WI Top 250 Expo Preview: Orioles Flying Together
The Wisconsin Top 250 Expo is being held at the Milwaukee Sting Center on December 15th from 9:00 – 11:00. College Exposure: At Prep Dig, our mission is to be a platform for visibility for all of those athletes –…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Wisconsin Top 250 Expo is being held at the Milwaukee Sting Center on December 15th from 9:00 – 11:00.
College Exposure:
At Prep Dig, our mission is to be a platform for visibility for all of those athletes – college bound prospects at all levels. The Top 250 Expos embody that mission and bring it to life, giving prospects at all levels an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of local college coaches as well as our team of evaluators.
The Expo is not held during an NCAA live period, so Division 1 coaches are not allowed to attend. We have more than 100 colleges that have subscribed and as writers we are in contact with coaches about players.
2019 Recap
The Orioles, coached by Taylor Klinzing, went 23-14 on the season including a 7-2 record in the North Shore conference. That was good for 3rd only behind Slinger and the senior heavy West Bend Spartans. Hartford started the season on fire winning their own invitational and taking 2nd in the Germantown invite. Between those events they went the distance, losing in 5 to Slinger. Twelve days later they saw West Bend West overcome an 0-2 deficit to beat the Orioles in 5. The Spartans would go on to sweep the season series 3-0. Coach Klinzing loaded up their tournament schedule with quality wins throughout the year. This included a 5 set thriller against Germantown and splitting the season series 1-1 with OshKosh West who got the 5th seed in their Sectional compared to Hartford’s 8th.
The Future is Bright
It is a way too early prediction but look for Hartford to run away with the North Shore title in 2020. The Orioles only graduated 3 players while returning their top 4 offensive and defensive producers. Olivia Otto and Abigail Hoffmann are set to run the offense next season to replace their departing setter. With their surplus of swings, I will assume that they utilize both with a 6-2. Nine of these Orioles will be joining us for the Wisconsin Top 250, and here they are…
Abigail Hoffmann – Class of 2021 – 5’10” – Opposite/Setter – Milwaukee Sting 17 Silver
North Shore All-Conference Honorable Mention
Abigail was second on the team in assists and tied for 2nd in kills. She is your typical dual threat setter that coaches love to have on their roster. She has the height and length of a pin with the court awareness you expect from your quarterback of the offense. She has joined a talented 17 Silver team that won’t travel as much as other team but still give plenty of opportunities for college coaches to take notice.
Casey Miller – Class of 2021 – 5’4″ – DS/L
North Shore All-Conference Honorable Mention
Paige Rusniak – Class of 2021 – 5’10” – Outside/Opposite
Martina McGrath
Martina McGrath – Class of 2021 – 6’3″ – Middle/Opposite – Milwaukee Sting 17 White
North Shore All-Conference 2nd Team
Martina had a target on her every time she rotated back on the court. She finished tied for 2nd in kills with Abigail and led the team in total blocks with 102. An imposing force at the net is sure to draw the attention of college coaches in the ever so important Junior year. You could see Martina move over to the right side to utilize her huge block ag
ainst opponents top outsides. She will be a nightmare in the middle as she continues to increase her transition speed. Her length alone closes nearly every block and with the new performance training at Sting you will see her feet get pin to pin even quicker.
Olivia Otto – Class of 2021 – 5’5″ – Setter
Betsy Lepak – Class of 2021 – 5’10” – Outside/DS – Motion Volleyball Program 18 Blue
Betsy was slightly overlooked during her junior year. Playing opposite of Riley Hamilton will do that to you. However she had a very successful season finishing 4th in kills (154), 1st in aces (46), and had over 100 digs. As the season progressed her aggressive serve was a big difference maker in some big match ups. Playing for MVP 18 Blue will push her a little out of her comfort zone going up against teams filled with college commitments. I look forward to seeing her weekly progression as my team shares a practice space once a week. Keep an eye on Betsy to make a big jump into her season year.