2022 Uncommitted Prospects That Impressed At Triple Crown.
Triple Crown is the toughest tournament in the country. If athletes don’t perform, the scoreboard flips pretty quickly for the other side. Illinois athletes had an impressive showing all around, but the Class of 2022 definitely caught the eye of plenty of college coaches from across the country, playing in plenty of big matches, and performing at a high level. Here are just a few of plenty standout performances for uncommitted Class of 2022 Illinois athletes at Triple Crown.
Rachel Scott – VC United 161 Elite
Scott stands at 6’2, but has a dynamic style of play with her ability to attack in multiple ways from the right side. Plenty of strength at the net makes her a really tough matchup for an outside hitter. She can play high, put up a big block, score points, and defend in the backrow as well. Her progression will be fun to watch and college coaches will definitely take notice.
Valerie Nutakor Valerie Nutakor RS St. Teresa | 2022 State IL – Illini Elite 16 Cardinal
Just electric, Nutakor can swing from either pin and has a blend of power and finesse with her swing, an exciting athlete to watch. How Nutakor plays really sums up Illini Elite 16 Cardinal in general where they are a blend of athletes who can play multiple positions. Nutakor can play six rotations and swings from both sides. This takes more than just pure athleticism, but strong training to be able to adjust to different spots and have it be done well.
Erdmann of VC United
Kara Erdmann – VC United 161 Elite
Before mentioning any skills for Erdmann, she has all the intangibles you need in a libero. She’s got some grit, positive body language, and has a significant presence on the court. Erdmann is extremely solid in serve receive with how she can control her platform which translates to her defensive play as well. 161 Elite was in a key crossover match against AVC out of Cleveland and took one of the top programs in the country to the fire. This team will be fun to see compete at the Showcase in the Dells in just over a week.
Kenna Wollard – Illini Elite 16 Cardinal (Class of 2023)
I’m breaking my rule for this article and writing about a Class of 2023 prospect, which dang – she controls the net! A really physical athlete who brings a lot of power and has such a presence along the front line. I was right at the net and to see her play high and be able to turn a really hard swing back in the court really takes skill and strength. Illini Elite fell just short against a talented Legacy squad out of Detroit. I would love to see a matchup between Illini Elite 16 Cardinal and VC United 161 Elite at the Showcase in the Dells, both teams are so athletic and well rounded.
Sky High celebrating a kill.
Rylen Reid Rylen Reid 6'0" | OH Fremd | 2022 State #128 Nation IL – Sky High 16 Adidas
Huge swing from the outside. Reid is a big time point scorer for Sky High 16 Adidas who advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Elite division in KC. Reid also has some swag to her game where her celebrations will get her team pumped after a booming kill. This is a gritty group, which the more I see any Sky High team play, that just seems to be the norm. I really entertaining group to see compete.
Riann Baker – Sky High 16 Adidas
Just solid, Baker is one of those players who just makes everything run the way it is supposed to be. I would compare her to a point guard in basketball where she doesn’t necessarily look to score herself, but she is going to put her teammates in a place where they can be successful. With WCPL coming up this weekend, look for 16 Adidas to compete and gain momentum into qualifiers in March and April.
Rachel Rossman – Epic United 16 Elite Rox
So they meet again. Epic just found a way to win, but really based on their resume so far this year they definitely have beaten some big time teams. They defeated Sunshine 16 Westside out of the Santa Monica/West L.A. area to advanced to the top 32 where they had a familiar opponent in 1st Alliance 16 Silver which 1st Alliance would take the match as well. To make it this far in this tournament is quite an accomplishment. Rossman is a setter for this team and obviously with a setter you are always looking to see what they can do with the ball in distributing to the hitters. Rossman is on point, but she also does everything else on the court extremely well. She plays tough defense, she even knows when its time to score herself, she just keeps the other side of the net on their toes.
Jordan Walker Jordan Walker RS Whitney Young | 2022 State IL – 1st Alliance 16 Silver 1st Alliance is all around athletic with players who are extremely dynamic with what they can do. This squad finished in the elite eight, losing to eventual champion Club Ignit Select out of Iowa in the quarterfinals. One athlete who just really can do a lot of things well is Jordan Walker Jordan Walker RS Whitney Young | 2022 State IL . Walker is the type of attacker where you can set her anywhere and she is going to approach aggressively and put a hurt on the ball. That type of demeanor is definitely something you want on your side of the net in someone who is physical and aggressive finding a way to score points.