District 2B Central – The Stars

<p>Over the last few months, we’ve provided you a lot of information about who are the players you won’t want to miss when the high school volleyball season starts in Washington next March. First we broke the players down by division and then we switched gears to analyze who are expected to be the most outstanding athletes in the top teams of each of those divisions.</p> <p>For the next several weeks, we’ll dive even deeper, taking a closer look at each of the 46 district leagues in the state of Washington and pointing out the players we believe will be worth your attention in the near future.</p> <p>The 2B Central district features as many as 12 high schools and their three best players are:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"] – Outside Hitter/Middle-Blocker – Senior – Toutle Lake</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"]’s offensive game has taken Toutle Lake a long way in 2019 as the team surpassed expectations to finish sixth at the State Championship. The 6’1” outside hitter, who can play as a middle-blocker if needed, is lethal at the net with an unstoppable combination of size and speed. Smith, who can also pass, serve and block at a very good level for the Lady Ducks, received an All-State first-team nomination for her great play last season. She ranks 21st at prepdig.com’s class of 2021 ranking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Jansi Merz – Middle-Blocker – Senior – Wahkiakum</strong></p> <p>Jansi Merz has been perfectly built to an elite middle-blocker with a 6’3” frame and the speed to move well at the net. That combination has made of her a key piece in Wahkiakum’s system and led the Lady Mules to a State Championship appearance in 2019. Merz has also been rewarded for her fantastic performances, having received back-to-back honorable mentions to the All-State team in the last two years.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Marleen Vickers – Outside Hitter – Senior - Kalama</strong></p> <p>Marleen Vickers is a prototypical outside hitter who helps her team with a little bit of everything on a volleyball court. Kalama has been fortunate to have the 5’8” prospect on their side of the net in the last three seasons and Vickers led no doubts about her importance for the Chinooks. Capable of making a big impact on both offense and defense, she was part of the All-State second team in each of the last two seasons.</p>