Five Serving Machines Looking For More Aces in 2020
Once just the only way to start and restart volleyball matches, serving has long ago transitioned into an important piece of every team’s offense. The ability to score aces – or to at least get the opponent out of system…
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Continue ReadingOnce just the only way to start and restart volleyball matches, serving has long ago transitioned into an important piece of every team’s offense. The ability to score aces – or to at least get the opponent out of system – has become a vital part of every coach’s game plan and players who can make the most damage from the service line have seen their stocks rise significantly over the last years.
These five players were outstanding servers in 2019 and will certainly be chasing more aces when the action starts in 2020.
Madi Zorn – Setter – Northwest Christian School
Zorn is first and foremost a great setter, but it’s easy to argue that her serving ability matches or even outshines her ball distribution. As a sophomore, the 5’8” setter recorded more aces than any other player in the entire state in 2019, sending the ball directly into Northwest Christian’s opponents impressive 107 times last season – at a 25.6 percent efficiency rate. St. George’s was the main victim of Zorn’s serving game as she managed to score 12 aces in just three sets when they matched up in October.
Ella-Leigh Anderson – Outside Hitter – Crosspoint
Anderson was arguably Crosspoint’s best player in 2019 and much of it relates to the impact she made from the service line. The outside hitter made massive progress on her serves as she jumped from 39 aces in 2018, when she first appeared as an eight-grader, to 106 in her freshman season in 2019, just one short of the state’s best. Her ace percentage, though, was even better than Washington’s leader Zorn as Anderson scored in 31.5 percent of her attempts. Her best serving performance happened in September, when she notched 18 aces in three sets against Concordia Christian Academy.
Mabrie Richards and Chantelle Issacson – Middle-Blockers – Three Rivers Christian
Three Rivers Christian had more aces than any other team in the entire state and nearly half of their 428 points from the service line came from their sophomore middle-blocker duo of Richards and Isaacson, who ranked third and fourth in Washington respectively. While Richards had the most aces of the two, 100, Isaacson was statistically more efficient, converting into direct points 96 of her 339 attempts, to an accuracy rate of 28.3 percent.
Vanessa Ayers – Middle-Blocker – Republic
Ayers’ sample might have been smaller than the other players in this list, but it was certainly not less exciting. In her sophomore year, the middle-blocker was extremely efficient from the service line as half of her 68 attempts resulted in aces. She was particularly impressive in September, when she registered nine aces in back-to-back matches against Inchelium and Northport. If he manages to keep that efficiency somewhat similar when her playing time increases, Ayers will belong in the conversation for the best server in the state.