8 Young And Under The Radar Defensive Standouts
During the month of February, I was able to see a pretty decent number of teams while attending the Badger Region Power League at the Milwaukee Sting Center and the Adidas President’s Day Spectacular in the Wisconsin Dells area. Add to…
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Continue ReadingDuring the month of February, I was able to see a pretty decent number of teams while attending the Badger Region Power League at the Milwaukee Sting Center and the Adidas President’s Day Spectacular in the Wisconsin Dells area. Add to those The Mizuno Showcase and the first weekend of Badger Region Championships in March, and you could say I’ve seen quite a few teams play. One of my personal favorite things to see is a high energy, hard-working, hustling, never-say-die, defensive player. There is nothing like a huge defensive dig or save to infuse energy, momentum, and some extra drive into your team. I wanted to give a shout out to some top defensive players that caught my attention from those 4 tournaments.
Elise Gillen Elise Gillen 5'9" | S Slinger | 2022 State WI – 2022 – Setter/Pin Hitter – Slinger – Wisconsin Premier 15 Teal
Gillen was super quick on defense and frustrating for teams that like to gun for the setter on defense. She also had nice soft hands and a quick release. She was smooth-moving and a smart distributor.
Ellie Kline – 2022 – Libero – Holmen – Vhawk Xtreme 17 Adidas
Kline is a super hustler. I first took notice of her when I was spectating, and she almost crashed into me trying to play a ball. LOVE that! She also does a great job holding her own while playing up 2 age levels.
Jadyn Mueller – 2021 – 5’6 – Libero – Maple Grove (MN) – Crossfire MN 16-2
Mueller displayed endless pursuit of the ball. She sacrificed her body running into walls, between benches, and doing whatever it took to keep the ball in play. Mueller truly embodies the defense mentality and kept her team in so many rallies.
Kady Stigler Kady Stigler 5'7" | DS/L Menomonee Falls | 2021 State WI – 2021 – 5’7 – Libero – Menomonee Falls – Wisconsin Premiere 16 Teal
Stigler is frustrating for her opponents. Not only is she super solid in serve-receive (seriously, just don’t even try her), but she is literally everywhere. Stigler covers so much court while playing left back that she probably takes 80% of the middle back’s balls and 75% of the right back’s balls as well.
Karlie Goschen – 2020 – Libero/Setter – Fargo North (ND) – Midwest Premiere 17s
Goshen is a super scrappy libero for Premiere. She is a kamikaze back row player and is solid in serve-receive, as well as a strong communicator. It doesn’t take teams long to learn not to even try hitting in her direction.
Makenzie Coplan Makenzie Coplan 5'10" | OH Cambridge-Isanti | 2022 State MN – 2022 – 5’8 – Outside Hitter – Cambridge-Isanti (MN) – MVA 16 Elite
There were a couple things about Coplan that impressed me. 1st – She is playing up an age level and standing out as one of the tops on her team. 2nd – Coplan protects the line really well on defense with solid controlled digs.
Monica LaFleur – 2021 – 6’3 – Middle Blocker – Arrowhead – Milwaukee Sting 16 White
So what is LaFleur doing amongst all these scrappy liberos and wing defenders? One word – “Block”. A better word might be “Wall”. LaFleur reads well and moves quick laterally, and she has such a high reach. She creates a lot of issues for opposing hitters.
Rachel Rossing Rachel Rossing 5'9" | S Lake Country Lutheran | 2023 State WI – 2023 – Setter – Lake Country Lutheran – Milwaukee Sting 14 Black
We typically don’t cover a lot of 14’s, but Sting 14 Black was competing in the 16/15 Premier Division at the Adidas President’s Day Spectacular, and Rossing caught my eye right away. She reads extremely well and has a smooth release. She makes smart choices, accurate distribution, and she is a strong little defender. So impressive at that age and competing against much older kids!