New Athletes On The Radar After WI and IL Top 250
What I enjoy most about our Top 250 Expo series is the number of new athletes we get a chance to watch at Prep Dig. These athletes are eager to start their club season and also continue the recruiting process. …
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Continue ReadingWhat I enjoy most about our Top 250 Expo series is the number of new athletes we get a chance to watch at Prep Dig. These athletes are eager to start their club season and also continue the recruiting process. Some are just starting, others are hoping to finish, everyone is at a different spot in their process. Here are names from Wisconsin and Illinois who were able to make there mark over the past couple weeks and would be ones to watch over the club season.
Mia Lulinski – Mission – Marengo
Class of 2023
Lulinski is a Junior middle blocker who stood out from the start with her athleticism and length. She is listed as a middle blocker, but throughout the different forms of Queens and chaos drills to get warmed up she showed how well she can move around the court. She has a high contact point where she can score points and a lateral quickness to get block up. She has a huge upside to her game where there is so much potential.
Brynn Smith – Sky High – Stevenson
Class of 2024
I am sure I have seen Smith play at some point, but this past Sunday she really stood out. I was impressed with her overall fundamentals in all aspects of the game. Athletes who are well trained really standout in situations where it may be a scramble and can make the most out of any situation. She is going to be a big time scorer who is definitely on the Prep Dig radar and will be eager to see her during the 2022 club season.
Emily Lisi Emily Lisi 6'1" | OH Wauconda | 2024 State IL – Sky High – Wauconda
Class of 2024
Lisi has a really heavy swing and a no fear style to her game where it might hit the back wall, but throughout the day, you could see her get better and more comfortable where she was smiling, putting balls away, and a force at the net. With her athleticism, there are a lot of options for her where she could be a fast twitch powerful middle or blast away on the pins.
Faith Dudley Levato – Top Flight – Glenbard North
Class of 2023
Such a huge spark on the court, Dudley Levato is so quick, its like a water beetle darting from spot to spot. She also has such positive intangibles with her teammates where she can light up the court with her smile and also make a presence with her voice and having a contagious energy for others. She can also serve receive and take pace off a hard swing while still being under control.
Gabrielle Bradley – Impulse – Bradley-Bourbonnais
Class of 2022
Gradley I noticed at first purely based on how she interacted with others at the Top 250 and how she communicated pre-serve. She was talking, calling out her seams, what type of serve, where it was going and was very vocal with her encouragement to others around her. This is easy when it’s “Your Team”, but most of these athletes were strangers to each other. Her maturity was shown as well as a really consistent game to go with it.
Madison Wojdyla Madison Wojdyla S Warren Township | 2024 State IL – Sky High – Warren Township
Class of 2024
She’s back! Wojdyla I have seen play before so it’s a bit of an outlier to this article, however after an injury at nationals that forced her to sit out most of the high school season, She’s back! For high school athletes to sit out any time can be extremely frustrating, but let alone a season can be incredibly frustrating. Wojdyla has great footwork, a smooth release, and knows how to get her hitters in position to score. She will be great to see get back on the court full time to start 2022.
Emily Brenner – Wisconsin Ice – Stanley-Boyd
Class of 2023
Coaches cannot sleep on these Northern Wisconsin kids! They are steals! I had not seen Brenner play live at all until the Top 250 and was extremely impressed. She’s the type of athlete that could step on to any court or field and really take over. She plays everywhere, but I would see her used mostly as an outside, playing six rotations. She most recently earned All State honors in Wisconsin and will definitely have a lot of momentum heading into the club season.
Kate Bahrke Kate Bahrke S Oconto | 2023 State WI and Sydney Smith teaming up on the block. Both played in the D3 State Tournament Bahrke for Oconto and Smith for Unity pic.twitter.com/SxmCRyTQFV
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) November 21, 2021
Sydney Smith – Club Red – Unity (WI)
Class of 2023
Smith came off a big year where her high school team, Unity (along the Mississippi River along the MN/WI border), where they qualified for the state tournament. Smith earned All State honors with her ability to put away a ball out of the middle and be a major force with her block. She will play for Club Red out of Western Wisconsin. Smith its a multi-sport athlete who will be playing basketball as well, but she definitely has a future in volleyball at the next leve.
201- Karli Molnau swinging hard out of the middle. The 2025 prospect is long and athletic. Played for Lake Country Lutheran and was second in D3 #PDTop250
— Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) November 21, 2021
Karli Molnau – Milwaukee Sting – Lake Country Lutheran
Class of 2025
I was able to see Molnau a little bit at the state tournament, but the Top 250 was a chance to really watch her and how athletic she was in her ability to play above the net. She is a middle blocker who can sky and snap, thumping it on the ten footline. As her game develops she could stay in the middle or she could even develop into a six rotation player who can play a variety of positions. She has the athleticism to do a lot of special things on the court.
Allison Pogodzinski Allison Pogodzinski 5'8" | DS/L Pius XI | 2023 State WI – 414 Milwaukee Elite – Pius XI
Class of 2023
So consistent. Pogodzinski is a libero who was impressive in making the routine plays look easy. I say this over and over again where it’s fun when liberos can dive into the bleachers to save a ball, but coaches want a libero who can consistently put a ball to the setter without making her move. That is going to happen more often than those diving saves. Pogodzinski will play for 414 Milwaukee Elite which is a club on the rise in the Badger Region.