Class 4A: Top Teams – Richland

<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. As our series comes to an end, we’ll touch on Class 4A.</em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><strong>Richland</strong></p> <p>Richland appeared in the division’s top-eight in each of the last two years and ended just one win away from the State Championship title in the 2018 season. Outside hitter Sage Brustad was a major factor in both campaigns for the Lady Bombers, but she’s now playing volleyball for the Eastern Washington University. Despite the departure of its main star, Richland should still be able to be part of the division’s elite thanks to a strong returning core of players.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Their three key players are:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Marin Mackey – Middle-Blocker/Outside Hitter – Senior</strong></p> <p>Marin Mackey is a rare talent who not only dominates the main skills of the game of volleyball, including hitting, passing and blocking, but can also play multiple positions at a high level. The Richland six-footer is comfortable when playing outside hitter, but has most recently excelled with the Lady Bombers at the middle-blocker position, one in which she earned an All-State team honorable mention last year.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97028" first="Ryan" last="White"] – Libero – Senior</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="97028" first="Ryan" last="White"] was Richland’s safeguard at the back of the court in 2019. Extremely agile, the 5’8” defender possesses a high volleyball IQ, great ball control and a unique fighting spirit, making of her the perfect fit for the libero position, one which she fully embraces. The Lady Bombers defensive star was at her best season, earning an All-State team honorable mention and the 49th spot at prepdig.com’s class of 2021 ranking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Payton Pedersen – Setter/Opposite - Senior</strong></p> <p>Payton Pederson did a magnificent job in leading Richland to another State Championship appearance in 2019. The setter was consistent and managed to keep all of her hitters involved, making of the Lady Bombers a difficult team to play against. Her play was recognized with a Mid-Columbia Conference team nomination. At 5’7”, Pederson is also capable of taking up some hitting duties when needed.</p>