The Greater Kansas City Suburban Gold Juniors to Know in 2020

<p>There were numerous sophomores playing key roles for their respective teams in 2019. After an extensive year of varsity playing experience under their belts, we should expect big things from many of them this season. Here is our list of 2022 players to keep an eye on for the fall season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41808" first="Madison" last="Corf"] -  OH - Liberty High School</strong></p> <p>Liberty featured a dynamic 1-2 punch with Ole Miss commit [player_tooltip player_id="41749" first="Bailee" last="Middleton"] and Corf, totaling over 700 kills between the two. Expect Corf to again bring the power from the outside for the Blue Jays. Last year, she had 317 kills along with 55 digs. We should see her dig and block numbers increase in 2020. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41825" first="Isabel" last="Zimmerman"] - MH/RS - Liberty North High School</strong></p> <p>Zimmerman burst onto the scene in 2019 for the Eagles. In her sophomore season, she had 228 kills while hitting at a .299 hitting percentage. She was also strong defensively adding 78 blocks. Look for her to reach 300 kills and 100 blocks this fall. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41799" first="Addison" last="Beagle"] - S - Liberty North Nigh School</strong></p> <p>Liberty North was a pretty young team last season a<span style="font-size: 1rem;">nd their offense was led by the rising sophomore. In her second season of running the varsity, Beagle saw her numbers jump in 2019. The setter averaged 10 assists per set for 743 on the year. She also dug the ball 270 times. She will be within reach of 2000 career assists in only her junior season.</span></p> <p><strong>Caitlyn Burns - MS/RS - Liberty North High School</strong></p> <p>Another sophomore, Burns should have an extended role after the graduation of Taylor Gates. The sophomore has the versatility to play middle and right-side for the Eagles. In 63 sets last season, she had 68 kills and 23 blocks.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41818" first="Chloe" last="Kaminski"] - OH - Blue Springs High School</strong></p> <p>Kaminski is already a known name after a season in which she earned All-State honors. She’s still worthy of being added to this list because more will be expected of her this fall. Last year she had a team-leading 258 kills for the Wildcats. A true 6 rotation player, she added 259 digs on the season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41810" first="Ella" last="Duchane"] - MH - Blue Springs High School</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats shocked many making the sectional playoffs last season. They will not be able to sneak up on teams this year due to the play of Duchane. In her varsity debut season, the middle hitter had 166 kills. She proved able to handle her own defensively as well, adding 40 blocks on the season. In a conference deep in middle hitters, look for her to be amongst the top this fall. </p> <p><strong>Marti Strickert - S - Blue Springs South High School</strong></p> <p>It has been well documented the Jaguars had a young team in 2019 after the departure of nine seniors. The sophomore setter played a valuable role for her team in a 6-2 offense. Last year she had 219 assists and 92 digs on the season.  Blue Springs South returns most of their team so expect Strickert’s numbers to increase this fall. </p> <p><strong>Taylor Bailey - OH - Lee’s Summit North High School</strong></p> <p>Lee’s Summit North was another young team in the conference in 2019. We should expect to see Bailey’s numbers go to another level in her junior campaign. Last season she contributed 82 kills from the outside hitter position.</p> <p><strong>Syndey Handel - OH - Lee’s Summit West High School</strong></p> <p>Handel returns for Lee’s Summit West after arriving on the scene in her sophomore season. She played as a freshman but her contributions skyrocketed in 2019. As a 3 rotation player, Handel had 208 kills and 75 digs. She had a hitting percentage of .286. She will be the go-to hitter for the Titans in 2020 after the graduation of [player_tooltip player_id="41659" first="Odyssey" last="Warren"].</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41816" first="Lacey" last="Higgins"] - S - Lee’s Summit West High School</strong></p> <p>Higgins had a phenomenal sophomore season after taking control of the Titans offense. She did a good job of finding her hitters and finished with 725 assists on the season. She returns two of her top three in kills so her numbers should remain steady. She also added 183 digs for good measure.</p>