Class 1A: The One-Woman Shows

<p><em>The next high school volleyball season won’t start in Washington until March 2021, but there’s absolutely no reason why we should wait until there to know more about the best teams in each class. In this series, we’ll dissect each of the state’s six divisions by analyzing the top teams and the most promising players and what we can expect from them when the balls are finally allowed to fly. In our opening week, we’ll bring some info on the Class 1A.</em></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>The One-Woman Shows</strong></p> <p>One of the most interesting things about high school sports is that you won’t see super teams formed as often as you do in pro sports as players pick their schools based on their locations, not on higher salaries or better playing opportunities. That spreads the talent pool in a relatively wide way, making competition more entertaining and, in some cases, allows players to stand out in such a formidable way that they become true one-woman armies for their teams.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>These are five players who were in this situation last season and will probably be again on the next one:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Brooke Silvernail – Outside Hitter – Senior – La Salle</strong></p> <p>Brooke Silvernail has been La Salle’s best player since the minute she set foot in the team’s training court. The 5’9” outside hitter has appeared in the All-State team in each of her three seasons, including 2019, when she was a first-team selection. She has a great all-around game and a smart and effective offense, highlighted by quick sets and wrist-away shots.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Kate Piasecki – Setter/Opposite – Junior - Charles Wright </strong></p> <p>Kate Piasecki showed her value to Charles Wright last season by doing literally everything for the Terriers. Playing a setter/opposite, the 5’10” prospect led the team in assists (653) and aces (83), was second in blocking (24), third in digging (223) and fifth in kills (76), earning an All-State team honorable mention.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Alyssa Radke – Middle-Blocker – Senior – Connell</strong></p> <p>Alyssa Radke was the rare case of a player from a team, Connell, that didn’t appear at the State Championship, but was still included at the All-State second team. The six-foot middle-blocker has an outstanding game at the net and contributed to the team in a variety of ways, with 184 kills, 42 aces, 36 blocks and 145 digs.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Genevieve Wilkinson – Defensive Specialist /Libero – Junior – Sultan</strong></p> <p>Genevieve Wilkinson’s backcourt game for Sultan is truly impressive. The defensive specialist registered 566 of the team’s 1,830 digs in 2019, averaging 7.2 per set, and 417 passes, leading the Turks in both categories. Besides leading Sultan’s strong defensive game, the defender also helped the team scoring points with 60 aces.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96999" first="Tiffany" last="Chandler"] – Right Sider/Outside Hitter - Senior – La Center</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="96999" first="Tiffany" last="Chandler"] is La Center’s offense herself. In 2019, the 5’9” outside hitter was responsible for more than half of the Wildcats’ 674 kills, registering 354 to her name, an average of five per set. Her offensive dominance was on display when she scored 45 points against Columbia. She also had 28 aces and 18 blocks, deservedly earning an All-State second-team nomination. She ranks 20th at prepdig.com’s class of 2021 ranking.</p>