Under Armour AVCA Watch List Part 2 of 3

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Under Armour have released their 2020 watch list for the top high school players in Virginia. To be eligible, the players have to be nominated by their head coach who are members of the AVCA, and selected from thousands of nominees by a selection committee. From the watch list, the committee will select three All-Region Teams on November 4, 2020. On November 11, 2020, the committee will select three teams of 24 players to participate in the Under Armour All American game. The game is tentatively scheduled for January 1, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. The remaining 72 athletes will be honored with the Honorable Mention Awards. Fifteen seniors were selected to the watch list from the Commonwealth. Several sets of teammates made the team together and hope that they can earn more accolades for their team success in 2020. James Wood High school had 3 of the fifteen selections for the UA AVCA Watch list. No other team in Virginia had more. There are high expectations for the Winchester, VA school, and three of their core contributors this season. The James Wood Colonels finished 23-5 last season, including an undefeated conference record and culminated in a heartbreaking 5 set loss to Blacksburg in the State Quarterfinals. First for the Colonels is 5’9 Outside Hitter Kristyna Van Sickler. She is a 6 rotation Outside Hitter who excels offensively and defensively. She hits with great range and power and sees the block and defense well and has a high volleyball IQ to exploit the opponent’s weakness. She plays travel for Revolution Volleyball in Chambersburg, PA, and is still uncommitted for her post-high school playing career. She’s a high energy player with a great serve. [player_tooltip player_id="111394" first="Grace" last="Frigaard"] starts at the other Outside Hitter position for the Colonels. The 5’11 dominant Outside Hitter can get kills from anywhere. She had overwhelming power and great range. She has great ball control and defense as well and can be an impact blocker at the net. She reads well in defense and makes solid transitions to make herself an available hitter on defensive plays. Grace started playing the sport she loves in 3rd grade, The tall right-handed spiker will continue her playing career for the Highlanders of Radford University in the Fall of 2021. The last Colonel, but certainly not least, is the team’s dominant right side player, [player_tooltip player_id="111392" first="Lainie" last="Putt"]. The fiery lefty can play all three front row positions and hit any variety of sets which is rare for left-handed players. She knows when to attack and when to go offspeed and mixes her shots well. She’s immensely competitive and her limitless energy pumps up her teammates each and every match. The future psychology major will continue her playing career for St Francis College- Brooklyn in New York City. The Eastern Mennonite High School Flames in Harrisonburg, VA had a historic season as well in 2019. Coach Williams’s squad had a perfect regular season at 18-0 including 10-0 in the Blue Ridge Conference. They won their first two matches in the state tournament but fell in the semi-finals to Timberlake Christian in the semifinals. Two players had milestones for the team and earned well-deserved accolades. [player_tooltip player_id="111410" first="Karla" last="Hostetter"] stands at a modest 5’5 but is a dynamic leader of the team and runs the offense. The selfless Setter for the Flames reaches the 1,000 assists for her career in 2019. She was named 2nd team All-State for the VISAA and to the Under Armour AVCA Watch List. While being soft-spoken off the court, she is the tenacious emotional and spiritual leader for the team. She sets a very hittable and consistent ball and also helps the team with her stellar defense. [player_tooltip player_id="111409" first="Adrienne" last="Cline"] is the dominant Outside Hitter for the Flames and surpassed 1000 career kills last season. The 5’10 attacker can score from anywhere on the court. The Team Captain has solid ball control and reads well on defense. Adrienne was named First Team All-State in 2019, AVCA National Player of the Week (10/14-20), and MaxPreps Player of the Match 5 times. The hardworking stud Outside Hitter has worked tirelessly on improving by playing all year with travel teams and training sessions. Having been the only 8th grader on the varsity team, she’s worked tirelessly to improve.