Small School Heroes: Top Indiana Players From Small Schools In Class of ’21

<p>There are always diamonds in the rough that slip through the recruiting cracks simply because of the size of their high school or club. In this article, we touch on the top five kids from the Hoosier State in the graduating class of 2021 that come from smaller-than-average schools that should be receiving a little more attention.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85699" first="Atlantis" last="Clendenin"], 5-9, OH, Circle City 17 Purple (17-1), Parke Heritage High School (enrollment: 336)</strong></p> <p>Atlantis is a rare breed. She is truly 5-9, but is one of the few in Indiana that has a heavy arm. She uses that to her advantage; her attack from the left pin is hard to block because of its pace, and she hits a heavy topspin jump serve that can be straight 12-to-6, a curve ball or even a heavy screw ball that works away to the left of passers. I just love this kid’s arm, and she’s more than capable of playing at the open level that CC 17 Purple plays.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85706" first="Elizabeth" last="Phillips"], 5-10, DS/OH, Team Indiana 18 Elite (18-1), Heritage Christian School (enrollment: 462)</strong></p> <p>Elizabeth can pass, can attack from both pins, and is more than capable of playing at the 18 Open level that TI 18 Elite plays. I love her fire, I love her speed, and she’s a winner, as Heritage Christian won their first volleyball state championship this past fall. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85713" first="Anna" last="Ballengee"], 5-10, DS, Circle City 17 Purple (17-1), Barr-Reeve High School (enrollment: 227)</strong></p> <p>She’s the libero for one of the top 17s teams in the midwest, and plays all six rotations for her high school team, who just happened to make it all the way to the state semifinal, losing to Heritage Christian (see above) in three tight sets. Her steady demeanor and consistent play in serve receive and defense has her easily a top libero recruit in this class, and I can’t wait for Barr-Reeve to make another run at the 2A state title next fall.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85715" first="Anna" last="Purichia"], 5-10, OH, Union 18 Asics (18-1), Providence High School (enrollment: 385)</strong></p> <p>Anna is from a massive family of volleyball studs. Her younger sister runs the offense for Union’s 15s team, her parents are coaches, and Anna herself is playing up a year as one of the primary pin hitters on Union’s flagship squad. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, Providence is so good that they don’t play in the 2A classification in Indiana. They play in the 4A classification with the biggest and best in the state----and they WIN. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85731" first="Josie" last="Jones"], 5-10, MB, Circle City 16 White (16-3), Cascade High School (enrollment: 431)</strong></p> <p>Cascade is not, I repeat, NOT, a volleyball powerhouse like the teams listed above. Josie continues to do her thing, being a pin attacker last season in club, a middle this season in club, and a primary passing do-everything during high school. She does everything well, and is only getting better. Under the radar indeed; her club team rarely leaves the state of Indiana to play tournaments. This kid would truly be a steal for someone in the low D2/high D3 range who’s receiving very little attention at this time.</p>