Rains Brought The Thunder For Newton In Split

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched the Newton Railers play two matches on August 7, a two set-loss to Andover Central and a two-set victory over Maize.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at prospects from both Newton and Maize that caught my eye.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515014' first='Emma' last='Rains']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Newton, ‘ 24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rains did not compete in the Railers preseason Jamboree I scouted at Bishop Carroll and the Railers looked like a completely different team with her in the lineup. She is a jumper who plays composed ball for all six rotations. Rains had nine digs and two kills in the loss to Andover Central and then finished her night with a double-double against Maize with 11 digs and 10 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Abby Koontz</strong>, 5'5”, L, Newton, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Koontz is a solid defensive player and she has an accurate serve. She racked up a combined total of 18 digs and 21 serve receptions in the two matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='119706' first='Chloe' last='Linville']</strong>, 6'0”, MB, Maize, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linville is tall and physical. She might have the best upper-body strength I have seen from a player so far this season. She finished with 12 kills and eight blocks against Newton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='119696' first='Jordyn' last='Bird']</strong>, 5'7”, S, Maize, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Bird over the summer during the club season, but she was far more impressive in this match. She is an athletic setter who can also provide solid defense and occasional offense. In the loss to Newton her stat sheet looked like so, 18 assists, six digs, two blocks, and two kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219724' first='Lauren' last='Welch'], </strong>5'6”, L, Maize, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welch is a sneaky quick libero with long arms. She finished with 19 digs and 12 serve receptions. Welch has a very accurate serve and was hitting all zones called by the coaching staff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456612' first='Joscelyn' last='Buckley']</strong>, 5'11”, OH, Maize, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Buckley combines with Linville to give the Eagles a solid-hitting duo. She finished with six kills and five digs in the loss to Newton.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->