<p><strong>Holly Heldt</strong> (2023) | Hermann</p>
<p>The 5’11 middle has made big leaps in her ability this year. With her vertical, length, and power, Heldt was by far the best middle for Class 2. In the semifinal win over Jefferson 23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-21, the mean middle would hit .439 with 29 kills, 20 digs, and four blocks. </p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101698" first="Kirstyn" last="Loyd"]</strong> (2023) | Jefferson</p>
<p>In another article, I said Jefferson is a year away from a title, and after watching them in person, I have to say they will be a favorite next season. Loyd has one speed, and that is all out. The 5’11 outside used her strength and powerful arm to put down 20 kills and 11 digs in the semifinal loss to Hermann. </p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119196" first="Isabella" last="Limback"]</strong> (2022) | Santa Fe</p>
<p>Since her sophomore year, I’ve not had the chance to watch her play, but I knew she was a mean one to watch. The 5’11 outside hitter for the Chiefs pounded home 36 kills in a semifinal loss to Miller 19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 8-15. She does it all for Santa Fe, but her hitting abilities were impressive all weekend. </p>
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<p><strong>Emberlynn Kingsley</strong> (2023) | Miller</p>
<p>The 6’2 middle for the Cardinals impacted the game significantly with her wingspan in the middle. If she wasn’t blocking the ball straight down, she was getting enough of a touch on the ball to help her defense. With 13 kills and five blocks in the semifinal win, Kingsley did her part patrolling the net. </p>
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<p><strong>Kaitlyn Clenney</strong> (2022) | Gideon</p>
<p>A 5’9 hard-hitting middle for the Bulldogs gives you a different look than most middles. The lefty hits all over the front row, but her powerful swing gave the Gideon’s the edge to win the semifinal match over South Iron 25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 25-9. Fourteen kills and nine digs in the win helped push her team to play for its first state championship since 2002. </p>
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