Academy Summer League Week 5 Wrap-Up: Pike

<p>The Red Devils have long had athletes that played volleyball. Now, with a solid coaching direction, multiple kids playing club, and even MORE athleticism, there are multiple reasons to watch Pike more as an up-and-coming "volleyball school". With a  mixture of youth and experience, here’s what I saw on Thursday.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="148991" first="Gabbi" last="Hart"], 5-5 S</strong></p> <p>Although some might use Gabbi’s size as a reason for her not receiving a lot of publicity, I think her size combined with her athleticism makes her a prime next-level candidate. She runs a 5-1 with ease, gives hittable balls to the right hitters in the right matchups, and can even get to balls that are passed tight with her exceptional jumping ability. Another fine trait for Miss Hart is her above-average defense. It helps that their libero (listed below) can take the second ball consistently, but knowing that Gabbi doesn’t bail on her responsibility to play defense first just adds to her marketability for the next level.</p> <p><strong>’23, [player_tooltip player_id="99586" first="Gabby" last="Gilbert"], 5-10 OH/RS</strong></p> <p>Heavy-armed and smart, THIS Gabby can hit from anywhere, including pipes in the back row, and terminate regularly. She can hit shots on either pin, and can be a six-rotation option in serve receive if needed. Additionally, she bombs away from behind the service line, and can control a match offensively by herself more than any of her teammates. Miss Gilbert plays above her 5-10 frame, is strong, and has great club training. No doubt we’ll be hearing more about Gabby in the months to come.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="148990" first="Carolyn" last="Hanscom"], 5-6 DS/L</strong></p> <p>Steady and she goes, Miss Hanscom is a solid, consistent libero who can play either left back or middle back going forward. She loves the challenge of being in charge of the defense, and is easy to communicate with. Being the ’bro is so important to Carolyn that she actually wore a different colored practice tee to the summer league. In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t matter, but to Miss Hanscom it does. Her attention to those little details will be the difference between her commitment at the next level and some other DS being passed over.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="85890" first="Cheyenne" last="Hodges"], 6-1 MB</strong></p> <p>Cheyenne could also play right side at the next level, but on this night, hitting against her was like hitting in a phone booth in the middle. She seemed to float in midair on off-speed shots just so that she could get a hand on them. More of an M2 for the casual observer, her natural ability to block and use her length to go pin-to-pin is an excellent foundation for her volleyball acumen. Here’s to hoping that her hitting ability will catch up just as well.</p> <p><strong>’23, [player_tooltip player_id="119626" first="Mariah" last="Minor"], 5-10 MB</strong></p> <p>The "other" middle is a bit more polished, and uses her speed and athleticism to beat most middles that might be bigger than she. I like her terminal attacks, I like her coachability, and I like that she always seems to learn from her errors in the middle of the match---her ability to apply adjustments mid-match was evident on Thursday. Keep working Mariah, your time will come.</p>