Class 2B: The One-Woman Shows

Guilherme Torres October 4, 2020 @ 10:10 AM

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. As our series reaches its fourth week, it’s time to address Class 2B. The One-Woman Shows 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.   These are four players who were in this situation last season and will probably be again on the next one: [player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"] – Outside Hitter/Middle-Blocker – Senior – Toutle Lake [player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"] is one of the most versatile and powerful hitters in the division. The Toutle Lake prospect stands at 6’1” and can play as an outside hitter, middle-blocker, or right sider. She has excelled in the former position for the Lady Ducks, earning All-State team nominations in each of her three high school volleyball seasons, going from an honorable mention in 2017 to first-team honors last year. She ranks 21st on prepdig.com’s class of 2021 ranking.   Marleen Vickers – Outside Hitter – Senior - Kalama Marleen Vickers is instrumental to anything Kalama does on the court. The 5’8” outside hitter is the team’s most well-versed player on both offense and defense and in order to be successful, the Chinooks typically have to get the most from their prospect. That was certainly the case in the last couple of seasons, when Vickers earned back-to-back All-State second-team nominations.   Abigail Boesel – Setter - Sophomore – Brewster Abigil Boesel is one of those players who go above and beyond her duties, which was made very clear in her first year of high school volleyball with Brewster. The 5’6” setter mastered her main responsibilities in ball distribution with the Lady Bears, registering impressive 700 assists over the season, but also offered significant help in other areas of the game, adding 144 digs and 44 aces to her team.   Ella-Leigh Anderson – Outside Hitter – Sophomore – Crosspoint Ella-Leigh Anderson is one of the most talented defensive-minded outside hitters in the state. The 5’5” Crosspoint prospect can hold her own at the net, as she showed with 127 kills last season, but what sets her apart is her defensive game, which saw her dominate the Warriors’ backcourt in 2019 with a team-high 345 digs (5.3 per set) and 192 passes.