The All-Deck Team: Class of 2026 Makes Its Mark

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2026 has some impressive talent in it. The cool thing with this group of athletes is knowing that they still have a multitude of volleyball ahead of them and plenty of time to continue to hone their skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have announced the first two editions of the All-Deck teams and here is the third.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I only made three rules for myself: 1) I limited the roster to 10 players (per class). 2) For a player to be eligible I had to have seen them play at some point during the season. 3) Only one player (per class) from a high school could make the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a group of 10 sophomores who played large roles on their respective varsity teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355653' first='Finley' last='Rieke'], </strong>6'1”, MH, Tonganoxie</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rieke will be a hitting star once she develops a mean streak. She is tall and has a big reach. She can hit, block, and serve. She is a super-nice young lady, who needs to realize she can take over a match. Rieke collected 188 kills for the Chieftains as a sophomore, but she was the third option in an offense that featured her older sister and a solid outside hitter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222091' first='Avery' last='Sands']</strong>, 5'7”, OH/DS, Lansing</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched Sands more than any other sophomore this season. She is a lightning bug that stings like a bee. She hits the ball hard and can really jump. She played a key role in Lansing's trip to the 5A state tournament and will become a leader and primary weapon for the Lions moving forward. She finished with 271 kills as a sophomore and added 278 digs to boot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355656' first='Leah' last='Robinson']</strong>, 6'0”, MH, St. James Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson can punish a ball. She did not get to show offer her skills in the Class 5A state tournament as long as she would have liked. Robinson racked up 277 kills during her sophomore season but was a secondary weapon on a veteran state qualifying team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='154038' first='Ella' last='Florez']</strong>, 5'9” S/RS, Mill Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Florez ran the offense for Mill Valley which won the Class 6A state title. She is quick, smart, and has a solid tip game. She finished with 892 assists in her sophomore season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Camille Avila Luna,</strong> 5'7”, OH/MH, Andover</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This young lady was picked up by my talent radar at the Class 5A state tournament in Salina. She is all kinds of athletic. She unofficially tallied 137 kills for the Trojans. Andover plays in a tough league and her game will grow in leaps and bounds just by gaining experience against such tough opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222099' first='Ella' last='Stowell']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Olathe West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stowell is young, but she will have lots of experience when all is said and done. She was a key contributor for the Owls as a sophomore. She collected 249 kills and that number should increase incrementally with two more seasons of high school ball left to play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexi Hect</strong> , 5'6, OH, Wamego</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hect can jump out of a gym. I watched Wamego play during the regular season and she had two solid matches. She finished her sophomore season with 323 kills. The main issue with Hect is basketball very well could be her top sport and what she decides to play in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='459041' first='Jaiden' last='Wise']</strong>, 5'8”, OH/DS, Silver Lake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am not sure what position Wise will end up playing as her career moves forward, but she has some serious skills. She finished fourth on her team with 188 kills and the three hitters in front of her each had over 200 kills. Silver Lake had a deep roster and Wise did not need to play much defense, but she certainly can play back row if needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357548' first='Reese' last='Huscher']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Hayden</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I scouted Hayden's Huscher in a couple of regular-season matches. Huscher has the skills to develop into a future six-rotation stud for the Wildcats. During her sophomore season, she filled up her stat sheet with 325 serve receptions, 276 digs, and 223 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222087' first='Carlie' last='Pandjaris']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Blue Valley West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I first saw Pandjaris play club ball and then saw her play during the summer, and then again at the Class 6A state tournament. She can fit many roles on a team and plays an unselfish game. Blue Valley West's season ended on a disappointing note so Pandjaris and the whole team will enter 2024 with a chip on their shoulder and much to prove.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->