New Rankings: Class of 2023 11-20

This class was at a little of a disadvantage in this recruitment season. The 15’s season is typically the year many college coaches start browsing their courts on the club level. Of course, by March the club season was done and Division 1 coaches couldn’t get out to recruit until President’s Day weekend at the NIT Triple Crown. Due to this fact, for the first go-around of rankings, we limited it to 20. We will get a better sense of athletes from this fall and the upcoming club season. If we want more names in the rankings, we better wear a mask this fall. <a href="https://t.co/wmA7g1I1DS">The top 20</a> [player_tooltip player_id="102553" first="Layne" last="Witherspoon"] - 5’10" MB - Lafayette - Rockwood Thunder Very athletic and springy is Witherspoon. She hits a hardball from her middle position. She has good angles on her shots and capable of running a slide. Many coaches think she will be best suited at the pins. She is a dynamic blocker and presses well over the net. She played marginally in high school last year but should see extended playing time in year two. [player_tooltip player_id="102554" first="Juliette" last="Myrick"] - 5’11" S - Eureka - Rockwood Thunder The southpaw is another talented setter in this class. She has tremendous ball placement and hands. Her height allows her to be an offensive threat in the front row with timely dumps. She sets a good 2 ball and slide. Myrick has decent jumping ability, which allows her to not be a liability on defense at the net. Look for her to have a larger role in high school this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="101698" first="Kirstyn" last="Loyd"] - 5’9" OH - Jefferson - High Performance - STL Loyd wore many hats last fall for Jefferson. She played on the pin, in the middle, and even had to set at times. She is a smart hitter. Due to not being the tallest of hitters, she does a good job of tooling shots off the hands of her defenders. She is fearless and takes her best swing on most shots. She had a successful freshman season and will build on it this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="99215" first="Brooklyn" last="Young"] - 5’11" MB - Liberty - Dynasty One of the best blockers in this class, Young has high potential and could make a big leap up the rankings. She has shown the ability to hit off of one and two feet. Like many players at this age, her future could be on the pin with her jumping ability and height. She runs a good two from the middle and a quick slide to complement it. She is a high energy player. [player_tooltip player_id="102555" first="Isabel" last="Day"] - 5’9" DS - Park Hill South - KC Power Day has been a pin for most of her career but will play defense at the next level. An accomplished beach career has allowed her to turn into one of the best defenders in the class. She has shown the ability to play specialist or wear the libero jersey. As a ds, she can swing from the back row with success. She is a hard-nosed player and brings toughness to her teams. [player_tooltip player_id="102461" first="Brianna" last="Wortman"] - 5’10" OH - Francis Howell - High Performance STL Wortman is another player who has shown flashes of making a move up the list in the future. She has been steady on the pin in her early career. She has shown explosion running zeros off of one foot down the middle. She can get touches on many balls at the net defensively. She is continuing to grow as a passer. [player_tooltip player_id="102463" first="Darby" last="Beddome"] - 5’9" DS - St. Teresa’s Academy - Dynasty Beddome is another tough defender in this class. She was able to get playing time on the nationally-ranked St. Teresa's team as a freshman a year ago. She is quick and relentless in the back row. She has played some pin on the club level, so she can swing from the back row as a defender. [player_tooltip player_id="102556" first="Sam" last="Nguyen"] - 5’4" L - Lee’s Summit - Dynasty Nguyen is a player who made a splash on the high school scene in year one. She is a very solid defender and played at a high level for Lee's Summit. She has cat-like reflexes and gets many balls up that looks to be scores for the opposing team. She stands in front of heavy shots and manages to pass many of them effortlessly. She is also a pinpoint passer in serve and receive. [player_tooltip player_id="102557" first="Ava" last="Roth"] - 5’6" DS - Jefferson R-7 - Rockwood Thunder Rockwood has two really good defenders to anchor the back row. They are interchangeable in the sense of either can wear the libero jersey. Roth is as good as they come. On the high school level, she wears the jersey full time and is a tremendous passer. She puts her setter in a position to find all of her options. She does a good job of anticipating where the hitters plan to send the ball and is always a step ahead. [player_tooltip player_id="102558" first="Grace" last="Toney"] - 5’11" RS - Liberty - Dynasty Toney is quickly becoming one of the better opposites in the state. She has played middle in high school but has flourished on the right pin in club. She has a high touchpoint and hits the ball with power. She takes a great angle to the ball and finds the floor consistently. As she continues to grow and get stronger her game will continue to elevate. Don't be surprised to see her move up the list with a solid fall campaign.