State Tournament Class 3A Players to Watch
In this article:
Its an early start for the 3A teams competing in the Yakima SunDome today for the WIAA State championship trophy. Elyse Meade HEIGHT 5'9" POS S CLASS 2023 Elyse Meade School: Bishop Blanchet Club: NW Juniors Elite Volleyball Club Meade…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIts an early start for the 3A teams competing in the Yakima SunDome today for the WIAA State championship trophy.
Elyse Meade
Elyse Meade
Meade is a highly skilled setter, and Bishop Blanchet has put together an excellent season with her running the show. Defensively she is a standout, with a consistently high effort to pop balls up and run down shots, and a willingness to get on the ground at any time. She dishes it to the pin effortlessly, has soft hands and consistent footwork that lets her set from different positions and angles, and does an excellent job form the service line. The senior should have the Bears pushing toward a trophy.
Degenhart has cemented herself as the offensive leader for the Wildcats this season, and her ability to hit from both pins, the back row, and the middle is a difference-maker for her team. She has played all three spots in the front row at various times during her club and school career, it’s come together this year and propelled Mt, Spokane to a #4 seed. During the recent district playoffs she missed one match vs Ridgeline with an injury, Mt Spokane dropped a 3-2 decision to the Falcons. The next week she returned for the rematch and the result was a 3-0 sweep to lock up the state berth. Setter Leilani Ama is always going to make it difficult to key on any one-hitter, the Wildcats have an excellent chance to make a deep run.
Juleah Leapai
Juleah Leapai
Leapai is a setter who can do it all and fills multiple roles for her Bellevue team. She will set and take swings from both the right and the outside, she has soft hands and a high volleyball IQ for a freshman. She is surrounded by a very experienced squad, the Wolverines come into the tournament with just one loss to the top seed Lakeside. Senior Brooke Huard is a UW commit, she will take the big swings as an outside before transitioning to a DS/L for the Huskies.
The Seahawks are a fun team to watch with excellent attackers across the front line. The offensive firepower has been a problem all season long for opponents and the team arrives at the SunDome with a #3 seed and an 18-2 record. Ziah Sneva Ziah Sneva 6’2″ | MB Peninsula | 2025 State WA and sister senior outside Laney Sneva are vital to the attack along with outsides Alex Sims and Langley Griffin. Ziah is long and athletic in the middle, she has continued to improve attacking off one foot, not many teams have had success slowing down the slide when it’s clicking for Peninsula. Her blocking is fundamentally sound with a solid press, hitters have to account for her when she is across the net. The Seahawks lost in the title game last season and will look to take one last step forward this year.
Highlights
Lydia Ward
Lydia Ward
Ward was a second-team all-league player as a sophomore last season, and the junior is a team captain this season. Athletic and intelligent, she keeps her hitters in good matchups and dishes a very hittable ball to her attackers. She keeps the offense dynamic, jump setting, and when she takes the first ball on defense her teammates may set her as another hitting option for the Tides.
Moeller is a Western Washington commit and has upped her game in her senior season. Mead lost a large contingent of seniors from the state championship team a year ago and needed someone to step into the role of leader and main offensive weapon. The Panthers have received all that and more from the 6’1 outside, Moeller has passed well in serve receive, puts up a big block, and has refined off-speed shots to mix in with her heavy arm swing. Mead is strong in the middle as well, and juniors Brielle Wilson at setter and Olivia Paul at libero both have stepped into starting full-time roles and excelled. Could a match-up with rival Mt. Spokane be looming in the semi-finals?
McKenzie Uyehara
McKenzie Uyehara
Uyehara is quick as a cat in the back row for North Thurston. She can get to balls that seem a certain kill, allowing her team to convert in transition. Always solid in serve receive, she can take the seams and like most skilled liberos, cover more than her share of the court when needed. It’s tough to put a tip down in front of her, she reads well and uses her speed to pancake or run through off-speed shots for the Ram’s defense.
Lakeside is putting together a special season, and they want to cap it off with a first-place finish and take home the state championship trophy. It’s a team with multiple seniors who will play at the next level, and they all are gritty and willing to do the tough stuff needed to win. DePencier Piñero is no exception and works extremely hard on the court from her outside hitter spot. Defensively her movement is great, with a consistent platform when passing. She can hit any shot needed and is low error- while being quick off her feet. Setter Emily Dean does an awesome job running a high-tempo offense, the Lions will be tough to beat this weekend.
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/12295597/61aa797cb53ec509686a51a8