Five Middles Worth The Watch In The Class Of 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As day one of MEQ starts this morning, we continue our positional breakdowns of the class of '26 rankings, with today's edition talking about the middles. Here they are, from five different clubs, with five ways to put balls away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='210191' first='Reese' last='Resmer'], 6-0, Noblesville, Boiler Juniors</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With multiple MVP accolades from AAUs in Florida over the years, Reese is the most complete middle we have here in Indiana, which is one of many reasons why she's our #1 recruit in the class of '26. Long, lean and aggressive, Miss Resmer can terminate from in front of or behind the setter, uses her length to defend from pin to pin and can "out quick" most of the bigger, lumbering middles she'll face as she gets older. Part of the top 16s roster in the state, she's already won the MEPL and Bluegrass in the last few weeks, and looks to solidify an open bid to nationals this weekend in Indy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='512366' first='Elli' last='Strecker'], 6-3, Zionsville, Team Indiana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big AND fast. Notice that I emphasized the "and" part of that sentence. We have a lot of bigs here in Indiana. We have a lot of fast middles in the Hoosier State. But both? Elli's got it. Her quick transition, high attack touch and whip of an arm make her tough to defend against AND hit against. She's also developing a slide attack that hits a super sharp angle you just don't see from a kid this young. Her steady rise to the top of most recruiting boards is not by accident. In fact, I would not be surprised if she were the first to commit somewhere from this class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='355575' first='Avery' last='Lewis'], 6-0, Cathedral, Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet another of a long line of Division-1-capable middles from Cathedral, Avery has the lineage (older sister is going to Villanova in the fall), the tools, the work ethic and the talent to go far in this sport. Her arms are long enough to make her look taller than she actually is, and she looks and plays like the M2 version of a middle currently on Indiana's roster---<strong>Ava Vickers.</strong> She's constantly in high-leverage situations in matches, knows nothing but winning and is highly coachable. What more do you want?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='228833' first='Addi' last='Shippy'], 5-10, Carroll, [program_tooltip program_id='430155' first='Team' last='Pineapple']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long and lithe, Addi looks taller than her frame, and certainly plays bigger than it. Listed in some publications at 5-11 and 6-0, I'm not surprised at typing this. Every in-system attack is at her max jump, she has a full approach both in front of and behind the setter, and can hit every angle in the book. Additionally, when middles <em>aren't</em> set well, most just blast into the block, the net or well out of bounds. Addi finds a way to score points, and is smart with the ball. A middle minimizing errors? Rare stuff indeed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='301135' first='Karen' last='Dutro'], 6-1, Columbus North, Rev</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fiery and fast, Karen is a full-go middle on every rep, every point, every transition, every time. She reads and reacts well when blocking, takes long strides in the attack, and knows one speed---GO. Tucked away at a high school well south of Indianapolis, this is a steal of a recruit, as both her high school and club teams fly under the radar in popularity, but not in skill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->