Meet the 2020 PDFL Player of the Year – Brooke Bolwerk
A legacy cannot always be measured in numbers, there is no stat for it. Sure, there are players who have records and gaudy statistics, but in the Covid era of volleyball, there are people who make an impact that cannot always be measured through a statistic
Brooke Bolwerk Brooke Bolwerk 5'6" | S Appleton North | 2021 State WI , a Senior at Appleton North High School is one of those players and through her performance in the Prep Dig Fall League, is named the Player of the Year.
The Senior and future Minnesota State (Mankato) Maverick competed with her Thunder teammates which consisted of athletes attending Appleton North High School, led her squad as a setter to an overall fall record of 24-4, yes between all of the tournaments and PDFL, Thunder got 28 matches in. Their four losses were to Sterling (IL) who features three Division 1 commits and have won the past two Illinois state titles.
@anorth_vb @brookebolwerk gets sneaky! pic.twitter.com/eHHUMnAhHh
— Breit Nelson (@BreitNelson) September 19, 2020
What is it about Bolwerk that separates her from the rest?
“If you have had the chance to watch Brooke play you would see a setter who runs our offense perfectly, looks effortless, a smooth delivery, puts the team first and knows what to do at the right time,” said Head Coach of Appleton North Steve Scheuerell.
“Brooke has all the character traits you look for in a leader. She is hardworking, competitive, unselfish, humble, confident and a very caring person on and off the court. Anybody who comes into contact with Brooke is drawn to her great personality, and the fact that she is one of the best setters in the state.”
Bolwerk has plenty of athletes she can distribute to with height and athleticism surrounding her, but she has such a way of commanding the court with her calm demeanor, seeing the other side of the court, and knowing how to get her teammates involved and set up for success. Brianna Guerts of De Pere High School has competed against, but has also played with Bolwerk as part of the FC Elite Volleyball Club out of Appleton the past few years had this to say about Bolwerk.
I’m not sure if this was the plan but it worked… 🤷♀️@PrepDigChris @anorth_vb @Brianna59054202 @brookebolwerk @PrepDigWI pic.twitter.com/DIyL70aXyC
— Breit Nelson (@BreitNelson) September 26, 2020
“Brooke is setter that does everything she can to put her hitters into the best position to score, and she accomplishes this mostly through her vision – Bolwerk has a way of seeing the other side of the net that not everyone does. As a middle, this is extremely helpful because you can trust that she is seeing whether there is a double block waiting for you or not and then putting you into a position to succeed,” said Guerts.
As a setter there is so much to be aware of. From hitting the right tempos, seeing the best matchups for your hitter, knowing when to be offensive, and having to defend your position in the front and backrow. Bolwerk can do it all, she’s even perfected the one handed set when players think for sure it’s in the net or an overpass. She’s crafty, but she also makes the really difficult sets look routine.
This is just the X’s and O’s of volleyball. A setter also needs to have a presence as a leader on the court. Coach Scheuerell and Geurts both spoke highly of Bolwerk’s leadership.
Steady, solid, consistent, leader – that’s a setter. Brooke Bolwerk Brooke Bolwerk 5'6" | S Appleton North | 2021 State WI heading to @MinnStateVBall pic.twitter.com/WsGVLmAYtY
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) July 10, 2020
“When I think of a leader, I think of Brooke – she very much so leads by example on the team. She always works hard, she always does the right thing both on and off the court, and most importantly, she is always there for her teammates. Honestly, it has been a blessing to be on the same team as Brooke for the past three seasons,” said Geurts.
Appleton North has produced plenty of top setters under Scheuerell who have not only had successful high school careers, but have gone on to had successful college careers such as Emily Rohloff at St. Norbert, Maddy Ahrens at Northwest Missouri State, and Taylor Vanden Berg Taylor Vanden Berg 5'11" | S Appleton North | 2020 State WI who is a Freshman at Wingate in North Carolina. Bolwerk is definitely one to be in an elite category.
My phone died as this tweet was loading….what a night.@anorth_vb wins in five and earns a spot at the state tournament pic.twitter.com/sL3cS5zGkP
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) November 3, 2019
Scheuerell closed with the following saying, “I feel blessed that Brooke has been in our program and know that anybody coming up will watch her and hopefully follow in her footsteps! Brooke Bolwerk Brooke Bolwerk 5'6" | S Appleton North | 2021 State WI is all that is good about the sport of volleyball and the Appleton North Volleyball Program. Her legacy will never be forgotten.”