This Week’s Top Five In 2A: Who’s Next?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I feel this is the week that the supporting casts of every top five team comes to play. We're six weeks into our season, and the leaders start to get tired. Each of the teams listed today have outstanding leaders, but it's the role players that will make a difference if a long postseason run is to happen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#5: Linton-Stockton (12-4, #5 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holding fast at #5 this week are the Miners from southwestern Indiana. Winners of seven straight matches, they're peaking at just about the perfect time. My focus for these young ladies include a pair of setters that should dictate what direction they go in come October. <strong>Kylie Cooksey ('23, 5-5 S)</strong> and <strong>Audrey Warrick ('24, 6-1 S/RS)</strong> are the 6-2 (or modified 5-1) setters a team needs to keep defenses honest. Kylie's fast and athletic, while Audrey can go get a tight pass or two and still find ways to put the ball away when she's not setting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#4: Scecina (16-4, NR last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We welcome the Crusaders to the top five for the first time this fall. A pair of seniors dot this roster with nearly identical stats. Both <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='95675' first='Abbey' last='McCoy'] ('23, 5-9 OH)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='148791' first='Allison' last='Daves'] ('23, 5-9 RS)</strong> can hammer from anywhere, and each kid can produce a stat line of 3+kps/.300+/3dps each and every night. They complement each other nicely, and if one is off, the other turns on to compete. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#3: Park Tudor (16-1, #4 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panther train keeps on keepin' on, with no end in sight. With another 20-win season on the horizon, and the conference title all but assured, PT has more than a few reasons to be excited about their postseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85919' first='Anna' last='Supe']</strong> is a nice complement to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85932' first='Ava' last='Smith']</strong> on the pin, and the former will need to show more ball control in serve receive to take the pressure off of the latter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152950' first='Rena' last='Plankis'] </strong>is a nice addition to this defense, as she adds size and youth to an already athletic roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#2: Wapahani (16-3, #2 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Raiders are solid top to bottom. Munciana born and raised, girls that play volleyball at Wapahani have a high volleyball IQ, and show it. They're more than capable of playing and competing in their super-tough schedule, with a date on Thursday at 4A #1 HSE the next challenge. A pair of sophomores are great role players for this squad in <strong>Anna Buck</strong> and <strong>Sophia Beeson.</strong> Each average over two kills per set, and will be needed as the weather turns colder to take some of the load off of primary attackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85905' first='Chloe' last='Cook']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='95740' first='Camryn' last='Wise']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#1: Andrean (18-5, #1 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second verse, same as the first. The defending 2A champ isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and for good reason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110517' first='Marin' last='Sanchez']</strong> continues to terminate at a high level, even when the whole gym knows where the ball is going. With that, we have a solid 6-2 being run by the Fighting 59ers that ensure Marin's success. <strong>Katie Cusick ('23, 5-9 S)</strong> has the hands and speed to locate the ball well, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='191063' first='Varya' last='Rahoizha'] ('24, 5-10 S)</strong> has the size to go get passes smaller setters just can't get to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->