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<p>The sophomore class is really talented this year going into club season and these outside hitters are part of the reason why they are so strong. Let's talk about them individually and see what sets these athletes up to be a large part of their teams next year as they step up into the abandoned roles left by the exiting senior class.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='486956' first='McKenna' last='Alvarez-Mittelsted']</h2>
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<p>Alvarez-Mittelsted is a 5'11" sophomore outside hitter from Cinco Ranch High School. She has a beautiful swing and a great reach. She has a giant vertical and can get on top of any ball coming her way. She packs a bit of power into her shots and they often hit the floor. She is very quick and is always ready for play to commence. She is a great athlete. </p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='363286' first='McKenzie' last='Dearborne']</h2>
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<p>Dearborne is a 5'7" sophomore outside hitter from Heights High School. Dearborne has a great vertical, nice power, and is an accurate hitter. She has great court awareness and knows where to send the ball for a kill. She is a great blocker and can serve and dig as well.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='492673' first='Reagan' last='Gatlin']</h2>
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<p>Gatlin is a 5'7" sophomore outside hitter from Langham Creek High School. Gatlin is smart and powerful. She hits so fast and directly to the floor or wherever she wants to hit. She took off some of the paint at the back line on the court when she took a swipe at it at the expo. She has quick feet, is very athletic, and follows every ball out of bounds.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='486938' first='Harper' last='Green'] </h2>
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<p>Green is a 5'9" sophomore outside hitter from AC Jones Beeville High School. Green is always on the move to hit, dig, or serve. She is an exceptional athlete and can play any spot on the court. She is an excellent blocker as well as a defensive player who can dig well because she has such a strong platform.</p>
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<!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":257246,"width":"215px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none"} -->
<figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/16-Avery-Koonsen.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-257246" style="width:215px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='254073' first='Avery' last='Koonsen'], OH from Pearland High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='254073' first='Avery' last='Koonsen']</h2>
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<p>Koonsen is a 5'10" sophomore outside hitter from Pearland High School. Koonsen has a great approach and follows through when hitting. She can hit anywhere at the net. She is such a powerful hitter. She has a good vertical and good control with her hands and rarely makes a mistake while hitting.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='492666' first='Jaelyn' last='Mitchell']</h2>
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<p>Mitchell is a 5'9" sophomore outside hitter from Langham Creek High School. Mitchell is long and lean and a gifted athlete. She has a great vertical and can really get above the net to smack the ball into her opponent's court. She is a dangerous athlete to run a defense against because she can hit from anywhere on the court.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/IMG_2899-crop-3024x1986-1702785860-crop-602x395-1702793209.jpeg?w=601" alt="" class="wp-image-491833" style="width:283px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='486946' first='Kosi' last='Obinwa'], OH from Cy Ranch High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='486946' first='Kosi' last='Obinwa']</h2>
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<p>Obinwa is a 5'11" sophomore outside hitter from Cy Ranch High School and was one of the athletes chosen as a GameChanger at this expo. Obinwa caught my attention early and held it the entire expo. She is a hard-hitting powerhouse and the places she puts the ball down are difficult to defend. She is a smart player and does everything in her power to keep the ball up. She makes the defenders need to dive even to have a chance to get the ball up and it looks like it hurts when she does it. </p>
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<p></p>
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The sophomore class is really talented this year going into club season and these outside hitters are part of the reason why they are so strong. Let's talk about them individually and see what sets these athletes up to be a large part of their teams next year as they step up into the abandoned roles left by the exiting senior class.
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