Rankings Update: The Bigs In ’22 Who Are Available

<p>We continue our peruse through the new class of ’22 rankings by mentioning our favorite middles that are available. All of these players jump touch well past 9-6, all can play either middle position, and all will make a difference in the fall of 2022. It’s just a matter of who wants them more.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="103403" first="Abigail" last="Kesler"], 5-11, Munciana 17 Aztecs</strong></p> <p>I listed Abigail first for one reason----her versatility. She’s fast enough to get past the big, lumbering blockers, long enough to defend from pin to pin, and is exemplary off of both two feet and one foot behind the setter. She has all of the shots in the book, and excels when the set is away from the middle (read: 3s and slides). The smallest middle on this list has probably the biggest upside.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85828" first="Lovie" last="Wallace"], 6-0, Munciana 18 Samurai</strong></p> <p>Lovie is the only person on this list with a state championship medal in her trophy case. Her length and strength make her an ideal M2, as her attack off of two feet is heavy and effective. She can, however, go off of one foot just as well. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102465" first="Aniya" last="Kennedy"], 6-0, Dunes 17 Black</strong></p> <p>Probably the highest jumper of the bunch, Aniya will go over your block at any opportunity. She has a natural basketball background, making her very effective behind the setter, but can go off of two feet as well. Her long and lean build makes it easy for her to cover pin to pin on the block, and her athleticism covers the rest.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85807" first="Sky" last="Moffitt"], 6-2, Circle City 17 Purple</strong></p> <p>The biggest on the list today, Sky is inching towards a jump touch of ten feet, if she’s not there already. She hits a high and heavy ball, and is a force defensively. I’ve only seen her in a backup role so far this spring, so hopefully we see a little more of her when MEQ’s come around in March.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85823" first="Sarah" last="Bennett"], 6-0, Circle City 17 Black</strong></p> <p>Although listed at 9-5 on her jump touch, I was on her court recently at Central Zones and saw a dynamic, high-flying middle asked to do a bunch of different things offensively. I would not be surprised if that measurement is outdated. She’s also hyperaggressive, something you can’t exactly teach these days. Very fast, very athletic, and is only getting stronger. At one point during the match I saw against Legacy’s 17-1, Sarah hit two footed attacks on both pins, hit in front of the setter in the middle, and had a few slides added in to boot. Her versatility will be her calling card going forward.</p>