Class 2A: Top Teams – Ridgefield

<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 the third week of our series, we present Class 2A.</em></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Ridgefield</strong></p> <p>Ridgefield is certainly a force to reckon in the division, having won the last two State Championship titles after finishing third in 2017 and enjoying an undefeated 21-0 campaign last year. The Spudders will have big shoes to fill with the departure of four graduated seniors, most notably two-time Player of the Year outside hitter Delaney Nicoll, but the return of a pair of All-State second-team members in [player_tooltip player_id="96981" first="Allie" last="Andrew"] and [player_tooltip player_id="96988" first="Emilea" last="Stepaniuk"] give them the confidence that they have every right to dream about a three-peat.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Their three key players are:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96981" first="Allie" last="Andrew"] – Middle-Blocker – Senior</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="96981" first="Allie" last="Andrew"] was already a central piece in Ridgefield’s system last year, when she was an All-State second-team selection, and she should grow to an even larger role next season. At 6’4”, she has the size and the skill to be the team’s go-to scoring option, as she showed in last year’s State Championship final, when she had 12 kills. Andrew is also an outstanding blocker and her talent has already been spotted by Baylor, which secured a commitment from prepdig.com’s second-placed player in the class of 2021 ranking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96988" first="Emilea" last="Stepaniuk"] – Libero/Defensive Specialist - Senior</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="96988" first="Emilea" last="Stepaniuk"] is one of the main reasons for Ridgefield’s solid defensive system. The 5’7” libero is a back-to-back All-State second-team member and her great play last year, which was highlighted by a 27-dig performance in the State Championship final against Ellensburg, cemented her ninth spot – an unusually high position for a defensive player - in prepdig.com’s class of 2021 rankings.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97010" first="Kohana" last="Fukuchi"] – Setter - Senior</strong></p> <p>Setters typically have prominent roles in championship-winning teams and it was no different with [player_tooltip player_id="97010" first="Kohana" last="Fukuchi"] last year. The 5’6” prospect did a great job in orchestrating the Spudders’ offense and putting her teammates in a great position to score. With go-to scoring option Nicoll gone, Fukuchi will need to restructure her game, but she’s mature and talented enough to be just as efficient as she was last season. She ranks 36th at prepdig.com’s class of 2021 ranking.</p>