Middles to Catch this Week

<p> We are into our third week of the season and our Middle Hitters are getting into the groove, connecting with setters and adding up those blocks. Here are our ranked and unranked middles to catch in action this week:</p> <table class="table" style="width: 100%; height: 198px;"> <tbody> <tr class="primary" style="height: 358px;"> <td class="rank" style="width: 8.18182%; height: 198px;"> <div>59</div> <div> </div> </td> <td class="player" style="width: 57.3286%; height: 198px;"> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72795" first="Sam" last="Volkart"]</strong> is a 5’9’’ middle from LeRoy Ostrander. The team will need a big night from the junior as they look to capture their first win of the season. She is effective in the middle because of her speed and smart hitting. When she attacks she is explosive and when blocking she is a work horse that doesn’t let any hitter get a free look. They face Grand Meadow on Oct. 20th. (2022)</p> </td> <td class="metrics" style="width: 19.4311%; height: 198px;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 1.01317%; height: 198px;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 37.4747%; height: 198px;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table class="table" style="width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr class="primary"> <td class="rank" style="width: 8.08081%;"> <div>136</div> </td> <td class="player" style="width: 57.7778%;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89364" first="Bri" last="Miller"] </strong>is an important part of the Greenway’s success. While she may not always lead in stats, she is a consistent force at the net. We like her aggressive play and purposeful hitting. She brings heart and energy to each point. Their upcoming match against Deer River, should allow for her to dominate at the net and prove she is among the elite middles in the state. (2022)</td> <td class="metrics" style="width: 11.7172%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 3.33333%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 28.3838%;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table class="table" style="font-size: 1rem;"> <tbody> <tr class="primary"> <td class="rank" style="width: 8.08081%;"> <div>13</div> </td> <td class="player" style="width: 57.7778%;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31570" first="Cara" last="Cyr"],</strong> from Maple Grove, is a 6’ middle who has climbed her way up the rankings. Her time spent time working with a few great setters at MN Select has really helped her prepare for the season. In her most recent match she had a hitting efficiency of .292 in their win over Champlin Park. Grove and Andover (next match) are both currently undefeated. Look for Cyr to be a major contributor when they face off. (2022)</td> <td class="metrics" style="width: 11.7172%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 3.33333%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 28.3838%;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table class="table" style="width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr class="primary"> <td class="rank" style="width: 8.28283%;"> <div>109</div> </td> <td class="player" style="width: 55.7576%;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="86771" first="Marissa" last="Rosen"] </strong>hasn’t had huge numbers year for Willmar, but we know her time is coming. The 6’ hitter attacks out of the outside and middle. She dominated for SWMNVB club and is the backbone of this team. (2022) </td> <td class="metrics" style="width: 1.0101%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 10.6061%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 17.0707%;"> </td> <td class="desktop-only" style="width: 21.2121%;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Even with nearly 100 middles ranked for the class of 2022 and 2021, we are always finding others who deserve our attention. Here are three more to keep an eye on. They have been instrumental to the start of their season and look to have improved greatly since last year. Don’t sleep on these middles:</p> <p><em>Plainview Elgin Millville:</em> <strong>Alyx Doughty</strong> (2021) is the coaches daughter and really stepped up her game going into her senior year. By far, a top blocker in her conference with great athleticism. The Bulldogs utilize her height in the front and back row. She has a tough serve and is quick to transition on defense. This is shaping up to be the best year for the senior and her mom (coach) <strong>Melissa Doughty.</strong></p> <p><em>Minnewaska Area: </em> Although she spends most of her time on the right-side for her team, we have seen great things from player, <strong>Brecklyn Beyer</strong>. Along with her team, they are one of the toughest blocking squads. The way they close their block and press is very impressive and Beyer does a fantastic job of setting the block to do this. She adds strong hits and smart tips as she moves along in her rotations. They face a tough BOLD this coming week, but we know she will help deter their top hitters.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>