Class 3A: The One-Woman Shows
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…
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Continue ReadingThe 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. It’s the fifth week of the series now, so class 3A is our focus.
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 five players who were on this situation last season and will probably be again on the next one:
Kambel Fiser – Setter/Right Sider – Senior – West Seattle
Kambel Fiser is one of those rare players with the ability to impact every aspect of her team’s game. West Seattle has greatly benefited from her all-around game, but still couldn’t build from it to get a good result. That’s certainly not Fiser’s fault as last year the 5’11” prospect provided a massive contribution, leading the team in assists (446), kills (159) and aces (80) and ranking second in digs (299) and blocks (75).
Sydney Patterson – Middle-Blocker – Senior – Chief Sealth
Blocking is Sidney Patterson’s bread and butter. The 5’11” middle-blocker has certainly made her presence felt at the net in each of her two seasons with the Seahawks, easily being the team’s top-blocker with 85 and 81 points and averaging nearly two blocks per set. The rest of her game is not as eye-popping, but her 83 kills, 20 aces and 64 digs last season were all decent at the very least.
McKenzie Whyte – Middle-Blocker – Senior – Snohomish
McKenzie Whyte was as good of a hitter for Snohomish last season as one would expect from a 6’2” middle-blocker as she placed the ball on the opponents’ court 240 times over the course of the season. The Panthers’ prospect doesn’t limit her impact to the net, though, having added impressive 261 digs and 58 aces for her side as well.
Jaydia Martin – Outside Hitter – Senior – Hudson’s Bay
The fact that Jaydia Martin was an All-State second-team selection in a season which Hudson’s Bay didn’t even qualify to the State Championship speaks volumes about her production for the team. The 5’11” outside hitter was a force for her team at the net and her heavy arm might not have taken Hudson’s Bay exactly where she expected, but it certainly earned her some well-deserved recognition.
Claire Donovan – Libero/Defensive Specialist – Senior – Eastside Catholic
Claire Donovan took care of her duties with Eastside Catholic masterfully as the libero was a bright spot for the Crusaders. The 5’6” defensive star controlled the team’s backcourt leading Eastside Catholic’s defensive efforts last season with 348 digs and 393 passes and also gave some offensive contribution herself, registering 41 aces.