin to pin causing hitters to alter their shot and get some stuff blocks as well. Offensively she is always a weapon that blockers have to respect creating favorable matchups for the outside hitters as well as scoring on her own.
Claire Segner – Vital Volleyball 17-1 Gold – Libero
Class of 2020
Just smooth. Segner really knows how to command the backrow behind efficient movements and being able to anticipate to be in the right spot at the right time. Really solid on serve receive, Vital Volleyball is lethal when they are in system and Segner is a big part of getting them going with a solid first contact.
Allyson Treichel – Minnesota Volleyball Academy 16 Elite – Middle Blocker
Class of 2021
MVA has quite the combo with 6’3 middle blocker, Nicole Post, but opposite of post is Allyson Treichel who has a completely different and still effective style as opposed to Post. Treichel is extremely strong and physical at the net and moves very quickly from pin to pin. An up tempo set to Treichel doesn’t take much time to get to the ground with her quick whip of an arm. She is also very athletic and dynamic allowing her to do multiple things in the front row from the quick tempo to a variety of sets in order to score. MVA is well known for their gritty defense, but with this 16s team they can really score points in a hurry with a lot of big swings.
Olivia Johnson – MN Select 17-1 – Setter
Class of 2020
The Johnson to Stalpes connection is usually money in the bank. Johnson can put a ball up that looks like a big beach ball to the hitters that can just be crushed. With strong attackers to distribute to in Stalpes, Halle Olson (Florida Atlantic), and Elizabeth Helmich (James Madison) to just name a few she knows how to run a high powered offense. At 5’10, Johnson can run a 5-1 and is tough to read when she is neutral. Great hands, efficient movement, and knows how to command the offense makes for quite the pick up at the next level.