Hayden’s Foster & Andale’s Grimes Among ’26 Deep Diggers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore class in Kansas is comprised of several impressive defensive players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at 10 athletes in the Class of 2026 who finished with at least 350 digs during their sophomore seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523702' first='Baylen' last='Arnold']</strong>, 5'4”, L/DS, Concordia, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Arnold posted big defensive numbers for the Panthers. She collected 479 digs in 88 sets played. Arnold also is a smooth passer and started plenty of scoring rallies with her 740 serve receptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ella Foster</strong>, 5'4”, L/DS, Hayden, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched Foster play against Leavenworth this fall and she is a solid defensive asset. The Wildcat sophomore finished with 477 digs in 90 sets played. She also added 557 serve receptions and 68 assists to her stat line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357543' first='Hayden' last='Grimes']</strong>, 5'9”, OH, Andale, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grimes is a hitter, but she plays six rotations so she racked up an impressive number of digs during her sophomore season. She recorded 397 digs, 401 kills, and 402 serve receptions in 101 sets played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adelynne Strecker</strong>, 5'4”, DS, Litte River, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Strecker had a solid season for the Redskins. She collected 386 digs and 401 serve receptions in 94 sets played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addison Schmitt</strong>, 5'6”, DS, Lakeside, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 83 sets played Schmitt registered 372 digs, 472 serve receptions, and 43 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='699366' first='Ally' last='Scheele']</strong>, 5'8”, OH/DS, Hanover, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hanover's Scheele shows promise. She can hit and play defense. She finished with 364 digs in 87 sets played at the varsity level. She also played some junior varsity ball and had 36 total kills in matches at both levels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489672' first='Callie' last='Yoder']</strong>, 5'3”, DS, Hesston, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yoder collected 359 digs for the Swathers during her sophomore campaign. She also recorded 509 serve receptions in 87 sets played.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523698' first='Mayzie' last='Warden']</strong>, 5'2”, L, Haven, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Waden had an impressive sophomore season posting 725 serve receptions and 357 digs in 79 sets played for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='728779' first='Brynn' last='Shupe']</strong>, 5'6”, OH/MH, Jackson Heights, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shupe is another hitter who played six rotations as a sophomore. She collected 356 digs, 331 serve receptions, and 144 kills. She also plays point guard for the Cobras basketball team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gracie Webb</strong>, 5'6”, L/DS, Cedar Vale/Dexter, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans have a young libero they can build around. During her sophomore season, Webb finished with 356 digs and 397 serve receptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->