Five Middles Primed For Success In The Class Of ’26

Our series on our updated rankings continues with more positional breakdowns. Today’s article focuses on the unsung heroines of the offense, the middles. Some are block-first, some are attack-first. These five do everything, and are not shy about doing so. Here they are, in no particular order.

Reese Resmer Reese Resmer 6'0" | MB Noblesville | 2026 State IN , 6-0, Noblesville, Boiler Juniors

With an already filled mantle, Reese is a high-flying and fast middle that can terminate from in front of the setter just as adeptly as behind. Her multiple all-tournament nods from many different club tournaments proves that even opposing coaches respect and honor the best of the best at the open level. Part of a Miller squad that hung around among the top ten programs in the state this past fall, Reese looks to solidify her #1 recruit status this club season with yet another successful campaign at Boiler Juniors.

Karen Dutro Karen Dutro 6'1" | MB Columbus North | 2026 State IN , 6-1, Columbus North, Rev

Long, lean and fast, Karen excels at the two-footed attack. She transitions quickly, is always available to hit and uses her length to defend from pin to pin with ease. In the short amount of time that I’ve personally seen Karen play, she’s gone from relative obscurity at a school not known for volleyball excellence to one of the best middle prospects in this class. I look forward to her further development under coach Crespo.

Avery Lewis Avery Lewis 6'0" | MB Cathedral | 2026 State IN , 6-0, Cathedral, Academy

Coming from a volleyball family, one would expect similar traits or habits that transfer from one sibling to the other. Older sister Taylor has already signed with Villanova, so it stands to reason that Avery would be a primary-passing outside too. Nope. Avery is paving her own path as one of the top middles in a top-five high school program that has already proven herself at the open level of club ball. Her length and strength are well-documented, and those traits are only superseded by her work ethic. Although a different player altogether, Avery has the potential to pass her older sister in skill level, physicality and success.

Addi Shippy Addi Shippy 5'10" | MB Carroll | 2026 State IN , 5-10, Carroll, Team Pineapple

Of the middles listed here, Addi makes playing middle look the easiest (trust me, it’s not). Her smooth and athletic demeanor makes attacking look simple, and has a very repeatable skill set for being either an M1 or an M2 at the next level. Already with two varsity years underneath her, her wing span makes her look bigger than her frame, which makes hitting against her difficult. She already received accolades from the Fort Wayne-area press for her success, and with a major club season just around the corner, she’s primed for a major leap in attention.

Elli Strecker Elli Strecker 6'3" | MB Zionsville | 2026 State IN , 6-3, Zionsville, Team Indiana

Easily the biggest and longest middle in this class, Elli is an intimidating force to go against when she defends and has the highest attack touch when she hits. She makes smaller blockers disappear and the bigger blockers aren’t fast enough to keep up. At this time, Elli projects to be an M2, but could easily put balls away behind the setter as an M1 with enough training. One thing you can’t train is size, and Miss Strecker has plenty of that.