The Prospect Report: Easter Weekend Rumblings what were they saying

The Prospect Report: Easter Weekend What People in the Game are Saying

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Utah lockdown? One of the biggest questions to come up lately, since someone was brave enough to suggest that there are really talented athletes outside of the state of Texas, has been whether the Utah duo of Mortensen and Freeman would ever go anywhere outside of Utah, or are they 100% locks for BYU?

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Maija Mortensen, MB, and Taylor Freeman, OPP, both from Utah and both with SCVC volleyball, are two of the elite players in this class. They are obviously getting attention now from multiple big-time programs and every regional program, but they are very, very interested in one particular program and could both commit together. 

Now, obviously, this is far off, but they are at least showing some interest in a red-hot program right now. You know BYU will be hard after both of them, though. IF BYU would land the duo, I think that puts them as a Top 3-4 2028 class in America automatically, they are both that good.

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I will do a separate article this week called “Whose Hot” talking about schools I’m hearing over and over from athletes as we talk about their summer plans… but, Louisville does jump out as they have picked up a couple of ’28 camp “Yes'” that are huge for them, whether they land the prospects or not. To me, it simply solidifies the “Prestige Level” that the Cards are on as a program, and it isn’t a surprise anymore when those athletes attend camp. 

1. Tradition 2. Facilities 3. Admin Support $ 4. True Culture it shouldn’t be a shocker

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Mackenzie Andrews - MB -Legacy 

The Legacy MB was getting some attention on Saturday from a school familiar to the family. Andrews, one of the highest evaluated MB in the class, was being watched closely by Stanford in Chicago, amongst other schools like North Carolina, stopping by to watch the popular 2028 prospect.

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Tegan Loechler - Setter/OPP Milwaukee Sting

Loechler doesn’t get enough credit for her overall athleticism. I can see why she is so talented as an OPP, but I also see how her height and the hops definitely give her advantages as a top setter prospect. There is also talk that she is torn on what she wants to play at the next level and that she prefers being a pin more than setting. First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and many schools will give her that opportunity. Also, I’m sure many schools are fine with her trying both. 

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Leah Greeny - Outside 3DGE

Greeny was one of the specific athletes that I wanted to watch in person this weekend. She has an explosion in her legs, and her passing is solid.  There was some legit ACC interest looking at her during the time I was watching, and I think that’s a solid fit. She would also be a fit in most any Big XII program. She is going to be a solid college volleyball player who can come in and contribute to a program for 3 years and possibly a 4th, depending on where she chooses.

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Molly McGivern - Opp Dynasty 

McGovern needs to have her name in that elite list being looked at by the Top Tier schools in search of an Opposite this class (and honestly, you are crazy if you aren’t trying to add an Oppo this class). There were at least two teams very high on our Program Prestige Board that made special notes to “run over to watch McGovern’s team play” during the weekend. She is currently one of our highest evaluated Elite Red prospects in the ’28 class.

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Summer Tukua - OH WAVE

Continue to be impressed with Tukua and her all-around game. With her not having a profile, I’m not sure of her camp situation. My take is that she is a West Coast regional athlete who gets looked at by every school out West and then gets smaller offers from a couple of bigger schools from P4 further away.  She is solid and does great things for that team

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Rilynn Wingenbach - MB HPSTL

This was my first chance to see Wingenbach since NIT, and she will be getting a bump Monday, count on it! Quicker off the ground and so much stronger than she was last Summer. She looked like a Top 5-7 MB in this class today, and that could be conservative. There aren’t many that I had to say, “Who is that?”, but she was one of them, and I had watched her several times last season. She is running for Breakout Player of the Weekend, and I’ve watched her 7-8x, I bet. The staff will be in the Wingenbach film room this week, count on it.

**On that note, look for a few write-ups on a couple of Rilynn’s teammates that were new finds for me, simply because we don’t hear much from that club and hadn’t run into them. Very impressive and they have 3-4 that have college frames and explosiveness, so this will be an HPSTL film week for the staff:)

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Audrey Sutherland - OH NNJ

Audrey played in the afternoon wave and plays with a very small club in Nevada, so she has gone under the radar. The coaches know about her, and she is getting some looks from several schools with Prestige Values over 200. She is working on her passing, and that will continue to take reps, reps, reps, and Audrey knows that, and she is another who is getting stronger, but again, with a 6’4” (Conservative) frame, coachable attitude, and work ethic, you are silly not to give that a shot to grow in your program.

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Gillian Pfeiffer - MB HPSTL

Pfeiffer was right there with her partner in the middle this weekend and looked extremely good when I saw her in Chicago. Her block was causing issues and closing several windows for opposing offenses. She showed solid footwork getting off the ground, reacting to attacks, and on her offensive routes. She will be receiving a PPV bump as well. She is another who I think makes a P4 conference middle, just need to do more research to determine what level.

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Chicago Week Risers:

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Marly Matthews - OH HPSTL - Green Level Prospect

This was our first chance to watch the OH from Missouri. Impressive and physical. She finds ways to get her points and has a variety of shots. Definite six-rotation player. Interested in learning more about her as we head towards June.

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Lauren Dorey - OPP HPSTL - Elite Orange Prospect

With a quick release and a snappy swing, Dorey gets results from the RS. Another physical player on this HPSTL squad, this athlete looks the part of a college athlete. She goes all over the court and can use all parts of the court. Her release is super fast, and she is efficient on the block. If she continues to work on her explosion and approach touch, she can really move up in interest. Very impressive player who can move into the RED Levels before June.

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2029s Shine in Championship Bracket in Windy City

I was able to spend some Sunday Time watching the championship round of the 15 open and it was some great action.  I also got to witness some future stars, whom we will talk much more about in the near future:

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Raquel Telly - OH Metro 15s - Orange Level Prospect

Telly is that little firecracker who always quickly pops off her approach with an explosion. Undersized for now at 119”, that quick take off helps her, and the fact that she is so active on the court makes her an option for Maria.

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Aniston Williams - MB Metro 15s - Orange Level Prospect

Power Middle blocker who is a defensive presence. Runs quicks, but not a high-riser yet in her career. She takes up space with her block and can terminate a ball when set in the system and finds a crease.

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Caroline Conroy - MB Metro 15s - Gold Level Prospect

Conroy has been on our radar since creating her Player Profile earlier this year, but watching her in person was worth the wait, and she lived up to the Gold Level evaluation she had been given. She is physical, but will only get stronger. She has very good footwork for her age, but those will also get better. You can see where her explosion/verticality has room to go up. Final verdict is this is a “next level prospect” because she plays with intensity, but her ceiling is very high still.

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Timea Vladonianu - OH Metro 15s - Orange Level Prospect

Another developing pin for Metro. Timea has the makings of a P4 prospect, pushing the 10’ approach and 6’ height thresholds now. The skill work and taking those to the next level will need to separate her from the rest of the pack in a talented class of 2029 pin group, but she is an effective option on a talented roster.

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Carolyn Maria - Setter Metro 15s - Silver Level Prospect

Maria continues to fly under the national radar, but just remember, she is VBAdrenaline’s “Pick to Click” for a Setter in this class if you are projecting long-term college success. I see the depth in the class (that is turning out to be a sneaky-deep star potential class), but I just think risk/reward, Maria is easily the most bang for your Rev $hare buck. She is GOING TO BE THERE come report day, but now she is a very good athlete, figuring out Setter on a very good team. **We don’t miss many of these, just make a note.

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Legacy 15s Report

I wrote a bit about some of the new Legacy players on Sunday. Here is more on them and updates on some of the others on that solid 15s squad I watched in Chicago.

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Georgia Addleman - Opp Legacy - RED Level Prospect

Going back and watching more film of Addleman, she is an easy one to move up on a “Prospect List” because of her physicality and the explosion and violence that she plays with for a 15s athlete. Reminds me of a more athletic Piper Pease in this year’s class. Pease hits a heavier ball, but Addleman plays better defense and moves off the net better. Her long-term projection is high.

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Charlotte Keyes - Middle Legacy - RED Level Prospect

Keyes looks the part and has a high ceiling, as we mentioned before. She has a swing mechanic to work on in her shoulder, but what college coach doesn’t want a project to work with? She moves very well, and her reaction time is legit. She can help a team immediately with her athleticism and can be taught to be an offensive weapon in time.

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Saniya Tucker - Middle Legacy - Silver Level Prospect

Tucker is a physically dominant athlete for a 15-year-old, so you wonder what she has left for growth, but at 6’3” already and touching 10’ if not, extremely close, she is taking away so many options with her block, and she can run a slide and quicks in transition. She had success offensively, but she is a defensive threat foremost at this point in her career.

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Emily Nwabueze - Middle Legacy - Orange Level Prospect

If you want a middle at a high-academic institution that can terminate and run a beautiful slide route, Emily is your athlete! Undersized for a middle, but smooth on her routes and quick to get to them, she is a favorite target with Easton and Legacy uses their middles better than any club in the country. She has excellent lift, can spread her shots, and has excellent vision for a middle.

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Stella Smith - Libero Legacy - Elite Orange Prospect

It was great to see Smith on the court; she has a Player Profile, but hasn’t updated it in a while, so I loved watching her live. First off, she has that important quality we love in a good libero; she is an excellent communicator on the court. Her head and eyes are always alert, and she is constantly reading and letting her teammates know what is happening. I watched them play WAVE, so it was a great test for Smith, and she was tested. She is in that “pack” that will be targeted by P4 programs next season, and I think putting her where she is is fair. Her footwork is solid, and her initial reaction time appears quick. In fairness, we haven’t done enough deep libero research on 2029s to compare fairly to the rest of the class, but training in the Legacy gym and playing with the rest of this team, expectations are high, and that bodes well for Smith and her future.

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WAVE 15s Brennan

I was able to watch this squad in Vegas, but always willing to watch them again because of how hard they play for each other and the enthusiasm Brennan always has his teams play with.

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Baylee Wilson - OH WAVE - Gold Level Prospect

Simply one of the most consistent and productive pins in a class of stars. Her team WINS qualifiers, and it is not as deep with high-end talent as others. So teams know where the ball is going down the stretch, and Wilson still delivers. She plays the back row as well as she does the front; her vertical high-end isn’t as explosive as some of the elite in the class, but her all-around game and explosion are still elite. This will be an interesting summer to see how she tests out and see what she decides camp-wise, but man, she has done everything head-to-head you could ask for, I would think up till now.

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Brooke Proctor - Setter WAVE - RED Level Prospect

Proctor is a confident general for this squad, and I was most impressed with her ability to never get nervous or shaken, whether down to set/match point, or if the opponent was on a big run; her demeanor was steady throughout the matches in the tourney run. Her range on the court is elite, and the ball is out of her hands quickly. Her beach game shows that she can make various plays on the court defensively and can turn out-of-system balls into advantages for her team. I love her versatility out there, and she can fill a number of roles for a big school.

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Isabella Brown - Pin WAVE - Elite Orange Level Prospect

Brown is another all-around pin that can play anywhere and does it all. She has the beach mentality and makes all of the shots and plays that keep WAVE in matches and keep plays alive. She is a heavy arm, but also a shot maker who sees the court exceptionally well and can read a block quickly for a high efficiency rating for an attacker.

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Zoe Merz - Middle WAVE - Elite Orange Level Prospect

Merz just makes plays for WAVE. She doesn’t get a ton of offensive opportunities in the regular flow, but she elevates and terminates when given the opportunity. Defensively, she comes up with timely blocks and is an energy giver for certain. What I like about Merz is her “high ceiling”. I think she can absolutely put on more explosive muscle to her frame and can only add more routes and expand her blocking window to an already solid base. I think she has a great opportunity to end up as a Silver Level prospect by this time next year with a dedicated off-season and intense Fall. Watch for her as a name to really emerge in the class next year.

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I will follow up with some more new names and other fast-risers in my next update, coming soon. Thanks for subscribing.