5A Middles Ready For Bigger Roles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today we will look at some of the middles who were good in 2022 but have the potential to be great in 2023. We explored players in the middle of the road in the kill and blocking categories to see who is ready for that next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489751' first='Mason' last='Palace'] - 2026 - Kapaun Mt. Carmel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We start in the southern part of the state with Wichita's [player_tooltip player_id='489751' first='Mason' last='Palace']. In her first year, she played in 89 sets and contributed in 146 kills and 50 blocks. With a year under her belt, we can see her getting over 175 and 70 this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489650' first='Taylor' last='McDonald'] - 2026 - Valley Center</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonald showed she has a bright future after a strong freshman campaign. She had 130 kills playing against tough competition all season. That success and experience will help her be even better in 2023. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489756' first='Avery' last='McCorry'] - 2026 - Bishop Carroll</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We see Wichita well represented in the middle with young players. McCorry played in the least amount of sets as this trio, seeing action in 62 sets. She held her on tallying 91 kills. She should easily eclipse the one-hundred-kill mark this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addison Vogel - 2026 - Bonner Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vogel saw the court in 62 sets on the year and showed promise defensively. She had 31 total blocks on the year and can be a blocking machine in her sophomore season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Saliyah Johnson - 2025 - Arkansas Cit</strong>y</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson saw all of her numbers make big strides from years one and two. We say this to say don't be surprised to see an even bigger jump in year three. She had 139 kills last year, up from 37. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Micaela Patrick - 2025 - Sumner Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Patrick had her first season of varsity ball in 2022 and fell just short of the 100-kill mark with 97. She had an even stronger year defensively with 56 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='221517' first='Jordyn' last='Washington'] - 2025 - Andover Central</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defense can swing the momentum of a match and Washington showed great promise at the net. She sent back over 50 balls last fall and will see those numbers higher in her junior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='519096' first='Cassie' last='Ellegood'] - 2025 - Great Bend</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Great Bend rising junior showed promise in her first season of varsity ball. She was strong at the net, finishing the year with 48 blocks. Her offensive numbers weren't too shabby also as she looks to get over 100 kills this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->