Five Pin Attackers You Need To See In The Class Of ’27

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Positional breakdowns have begun with our updated rankings list, and we'll start with the kids that see the most swings both now and in their respective futures. Here are five pin-attacking athletes from five different clubs that can handle the workload of a primary attacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='260995' first='Caroline' last='Ward'], 6-0 Pin, Tri-West, Boiler Juniors</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caroline, the current #1 recruit for the class of '27 from Indiana, is listed as a pin because I've seen her do both live. For her up-and-coming high school team, she's a left-side that goes over blocks regularly. For her club team, all she's done is be the right side for the squad that won the Mideast Power League and the Bluegrass Invitational, while earning an open bid in 16 Open at this past weekend's Mideast Qualifier. Her attack touch is over ten feet, she's long, lean and fast, and can terminate from anywhere. There isn't another player in this class that has the speed, athleticism and volleyball IQ quite like Miss Ward, and it isn't close.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435863' first='Jenna' last='Dittmer'], 5-8 OH, Zionsville, Circle City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Compact and athletic, Jenna has the tools and the talent to be a full-time six-rotation outside at the next level. She's smart with her shot selection, can pass half the court if needed in serve receive, and has the athletic acuity to make adjustments on the fly without coaching. Her multi-sport background helps her in so many ways, and those ways have earned her a spot to GJNCs in Vegas later this club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='327227' first='Hayden' last='Mandsager'], 6-0 OH, Cathedral, Rev</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big and physical, Hayden is learning the traits of being a six-rotation outside, and learning them quickly. Even on out-of-system balls, Miss Mandsager finds ways to terminate that you just don't see in this age group. Her pass-to-attack movements are fluid, she has all of the shots in the book, and can thump a few to terminate just in case you didn't know that she's stronger than the average outside. I've even had the pleasure of watching her sneak in a few four-to-four shots with pace that 15s teams don't know how to defend. And to think she'll only get better, bigger and stronger as time goes on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435859' first='Everly' last='Clark'], 5-8 OH, Bloomington South, B-Town</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springy and with a quick arm, Everly plays up an age group at B-Town and holds her own. She's a six-rotation player right now, with a whip for an arm and quick feet to match. The pace she puts on the ball gets to the defender quicker than expected, and her terminal swing can be from any angle. She's also learning how to put balls away that are out-of-system---a trait not normally seen until much later in a player's career. B-South has had a couple of down years recently in the last few falls; here's to hoping that Everly can be part of their resurgence next fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='443842' first='Lucy' last='May'], 5-10 OH, Triton Central, Team Indiana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Forced into action in multiple positions at her small high school, Lucy is fully capable of playing any of the front row positions at the next level. For now, though, our focus for her is on the left pin, where she hits a high and heavy ball and uses undisciplined blocks to her advantage. She can do everything you need from a bigger-than-average outside at this age group---defend at the net and on the floor, score points from behind the baseline, terminate from either pin and be the workhorse when you need a side-out. Triton Central has really shown an uptick in their talent level over the years, and without Lucy, that success doesn't happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->