H.S. Preview: Returning Veteran Stars in the ECC

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Kings</em></strong><br>The favorite to repeat as ECC champs have a core group back with high potential impact each time they compete. Finishing 1-2 in the league offensively last season, [player_tooltip player_id='114584' first='Elise' last='Marchal'] and [player_tooltip player_id='114565' first='Sydney' last='Barrett'] handle a fair share of ball control opportunities to go along with their high volume of work with their arms. [player_tooltip player_id='139272' first='Abby' last='Yoder'] was the league's assist leader in 2022 and will again distribute an offense that has high octane capabilities. [player_tooltip player_id='222621' first='Ava' last='McIntyre'] is back for her sophomore season as the lefty helps balance the floor with her presence on the right side. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='114578' first='Dakota' last='Henry'] is one of the best in the great Cincy area as she can stabilize the first-touch role well with her experience and platform skills. Kings is 2-0 overall so far in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Turpin</em></strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='139273' first='Lilly' last='Gillespie'] is one of the best six-rotation prospects and offensive threats in the league. She has great ball control and defensive tools to create quality opportunities while, at 5'8, she can get up and take big swings with good range. [player_tooltip player_id='139274' first='Melana' last='Bigelow'] is her offensive counterpart and brings a different style with more size in her physical frame. [player_tooltip player_id='227798' first='Maddie' last='Steele'] is a reliable offensive threat as well coming off a great club season. These three each earned double-digit kills in their tight early-season 3-2 loss to Seton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Little Miami</em></strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='196359' first='Darbi' last='Ricketts'] is one of the best all-around attackers in the ECC as she led Little Miami offensively last season with 277 total, earning 1st team all-ECC honors. [player_tooltip player_id='196361' first='Micah' last='Wall'] is also a rising senior and 2nd team all-league selection from 2022. She had a career best 249 total digs last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Anderson</em></strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='176098' first='Grace' last='Crider'] was a critical piece for Anderson's offense as she had a solid season through her attacking opportunities finishing top eight with 228 total kills on a .273 efficiency. She will likely see an increase in her workload following the graduation of a core group following last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Loveland</em></strong><br>As a freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='227616' first='Josie' last='Nichols'] (*pictured) was impressive offensively last season as she finished top 10 in total kills with 195. Fellow classmate [player_tooltip player_id='227619' first='Makenna' last='Kirlin'] was solid as well with 190 total kills, 222 digs and 54 aces. They return with increased experience that should provide some big challenges for league opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Lebanon</em></strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='114567' first='Lily' last='Bolen'] is one of the top setters and brings a lot of varsity experience to the court. She will utilize fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='114597' first='Mya' last='White'] extensively as they try to find other offensive options to help create more balance. [player_tooltip player_id='227618' first='Ava' last='Long'] returns for her sophomore season and is an early offensive contributor with 22 kills over three sets played. Over two matches, these two have seen 65% of this team's attempts helping guide them to consecutive 3-0 sweeps to start 2023. [player_tooltip player_id='227624' first='Madison' last='Kyle'] is another returning sophomore that saw ample time last season in the back row. She can make quality plays defensively as she has picked up 25 digs so far over two matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Milford</em></strong><br>Milford graduated a big part of their overall effort a season ago but return two primary contributors that will see a lot of responsibility. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='196357' first='Kelsey' last='McKenney'] was just shy of 200 kills in 2022 as she averaged 2.2 k/s with a .370 efficiency. She also added 57 blocks to finish tied for second in the league. Rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='195210' first='Rachel' last='Morgan'] added 159 kills with 350 total digs to finish fourth in the ECC defensively among a corps of upperclass athletes last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->