Top 250 Expo Iowa: Sophomore Middles & Rights

<p>All I can say is wow. These sophomore middle and right-side hitters are really something. They are so impressive they make writing about them fun. All of them are great in their own right and I think we should talk about what makes them so awesome. Any college coach would be lucky to have any of these athletes on their team, unequivocally. Let's get started.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/Maliya-Cobb.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489223" style="width:164px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='490014' first='Maliya' last='Cobb'], 5'10" RS, Ankeny High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='490014' first='Maliya' last='Cobb']</h2>   <p>Cobb is a 5'10" right-side hitter from Ankeny High School. Cobb has great form and a great vertical. She can get above the ball and send it back to her opponent's court at such impressive angles making her very hard to defend against. She has amazing speed and hits with a lot of power. She is very aware of what is going on in her opponent's court and is great at hitting open space. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/137A2566.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-363629" style="width:178px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rockets '26s Sariah Sherman (12) and [player_tooltip player_id='455710' first='Kiley' last='Devery'] (17). (Rob Howe/PrepDig.com)</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='455710' first='Kiley' last='Devery']</h2>   <p>Devery is a 6'1 middle hitter from Regina Catholic High School. When I first noticed Devery, she was playing very well in the back row. She has a great platform and is good defensively at the net. She can hit, and block. and dig up an errant ball that got ricocheted from a block out of the net. She is good both as a weapon and as a defender at the same time. She is an asset every time she is on the court. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/137A0501.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-476258" style="width:192px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dowling Catholic's [player_tooltip player_id='215427' first='Ava' last='Groeteke'] puts up a block at the state tournament. (Rob Howe/PD) </figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='215427' first='Ava' last='Groeteke']</h2>   <p>Groeteke is a 6'1" right-side hitter from Dowling Catholic High School. Groeteke has a great block. She is like a wall you cannot break through. She has a good vertical, long arms, and great reach. She is really impressive. She hits very smoothly and quickly with a ton of power, which makes her very hard to defend.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/Taylor-Hanrahan-e1690091489229.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-438064" style="width:209px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">#545, [player_tooltip player_id='226948' first='Taylor' last='Hanrahan'], 5'10" middle hitter from Norwalk High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='226948' first='Taylor' last='Hanrahan']</h2>   <p>Hanrahan is a 5'10" middle hitter from Norwalk High School. Hanrahan looks like she hurts defenders when she tries for a kill. She is a top-notch defender as well as a hitter. She has great speed and power. She has a good vertical and builds up power as she winds up to hit. She is really impressive and every time I see her my admiration grows. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/IMG_5011.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-411201" style="width:201px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='389078' first='Norah' last='Hany'], 6' MH from Johnston High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='389078' first='Norah' last='Hany']</h2>   <p>Hany is a 6' middle hitter from Johnston High School. Hany is big at the net. She has great reach and big hands getting in the way of any hitter across the net. She is vigilant and can smack the ball down with force. She is good with getting a hand under an out-of-system ball and recovers well to unusual situations. </p>   <p></p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/137A2092.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-363561" style="width:178px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rockets '26 [player_tooltip player_id='329851' first='Macie' last='Lupkes']. (Rob Howe/PrepDig.com)</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='329851' first='Macie' last='Lupkes']</h2>   <p>Lupkes is a 6'1" middle hitter from Central City High School. Lupkes has long arms, a great reach, and she has a great vertical. Due to her previously mentioned skills, Lupkes can get the ball down anywhere on the other side of the net. The only thing to do to try to beat her is to try to block her but she is super fast, has lots of power, and is very impressive.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/447-Addison-Parker.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489159" style="width:172px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='489995' first='Addison' last='Parker'], 5'11" MH from Marion High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='489995' first='Addison' last='Parker']</h2>   <p>Parker is a 5'11" middle hitter from Marion High School. Parker puts up a very solid block. She stopped hitters time and again from scoring. She has good hands and is very defensive-minded. She hits hard when set and into empty space with regularity. She communicates well and is on the ball when she needs to be. She has speed, athleticism, and strength. </p>

All I can say is wow. These sophomore middle and right-side hitters are really something. They are so impressive they make writing about them fun. All of them are great in their own right and I think we should talk about what makes them so awesome. Any college coach would be lucky to have any of these athletes on their team, unequivocally. Let's get started.