Top 250 Expo Kentucky: Freshmen Hitters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These freshmen hitters are so talented that they left me in awe of their abilities. I have not seen freshmen like this for quite a while and I was really impressed with what they can do. I cannot imagine what they will be like in three years when they are at the end of their high school careers. I imagine they will just be unstoppable by then. Let's take a look at each of them individually and see what they have going for them at this point in time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='535172' first='Miller' last='Duncan']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Duncan is a 6'1" freshman middle hitter from Lexington Catholic High School. Duncan is a solid opponent at the net. She can, and did, dig balls out of the net, win jousts with the opponent's middle, and set her right-side hitter. She can dig well and is quick with the block. She is a very good athlete and works hard on the court to help her team win. She is very flexible and moves with athletic grace. She is a tough opponent when blocking or hitting at the net. I did not see any opposing athlete break through her blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":481908,"width":"208px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/08/13-Jillian-Forrest-crop-882x579-1700612740.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-481908" style="width:208px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='434971' first='Jillian' last='Forrest'], 2027.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='434971' first='Jillian' last='Forrest']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Forrest is a 6' right-side hitter from Ursuline Academy's freshman class located in Ohio. Forrest is tall and lean and looks like she has springs attached to her feet. She moves so lightly but packs a punch when she hits. She is a very smart athlete and knows just where to put the ball down on the opponent's court. She knows when to tip or when to hit into the block to make the blockers ricochet out of bounds. She is a killing machine and knows what she must do to accomplish her goals. She will be a joy to watch develop over the next few high school years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":255784,"width":"158px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-Reagan-Isaac-e1670162512108.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-255784" style="width:158px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='253886' first='Reagan' last='Isaac'], 2027.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='253886' first='Reagan' last='Isaac']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isaac is a 6' freshman outside hitter from North Laurel High School. Isaac happened to be on a court where she had to play a lot of slop ball for a bit, which works out well for me because then I can see her serve/receive potential, her digging ability, and her ability to set other hitters. She handles out-of-system balls well and is a good setter and back-row player. She can jump and hit with power and accuracy. She plays the corners or the back boundary of the court very well. She is prepared at the beginning of every rally and she played middle for part of the day as well. She is equally talented at either position. She kept play alive and scored well throughout the scrimmage play at the expo. She is a great outside hitter or middle hitter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='484250' first='Teagan' last='Kondik']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kondik is a 6' freshman right-side hitter from Notre Dame Academy. Kondik is long and lean and can fly high. She jumps really well, gets on top of the ball, and can really smack it down. She has speed and really good skill on her side. She looks like a senior already even though she has only had one season of high school ball. She can dig, block, hit, and serve with ease. She has it all down and will just mature and grow for the rest of her high school career. She is so good already that is hard to imagine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='468553' first='Chloe' last='McIntosh']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McIntosh is a 5'10" freshman outside hitter from Walton Verona High School. McIntosh is a beast when hitting. She jumps well and gets above the net and over the ball and just slams it to the ground. She can do the same with a block, she just busts through it. Very strong athlete and she can hit the very edges of the corners hard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->