This Week’s Top Five In 2A: The Littles That Play Big

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the highest levels, size and speed are coveted. But what about in high school? Doesn't skill count for something? Of course it does, which is why these five teams have a few athletes that are key parts of the successes each squad has so far this season. Here are this week's top five and the undersized who play big.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#5: Linton-Stockton (11-4, NR last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome to the top five, Miners! With a ton of youth, this year's squad looks to move past the sectional in a big way. Leading the way for this group are a pair of outsides in <strong>Sophie Hale ('24, 5-5 OH)</strong> and <strong>Ella Warrick ('26, 5-9 OH).</strong> The pair average two kills per set each, while also owning one of the top two spots in three other categories. The Millers' success starts and ends with this pair.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#4: Park Tudor (14-1, NR last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers make a return trip to the top five after a very strong start to the season. Everyone knows about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85932' first='Ava' last='Smith'] ('23, 6-0 OH, FGCU commit),</strong> but what about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85936' first='Desha' last='Van Veldhuizen'] ('23, 5-8 S)?</strong> Without a tough loss to 3A #1 Western Boone, this is an undefeated Panther squad. They haven't dropped a set since that late August matchup, and Desha's lead in three different statistical categories are part of the reason why.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#3: South Central (Union) (19-2, #5 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My goodness. The Satellites just keep on keepin' on. <strong>Hope Welsh ('24, 5-6 S)</strong> runs the show at nine assists per set, while also scoring points from behind the end line. <strong>Riley Schmack ('23, 5-5 DS/L)</strong> is the first-contact queen every winning program needs. This pair will be needed much more down the stretch if the Satellites want to make that deep run in October.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#2: Wapahani (13-3, #1 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Raiders are still the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing in November, and the meat of their schedule is behind them. I look for no more than five losses for this program when their season is done. The undersized truly run this show, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85905' first='Chloe' last='Cook'] ('23, 5-8 OH)</strong>, whose stat line of 3+k/.300+ is a constant reminder of how good she is. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85901' first='Reese' last='Baker'] ('23, 5-4 DS/L, Ball State commit)</strong> anchors a back line with her team leading aces and digs. This pair are the primary passing duo we've come to expect from any team in Delaware County.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#1: Andrean (17-5, #2 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending champs don't rebuild. It's not in their nature. With so much talent and so much high-level club experience on this roster, it was hard to just pick two. However, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='224156' first='Kara' last='Schutz'] ('23, 5-4 DS/L)</strong> and <strong>Kristen Schutz ('23, 5-5 DS)</strong> will do just fine, thankyouverymuch. The pair are always on every first contact, whether it is in transition or serve receive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->