Top Athletes Show Bold Play at Prep Dig BITV
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There were so many players to watch and so little time! There wasn’t much time for breaks, and with staggered start times between divisions, there was non-stop action at the Community First Champion Center in Appleton to kick off the…
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Continue ReadingThere were so many players to watch and so little time! There wasn’t much time for breaks, and with staggered start times between divisions, there was non-stop action at the Community First Champion Center in Appleton to kick off the month of May. We are hitting a tricky time of year when teams start missing players to rescheduled spring sports competitions, proms, concerts, etc. At the same time, teams are trying not to lose all the ground gained over the last 5 months. Looking back at some of the performances during the Battle In The Valley, some of these athletes stepped up in really big ways for their teams. Overall, I enjoyed seeing the positive body language, all-out effort, and the competitive grind to win it all!
Ava Patchett Ava Patchett 5'7" | DS/L Fox Valley Lutheran | 2025 State WI – Libero/Defensive Specialist – FC Elite 15 White
Patchett is a really quick defender and solid in serve-receive. Her skill set is sound, and she impressed me during a series of plays against Wisconsin Blaze in pool play that were incredibly crucial and almost pushed the match to the 3rd set. FC Elite 15 White would end up going on to knock off an impressive Impact 16-National and FVP 16-Blue to get a second crack at Wisconsin Blaze.
Grace Fruzen Grace Fruzen 5'8" | S Manitowoc Lincoln | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 5’7 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Manitowoc Lincoln – FC Elite 16 White
This FC Elite team was all grit and grind throughout the weekend. They are a great mixture that competes well together, has fun, and does a great job adjusting and strategizing. I feel like Fruzen is a huge piece of their success. She has great quick-twitch reactions, gritty defense, and she will jump backset on a dime. Fruzen is quiet but steady, and she knows how to execute and take care of business. She may not be the setter who has a ton of height, but she is a really effective swing and holds her own as a blocker.
Grace Travis Grace Travis 5'10" | RS DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN – 2022 – 5’11 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – DeLaSalle (MN) – Impact 18-Black
Travis has all the pieces to run an offense. She gives her hitters a ton of opportunities, and her body language projects a lot of confidence. Travis does a really nice job at the net, puts up a big block, and gets a touch on everything. She has great location, as well as creates positive match-ups to give her hitters the best chance to score. Travis is also a skilled attacker and knows how to keep pushing her squad in tough matches.
Lauren Fischer Lauren Fischer 6'1" | MB St. Marys Catholic Neenah | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 6’2 – Middle Blocker – St. Mary’s Catholic – FC Elite 16 White
Fischer puts up a huge block and it always seems to come into play at the biggest moments for this team. She does a great job of being patient and then making a quick first step. She’s also come a long way this season as an offensive threat, and her connection with her setters, Fruzen and Mariah Potter Mariah Potter 5'9" | S Xavier | 2024 State WI , just gets better and better every time I see them. She is consistent in closing the block and moving well from pin to pin.
@FCEliteVB 16 White moves on to the 17/18 Gold Championship on a Lauren Fischer Lauren Fischer 6'1" | MB St. Marys Catholic Neenah | 2024 State WI kill.#PDBattleInTheValley @PrepDigChris @prepdigrachel @PrepDig @PrepDigEvents @PrepDigWI pic.twitter.com/EKaL6h9ZMe
— Breit Nelson (@BreitNelson) May 1, 2022
Maddox Stille Maddox Stille 5'6" | DS/L Winneconne | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 5’6 – Libero – Winneconne – Impact 16 National
Impact has a really gritty defense led by Stille as a libero. She is solid in serve-receive and not afraid to claim the first ball, whether that first contact is in transition, off a hard driven swing, or in serve-receive. Stille is the spark who ignites the rest of her squad. In a tight match against FC Elite 15 White, Stille kept her team in a number of plays and helped push the match to a 3rd set.
Natalie Boehmer Natalie Boehmer 5'9" | S Horicon | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 5’8 – Setter – Horicon – Midwest Penguins 16 Black
Boehmer is following the trend of highly athletic setters in this article. She has soft hands and gives her hitters a lot of opportunities to show off their athleticism. Boehmer does a nice job of seeing the court and knowing what her hitters need from her.
Rayna McArdle Rayna McArdle 5'9" | S Holmen | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 5’9 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Holmen – Xtreme 17 Adidas
McArdle’s athleticism makes it hard to believe she is playing up an age. She is competitive and very physical at the net. McArdle is also gritty on defense, has a soft quick release when setting, and she just knows how to make things happen for her squad. You can tell they have a lot of respect for her and confidence in her.
More Top Athletes:
Adalyn Schoen – Middle Blocker – Impact 16-Black (MN)
Addison Bryant Addison Bryant 5'7" | S Hortonville | 2025 State WI – Setter/Pin Hitter – impact 15-National
Amara Jahner – Libero – FC Elite 14 White
Amaris Williams – 2022 – 4’11 – Libero – Riverside University – Adversity 17-1
Ava Van Hammond – 2026 – Setter – Appleton North – FC Elite 14 Navy
Avery Buchta Avery Buchta DS/L Lakeside Lutheran | 2025 WI – 2025 – Defensive Specialist/Libero – Lakeside Lutheran – River City 15 Blue
Ella Lindgren – Defensive Specialist – FC Elite 14 Navy
Faye Hehli – 2026 – Middle Blocker – Appleton North – FC Elite 14 Navy
Grace Borys Grace Borys 5'8" | S Notre Dame | 2025 State WI – 2025 – 5’7 – Setter – Notre Dame – FC Elite 15 White
Grace Eickhoff Grace Eickhoff S Holmen | 2023 WI – 2023 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Holmen – Xtreme 17 Adidas
Hailee Thompson Hailee Thompson S Bonduel | 2024 WI – 2024 – Setter – Bonduel – Wisconsin Blaze 16 Black
Halley Maglio Halley Maglio 5'8" | S Pewaukee | 2025 WI – 2025 – 5’8 – Setter/Right Side Hitter – Pewaukee – Midwest Penguins 15-Black
Isabella Pulvermacher Isabella Pulvermacher 5'3" | DS/L Arrowhead | 2025 State WI – 2025 – 5’3 – Libero – Arrowhead – Midwest Penguins 15-Black
Izabelle Shea Izabelle Shea DS/L Xavier | 2024 State WI – 2024 – Defensive Specialist/Pin Hitter – Xavier – FC Elite 16 White
@FCEliteVB Belle Shea was unstoppable at the service line. She pushes this match to 3 at the #PDBattleInTheValley @PrepDigChris @prepdigrachel @PrepDig @PrepDigEvents @PrepDigWI pic.twitter.com/iFtAzQwixt
— Breit Nelson (@BreitNelson) April 30, 2022
Kourtney Zech – Setter – River City 15 Blue
Kylie Fernan Kylie Fernan 5'11" | S McFarland | 2023 WI – 2023 – 5’11 – Setter – McFarland – FFC 18-1
Lara Kavalauskas Lara Kavalauskas MB Kettle Moraine | 2024 State WI – 2024 – Middle Blocker – Midwest Penguins 16 Black
Libby McGrath – 2022 – 5’6 – Setter – Xavier – One Wisconsin Bay 18 Mizuno
Maddie Wolfram Maddie Wolfram 5'6" | DS/L Notre Dame Academy | 2025 State WI – 2025 – 5’5 – Libero – Notre Dame – FC Elite 15 White
Mariah Potter Mariah Potter 5'9" | S Xavier | 2024 State WI – 2024 – 5’8 – Setter – Xavier – FC Elite 16 White
Mariska Kees Mariska Kees 5'7" | S Laconia | 2025 State WI – 2025 – 5’7 – Setter – Laconia – FC Elite 15 White
Mia Jannazzo – Defensive Specialist – Midwest Penguins 14-Elite
Rayna Nelson – Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter – Appleton North – FC Elite 14 Navy
Samantha Weiss – Setter – FC Elite 14 White