Tuesday Match to Watch: Puyallup vs Emerald Ridge

<p>It’s that time of the year again! The high school volleyball season is progressing at full pace in the state of Washington and we’re all enjoying all the exciting prospects of the Evergreen State in action once again.</p> <p>Twice a week, we’ll use this space to recommend some matches to keep and eye on and, most importantly, some of the most interesting prospects you’ll want to watch if you have an opportunity.</p> <p>This is our suggestion for Tuesday, October 5:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Puyallup vs Emerald Ridge – 7.15pm</strong></p> <p>The Vikings of the Puyallup High School are among the most successful teams at the start of this high school season, having won 12 and lost just one match so far. The team coached by Allie Schumacher has won its last three matches and sits at the top of the 4A South Puget Sound District with four wins.</p> <p>The Lady Jaguars from the Emerald Ridge High School are right behind in the 4A South Puget Sound District with four victories and one loss. Their overall win record this season is more modest, though, and is currently at 7-5. Head coach Bobby McGivern and his squad will be looking to bounce back after a setback against Olympia last week.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Puyallup</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97260" first="Ivy" last="Vindivich"] – Outside Hitter – Club: DaKine Warriors - 2023</strong></p> <p>A versatile prospect who can play as an outside hitter or a right sider, [player_tooltip player_id="97260" first="Ivy" last="Vindivich"] has been leading Puyallup’s offense this season. The 5’11” pin hitter has already registered 132 kills in 35 sets, to an average of 3.8 per set, but has most impressively reached a 44.3% kill rate. Vindivich has been solid on the backcourt too, producing 72 digs and 15 aces.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0cd0lIJv_vY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Reese Sheppard – Setter – Club: North Pacific Juniors - 2025</strong></p> <p>Not many teams are fortunate to have a freshman setter slot just nicely in their starting lineup but Puyallup can’t complain of their luck with Reese Sheppard. The 5’4” setter, who also has tremendous backcourt skills, has adjusted in no time to the hitters around her and is producing in large scale, having registered 337 assists in 35 sets, averaging just below ten assists per set. She has also 88 digs and 23 aces so far in the season.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14207137/5e4dc4e3f5616f0c347043b0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Emerald Ridge</strong></p> <p><strong>Grace Wesenberg – Outside Hitter – Club: Puget Sound Volleyball Academy – 2024</strong></p> <p>Grace Wesenberg needed just one full season to become Emerald Ridge’s go-to scoring option. The 5’11” outside hitter plays a pivotal role for the Lady Jaguars on both sides of the game, but especially on offense, as her team-high 126 kills (3.2 per set) show. Wesenberg has also produced really well on defense with 69 digs, at the net with 13 blocks and from the service line with 16 aces.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmOgezo0OXQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97261" first="Bailey" last="Johnson"] – Outside Hitter – 2023</strong></p> <p>Outside hitter is a position of strength for Emerald Ridge because of the combination between Wesenberg and [player_tooltip player_id="97261" first="Bailey" last="Johnson"]. Despite being shorter at 5’7”, Jonhson is also very effective at the net, having tallied 115 kills in 39 sets so far (averaging 2.9 per set). She’s also been contributing on the defensive side of the game with 54 digs.</p>