Class of 2027: Deck’s Top Ten Freshmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshman athletes are always interesting to scout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are old-school programs out there that won't let freshmen even sniff the varsity lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet, there are coaches out there who don't care about what grade an athlete is in or who their parents are and just play the best players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some schools are forced to thrust freshmen into varsity action just because of numbers, and yet there are some freshmen who have played more ball at the club level, than their upperclassmen teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Needless to say, there is not a level playing field for freshman high school athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at 10 freshmen I saw play in 2023 who were worthy of being named to the Class of 2027 All-Deck team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='436201' first='Riley' last='Riggs'], </strong>6'0”, OH, Mill Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riggs is already a solid prospect and she will improve. She is a physical athlete who can attack and play good defense. She racked up 299 kills, 225 serve receptions, and 133 digs in 97 sets played. She also was a key cog on the Class 6A state championship team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Peyton Kubik, </strong>6'1”, OH/MH, Blue Valley West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Kubik play in the Class 6A State tournament in Salina. She unofficially led all freshmen in Kansas in kills with 407. She has a big reach and can jump. She will be ranked among the kill leaders in Kansas for several years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='456247' first='Halle' last='Laincz'], </strong>5'10”, MH/OH, Lansing</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laincz has a high ceiling as a prospect and plays in a winning program in Lansing. She finished her freshman year with 248 kills which is an impressive number considering she was one of four Lions' hitters who posted huge attack numbers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483934' first='Presley' last='Kreter']</strong>, 6'1”, OH/MH, Saint Thomas Aquinas</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kreter played on a loaded Saint Thomas Aquinas club that qualified for the Class 5A state tournament. She finished with 137 kills as a role player for the Saints. Kreter got a taste of success playing on a runner-up Class 5A state team and will be hungry for improvement and a return trip to the tournament before her high school career is completed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='445976' first='Reese' last='Maslowski'], </strong>5'10”, OH, Blue Valley North</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maslowski is a star in the making. During her freshman campaign, she finished with 24 total blocks and 132 kills. She played a key role in the Mustangs' success which ended with a runner-up finish at the Class 6A state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483898' first='Nora' last='Burdiek'], </strong>5'10”, OH/RS, Rossville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched Burdiek and the Bulldawgs play in a regular-season tournament. Burdiek can really jump and has a good-looking swing. During the 2023 season, Burdiek registered 312 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483949' first='Brooke' last='Beashore'], </strong>5'6”, DS/L, Spring Hill</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Spring Hill at the Class 5A state tournament in Salina. Beashore is a quality defensive player who will continue to improve with experience. During her freshman season, she collected 397 serve receptions, 230 digs, and 47 assists for the Broncos.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Breanna Paul</strong>, 5'3”, L/DS, Circle</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paul is a young libero to watch. The Thunderbirds qualified for the state tournament and Paul played a role in qualifying for it. She finished her freshman season with 197 digs, 297 serve receptions, and 32 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446319' first='Izzy' last='Bryan']</strong>, 5'8”, DS, Pleasant Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryan is a gritty defensive specialist who should really benefit from her club experience. During the Rams 2023 season, she collected 159 receptions, 90 digs, and 34 aces in 79 sets of varsity play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paige Hofer</strong>, 5'7”, S, Basehor-Linwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hofer played in 50 varsity sets for the Bobcats as a secondary setter. She finished her season with 159 assists and is an athlete who could grow into a real leader in the Basehor-Linwood program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->