Wisconsin’s Class of 2024 Takes The Leap
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The WIAA Fall season may have started a few weeks later and a few teams short, but it gave many athletes a chance to play in 2020. This year has taught us that the opportunity to play the sport we…
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Continue ReadingThe WIAA Fall season may have started a few weeks later and a few teams short, but it gave many athletes a chance to play in 2020. This year has taught us that the opportunity to play the sport we love can no longer be taken for granted. We feel for the players who didn’t have a season or an opportunity to play. Thankfully we were able to provide an additional opportunity with our Fall League and Tournaments.
So many young athletes have showed us how truly resilient they are. Now that the fall season is over, club tryouts have been conducted, and the Top 250 Expo showed us a ton of new players, we now get to take a look at all the freshmen that have made their way onto our radar. Most are not big names in the state yet, and we always start with a watchlist before turning it into any sort of ranking. Once we have a chance to see some of these kids in action during the club season, we should be able to get a good idea where they will start in the rankings.
Until then, let’s look at some of those that made our watch list while making the big leap into the high school arena.
Bryn Janke Bryn Janke 5'10" | S Wisconsin Dells | 2024 State WI – 5’10 – Setter – Wisconsin Dells
The Chief’s freshman played all 36 sets for 162 assists. Janke also recorded 84 digs, 55 kills, and 27 aces.
Claire Pedretti Claire Pedretti 5'10" | OH Onalaska | 2024 State WI – 5’10 – Outside Hitter – Onalaska
Pedretti took on a big role in her freshman season. This was definitely a break-out season and she came in with a bang, recording 2.9 kills per set and led her team with 119 kills.
Ellie Schumacher – 5’9 – Pin Hitter – Lake Country Lutheran
This freshman started the season with a little inconsistency, but by the end of the season, she was consistently averaging around 2 kills per set. She finished 2020 with 118 kills, 119 digs, and 26 aces.
Makenzie Tarman Makenzie Tarman 5'8" | MB Turtle Lake | 2024 State WI – 5’9 – Middle Blocker – Turtle Lake
Tarman wasted no time becoming one of the go-to scorers in 2020 for Turtle Lake. She recorded almost 3 kills per set and finished with 163 kills.
Lilly Wagner Lilly Wagner 6'0" | S Oconomowoc | 2024 State #42 Nation WI – 5’11 – Setter – Oconomowoc
Wagner played a big role in her 1st high school season. Her first season may have been an abbreviated one, but she was by far the top setter in the 2024 class. Wagner recorded 423 assists and 176 digs.
Jordan Java Jordan Java 5'10" | MB Grantsburg | 2024 State WI – 5’10 – Middle Blocker – Grantsburg
The 5’10 freshman totaled over 100 kills this year while supporting 2 dynamic older attackers in Hanne Johnson (2022 – 5’11 – Setter/Pin Hitter) and Allison Peterson (2021 – 5’8 – Outside Hitter). Java also tallied 30 blocks while hitting a .293 percentage.
Kelsey Cooper – 6’0 – Middle Blocker – St. Croix Falls
St. Croix Falls had a terrific season, and Cooper had a great freshman campaign. She played every set this season, and while her stats weren’t gaudy, she clearly became a key piece to the success the Saints had in 2020. She had 73 kills in just 9 matches along with 25 blocks.
Melia Johnson Melia Johnson 6'2" | OH Slinger | 2024 State #140 Nation WI – 6’2 – Middle Blocker – Slinger
Johnson started the season a little slow, but by October, she was on a roll. She went from recording around 1 kill per set to recording 12 kills in their final match of the season. Johnson also recorded 108 digs.
Kaydence Burclaw – 5’10 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Rosholt
Burclaw took on setting duties in 2020, and it paid off. She ended the year with 267 assists, 61 digs, 28 kills, and 21 aces.
Natalie Pitts – 5’8 – Outside Hitter – Racine St. Catherine’s
It was not a particularly successful season for the Angels, but Pitts managed to make her presence known. She still tallied 92 digs and 27 kills in just 11 matches.