Packing For Philly: Must-Haves For NEQ, Part Four

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our final edition for the Packing For Philly series, every team that earns a bid at any qualifier has certain needs on their roster. Today's blueprint emphasizes the need for a big, fast and physical middle. Every team has one, or (worse) every team <em>needs</em> one. Here are five teams with five middles that no longer have that need.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three completely different middle types highlight the three teams listed below. <strong>London</strong> <strong>Smith ('26, 5-9 MB/RS, Brownsburg, Circle City 16 Purple)</strong> is a member of the ten-foot club and makes bigger and slower middles look even slower. She transitions quickly, gets up in a hurry and can terminate on any angle. An M2 for this roster, she might project to the right side at the next level. For now, she can do all of the things middles can do, and at their attack point as well. <strong>Elli</strong> <strong>Strecker ('26, 6-4 MB, Zionsville, Team Indiana Elite 16.1)</strong> is the biggest and strongest of this bunch, and can play either middle position with ease. She's a natural terminator from both in front of and behind the setter, makes smaller blocks disappear, and hits with pace. Hitting against her is tough as well---she has discipline at the net and defends from pin to pin with her long strides and even longer arms. Finally, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='301135' first='Karen' last='Dutro'] ('26, 6-1 MB, Columbus North, Rev 16-1)</strong> is a high-energy middle that might be the best natural blocker on this list. Her long arms make her look bigger than she is, and she can terminate off of one foot as well as she can terminate off of two. I like her full-go mentality, and I would not be surprised if she was also part of the ten-foot club like the other two listed here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 USA</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the lone Indiana representative in 16 USA, Circle City 16 Black has a primary middle in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='394127' first='Ella' last='Vandermark'] ('26, 6-1 MB, Danville).</strong> Long, lean and quick, Ella finds angles to hit and is smart enough to minimize her errors when the set isn't perfect. A diamond in the rough from a smaller-than-average school, Ella would be a steal at a college program looking for high work ethic, high athletic potential and a high volleyball IQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Liberty</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four our final entry into this middles list, Rev's 16-2 squad has <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366449' first='Leah' last='Kay'] ('26, 5-10 MB, Mount Vernon).</strong> Springy, fast and athletic, Leah makes up for her size with quick transitioning and a high attack point. Her defense from pin to pin is exceptional as well, as she maximizes what she has and rarely gets fooled. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->