Checking In On the Class of 2023 CA Watchlist

<p>The Class of 2023 California Watchlist features talented athletes throughout the state. From time to time, we’ll check in on the list and showcase a handful of the standouts from it. In this article, we take a look at five of the top juniors who impressed during their high school seasons.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160346" first="Auburn" last="Tomkinson"], 6-4 Right Side, Carlsbad, Wave</strong> – The Lancers are fortunate to have Tomkinson for one more season before she continues her volleyball career at Texas. With the ability to play well above the net, Tomkinson can prove problematic for opposing defenses. She was second on Carlsbad in kills with 210 during the regular season and led the squad in blocks with 23. Twice this season she recorded a season-high 18 kills, hitting over .500 both times.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160313" first="Olivia" last="Babcock"], 6-3 Right Side, Sierra Canyon HS, Sunshine</strong> – This high flyer is already committed to Pittsburgh but the Trailblazers are glad to have her for one more season. Her run as a junior was stat filler as she finished the regular season with 254 kills, 80 digs, 56 blocks and 42 aces. She put up a season-high 30 kills in a five-set victory against Campbell Hall on Oct. 12, when she hit .404 as well. However, her best overall outing of the season came in Sierra Canyon’s five-set triumph against San Clemente in the opening round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with 23 kills and season-best 15 digs.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160016" first="Claire" last="Little"], 6-2 Outside, Vista Murrieta, Coast</strong> – Little burst on the high school season as a freshman when she led the Broncos with 461 kills and hit .306 with 247 digs. This fall has been similar, as Little once again paced Vista Murrieta in kills with 371 to go with 204 digs, 36 aces and 31 blocks. She had a prolific three-match stretch early this season against top teams in the state in Marymount, Mira Coast and Mater Dei when she had 20 kills, 26 and 24 respectively. It was part of five-match streak where she reached at least 20 kills. Little is committed to BYU.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160309" first="Sydnie" last="Vanek"], 6-1 Outside, Clovis HS, Tsunami</strong> – Committed to Arizona, Vanek has been a powerful force for the Cougars. She showed what she’s capable of during a five-set victory over Central on Sept. 21 when the junior had a season-high 30 kills and hit .322. She also produced nicely as Clovis closed out Tri-River League action with a four-set triumph against Clovis West. In that one, Vanek had 23 kills and hit .318.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160342" first="Brooklyn" last="Yelland"], 5-8 Libero/DS/Outside, Laguna Beach HS, Coast</strong> – A future libero/DS for Boston College, Yelland is doing whatever she can for the Breakers as a hitter this fall. Still, she shines defensively as she led Laguna Beach with 309 digs through the regular season, including a season-high 25 saves in a sweep over Los Alamitos on Oct. 13. Offensively, Yelland put down 161 kills during the regular season, highlighted by a season-best 18 winners in a match against Foothill on Aug. 26.</p> <p><em>*email chris.tobolski@prepdig.com with any updates, corrections or relevant information</em></p>