Prospect Spotlight: Five 2021s Outside the Top 100
These five athletes have good skills and should be key contributors for their respective high school teams this fall. As four of the five are previous all-conference selections, each has great potential to raise their stock over the course of…
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Continue ReadingThese five athletes have good skills and should be key contributors for their respective high school teams this fall. As four of the five are previous all-conference selections, each has great potential to raise their stock over the course of their final high school season.
Olivia Pennington
Olivia
Pennington
6'0" | OH
Lake City | 2021
State
MN
– 6’0 | OH | Lake City | Prep Dig #105
A Hiawatha Valley all-conference selection in 2019, Pennington has good size on the left pin. With moderate elevation, what she might lack in jump touch as compared to some of the elite 2021 pin hitters, she certainly makes up for with good approach footwork and an aggressive arm. Her last two steps get her to the ball well, which allow her balance in the air. She is a future stock riser as she develops good torque in her upper body and can score through a variety of attack points and with a full range of shots. She will be a key factor for Lake City once again in 2020.
Gracie Whitlock
Gracie
Whitlock
5'10" | S
Kittson County Central | 2021
State
MN
– 5’10 | S | Kittson County Central | Prep Dig #117
Whitlock is the floor leader for a good Kittson County Central program. She brings a good competitive presence and has a variety of ways she gets involved for her team. As a setter she has good location and uses good footwork to get to the ball that offers her multiple offensive options often. With a good core group of hitters in 2019, Whitlock utilized them well and showed good range in her distribution through both pins. She shows good knowledge of the game and awareness of point flow as she provides good defense from the back row and understands when to be offensive herself through her arm or by sending an off speed second contact over the net. She was a Northern Lights all-conference selection in 2019.
Laura Wellbrock
Laura
Wellbrock
5'10" | OH
Northfield | 2021
State
MN
– 5’10 | DS/OH | Northfield | Prep Dig #127
Wellbrock is a quintessential Northfield volleyball athlete with good all-around skills as a passer, defender, and pin attacker. Perhaps overlooked somewhat in this program given the high quality and well known skills of some of their stars, Wellbrock has good tools in her own right. She has good footwork in her approach and transition work as she develops the right momentum and gets her feet to the ball well. In the air she has the arm control needed to swing through the full court or challenge blockers high off their hands. At 5’10, she has good size and range for her ball control and defense and can cover a good amount of court. As the Raiders should open the season among the favorites, Wellbrock’s skills deepen their roster in multiple facets. Additionally, don’t be surprised to see Wellbrock’s stock rise in future rankings releases
LaRae Kram
LaRae
Kram
5'7" | MB
Morris | 2021
State
MN
– 5’7 | S | Morris Area | Prep Dig #144
Kram has been a primary setter for Morris for multiple seasons and continues to develop her fundamentals and decision-making. Her club upgrade to
Kandi Elite
has helped her progress given the offensive talent she has available to her and the competitive schedule they maintain. A West Central all-conference selection in 2019, Kram is athletic, which helps get her to the ball on balance. She has ability to locate the ball from pin to pin and with moderate tempo. By speeding up her hand preparation and improving to a higher position more consistently she will be even more effective at varying her distribution, increasing accuracy, and becoming more deceptive. In spite of a down year in 2019, Morris has had some good success in prior years. Kram has the veteran experience and leadership to guide their improvement in 2020 while also continuing to raise her individual stock.
Sophia Ylinen
Sophia
Ylinen
5'7" | S
Breck | 2021
State
MN
– 5’7 | S | Breck | Prep Dig #152
An Independent Metro all-conference honorable mention selection, Ylinen has been an important part of the Breck program over the past couple of years. She has a steady presence as a floor leader and can get all of her hitters involved with balanced distribution and good location. She shows good range in her offense as she can get the ball to both pins while also involving her middles through fast options in between. Her footwork is efficient to pursue the ball both in the zone and out and she can locate well when drawn away from the net. The lefty also makes an impact from the service line and plays good defense as well, making her a well-rounded prospect with a good foundation of skills. She has shared the setting role for her M1 team this club season and has made good use of her time to help keep her offense scoring.