Part 2 – A Deep Dive Into the Class of 2020 for the MVC
The Midwest is a battleground for the Missouri Valley Conference which has traditionally been a multi-bid lead with Northern Iowa and Illinois State most recently being some of the tops in the conference. These schools recruit hard locally, keeping the…
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Continue ReadingThe Midwest is a battleground for the Missouri Valley Conference which has traditionally been a multi-bid lead with Northern Iowa and Illinois State most recently being some of the tops in the conference. These schools recruit hard locally, keeping the top athletes close to home. So what 2020 athletes are heading to the MVC and who is bringing in top classes. I have seen many of these athletes play live during their high school and club careers and I know many of them will have great success at the next level. How did I gather this information? RichKern.com is a great resource for finding information on committed athletes as well as the volleyball websites of all of these schools. I know in the world of recruiting and the second semester of the school year always has a few curveballs. If there is an addition or edit that needs to be made, contact Chris Fitzgerald at chris@prepdig.com
Part 1 – A Deep Dive Into the Class of 2020 Recruiting Classes for the MVC
Northern Iowa
Olivia Tjernagel Olivia Tjernagel 6'2" | OH Mayer Lutheran | 2020 State MN – Mayer Lutheran HS (MN) – Synergy (Title Photo #8)
Megan Witte Megan Witte OH Council Bluffs Lewis Central | 2020 State IA – Council Bluffs Lewis Central (IA)
Tayler Alden Tayler Alden 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2020 State WI – Oconcomowoc (WI) – VC United
UNI continues to build and then build some more to an already historic program that is always one of the tops in the Valley and makes it a routine to be in contention for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Class of 2020 will definitely add some length and firepower with a ton of overall athleticism. Olivia Tjernagel Olivia Tjernagel 6'2" | OH Mayer Lutheran | 2020 State MN out of Mayer Lutheran High School, West of Minneapolis is an uber athletic middle who is long, touches ten feet with ease and has seen plenty of success on the volleyball and basketball court. Same goes for Megan Witte Megan Witte OH Council Bluffs Lewis Central | 2020 State IA out of Council Bluffs Lewis Central who was a top player on their state runner-up basketball team. Tayler Alden Tayler Alden 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2020 State WI out of Oconomowoc, WI and VC United is a potential gamechanger from the start for UNI coming in as setter. Just under 6’0 tall and extremely physical at the net with an offensive mindset and a left hand that puts so much pressure on the defense. UNI fans know what Bre Payton did for the Panthers, and Alden is definitely that type of player who can take over a match.
@tayleralden with the swing and a boom. @oconomowocvoll1 on to the semifinals for the third year in a row pic.twitter.com/cIkb0vrwVU
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) November 8, 2019
Valpo
Victoria Buhlman – Mount Vernon (IN) – Munciana
Mallory Januski Mallory Januski 6'2" | MB Bradley-Bourbonnais | 2020 IL – Bradley-Bourbonnis (IL) – Impulse
Buhlman is a top notch setter who will stat in state to play at Valpo after a successful prep career where she was an All State athlete and also led her high school squad to being one of the top ten teams in the state. Januski could have an instant impact. With how high she plays at the net along with her physicality, she can be a force at the net defensively and score points too. She brings a heavy swing with a ton of velocity to her game.
Southern Illinois
Imani Hartfield – Seminole HS (FL) – Top Select
Tatum Tornatta – Reitz Memorial (IN) – Evansville United
Adrien Barrett – Athens (IL) – Illini Elite
Taylor Morgan Taylor Morgan 5'10" | OH IL – Lockport (IL)
MacKenzie Houser MacKenzie Houser 5'7" | DS/L Pleasant Plains | 2020 IL – Pleasant Plains (IL) – Illini Elite
Ryan Rednour – Leo (IN) – Empowered
Southern Illinois is building a ton of depth with plenty of local athletes who can do a little bit of everything. With Illini Elite being a strong in-state club, building a pipeline to Southern Illinois would be a strong play with Barrett and Houser heading to Carbondale. Hartfield, a middle out of Florida and playing for Top Select, which is one of the most dominant clubs out of Florida with be a strong athlete to contend with in the Valley.
Missouri State
Fay celebrating with her high school teammates at the Iowa State Tournament.
Rylee Fay Rylee Fay 5'9" | S Iowa City Liberty | 2020 State IA – Iowa City Liberty – Adrenaline Volleyball Academy
Lindsey Lahr – Blue Valley West – MAVS
Katie Wemhoener Katie Wemhoener 5'8" | DS/L Althoff Catholic | 2020 IL – Althoff Catholic – Blue Steel
Rylee Fay Rylee Fay 5'9" | S Iowa City Liberty | 2020 State IA is one of the top setters out of the Class of 2020 in Iowa where she provides plenty of physicality at the net and is extremely dynamic. This past high school season she led her high school team to their first ever state tournament appearance where she set and played on the right side. She was part of the Eastern Iowa Xtreme squad out of the Cedar Rapids area that were the 2019 USAV 17 National Division Champions. She knows how to win and could be an instant impact. Lahr is from a top club program and high school program out of the Kansas City area that will also provide plenty of opportunities to score out of the middle. Wemhoener is an all around DS that will bring an all around athleticism to the court out of the St. Louis area in Belleville, IL.
Evansville
Rachel Basinksi – Evansville Memorial (IN)
Elise Moeller Elise Moeller 6'0" | OH IL – Rock Falls (IL) – Fusion
Emilee Scheumann – Bellmont (IN) – Team Pineapple
Brooke Springer – Henderson County (KY) – Evansville United
The Purple Aces finished with an above .500 record with a 16-14 record and qualified for the MVC Tournament. They will be bringing in some local talent with the likes of Basinski and Springer who are out of the Evansville area. Moeller will be a big addition from Chicagoland as a high scoring outside hitter.