Who Did We Find In 2019? – Part 6
The end is in sight, but this isn’t it. Here is a group of teams that are located in Central and western Wisconsin. Some teams I saw just once, and others I saw a few times. After seeing teams from all over the…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe end is in sight, but this isn’t it. Here is a group of teams that are located in Central and western Wisconsin. Some teams I saw just once, and others I saw a few times. After seeing teams from all over the state, I wanted to write a series on an awesome group of athletes who have made their way onto our radar since August. Here’s Part 5!
Northland Pines (28-10)
The Eagles were led by Northern Michigan commit, Jacqueline Smith Jacqueline Smith 5'11" | OH Northland Piines | 2020 State WI , but a new name that caught my attention was McKenzie Parnewicz (2021 – Outside Hitter). She sees the court well and is a smart attacker. Parnewicz can tip or hit deep line, roll it right off the blockers fingertips, and tools the block.
Columbus Catholic (28-11)
Columbus Catholic has been on the rise the past 5 seasons. They will return a pair of leaders that were new on our radar this season, including Emmalee Jacinsky (2021 – Middle Blocker) and Meghan Kibbel (2021 – 5’6 – Setter). Jacinsky is really good at winning the joust, swings high to hit off the blocker’s hands and she works the end line extremely well. Kibbel hustles and gets her feet to the ball. She has nice hands and a well-timed setter dump.
Prairie Farm (12-12)
Not many have heard of Prairie Farm, but they were competitive with some tough teams this year. A key to that was Mikaylin Christenson (2021 – Middle Blocker). She elevates, has a high contact point, and a fast swing. Christenson sees the block really well and gets great positioning.
Wausau East (12-16)
East will graduate Gabby Braatz (2020 – 5’6 – Setter), who can set against the flow from anywhere on the court. There is a bright future with Makenzie Gale (2022 – Outside Hitter), who takes a nice approach, high contact, and solid swing. She will make a strong 6-rotation outside since she is a solid passer as well.
Prentice (29-8)
Prentice competes in the tough Marawood conference, as well as some solid tournaments with a variety of competition through their season. Their go-to should not be a NEW name at all, but she is the biggest swing for the Buccaneers. Olivia Burcaw Olivia Burcaw OH Prentice | 2021 State WI (2021 – Outside Hitter) will absolutely crush the ball in the absence of a block.
Auburndale (29-10)
Auburndale wasn’t on anyone’s radar going into 2019, but I got a glimpse in summer league and I knew they would be a force to reckon with. The Apaches run a 5-1 around a talented Georgi Schmutzer (2021 – Setter). She has great movement, gets her feet to the ball, and has nice hands. Schmutzer does a nice job with a tight pass, plays solid defense, times her tips, and her set placement gives her hitters a lot of opportunities.
Auburndale will graduate a majority of their hitters, including Isabelle Hilber (2020 – Pin Hitter), who powers through the block and finds the deep corners and line. Katie Helminiak (2020 – Outside Hitter) sees the block well and hits around it, finding the inside shot, the deep line corner, or hitting high off the blocker’s hands. Kendra Zieher (2020 – Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter) sees the block, works angles, and finds a way through the block.
Maggie Willfahrt (2020 – Defensive Specialist/Outside Hitter) stepped up in a big way when the Apaches needed it. She normally plays a defensive role, not letting the ball touch the floor, but she was asked to step in as an outside, and she did not disappoint. Willfahrt makes really smart shots and powers through the block. Natalie Aue (2020 – Middle Blocker) is not only a powerful swing, but a big physical block. Schmutzer may not have a ton of attackers left for 2020, but she will be able to count on Madison Krings (2021 – Libero) who has nice controlled digs off the net, takes pace off a hard hit, and has a really wicked float serve.
St. Croix Central (21-18)
I saw some big hitters in August at the Menomonie Sprawl, and the Panthers had a new one as well. Olivia Cleary (2021 – 6’0 – Middle Blocker) has a nice high contact and snap as an attacker. On defense, she protects the net and shuts down anything that gets close.