Hit Me With Your Best Shot: 2027 Serve Specialists

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One element of the game that can get overlooked is the ability to score points off of serves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have seen some scary serves as a scout, but I have to remind myself sometimes that some players are elite servers who can rack up ace after ace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some serves have a ton of speed, others knuckle at the end, while still some serve specialists will use their accuracy to just find ways to pick on below-average defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at five athletes from the Kansas Class of 2027 who finished among the state leaders in aces last prep season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483894' first='Sofia' last='Simic']</strong>, 6'0”, OH, Hoisington, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simic unofficially led all freshmen in Kansas with 73 aces in 77 sets played. She is currently ranked No. 8 by Prep Dig in the class of 2027. The Hoisington prospect is a dangerous attacker who recorded 339 kills and 34 total blocks last season. She played club ball with [program_tooltip program_id='432164' first='Fight' last='Club'] this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483912' first='Gretchen' last='Bott']</strong>, 5'7”, OH/S, Linn, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bott collected 68 aces in 81 sets played as a freshman. She is currently ranked No. 421 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027. She is a versatile six-rotation athlete for the Linn Bulldogs. Bott developed a bulky stat line last season that included 224 kills and 284 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530332' first='Reece' last='Stickney']</strong>, 5'6”, OH, Ellinwood, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stickney is a dual-sport prospect with a mighty serve. She registered 68 aces in 87 sets with the Eagles. She also collected 102 digs and 76 kills. She is ranked No. 100 overall by Prep Dig. Stickney is also a solid basketball prospect ranked No. 57 overall by Prep Girls Hoops Kansas. She scored 11.4 points per game and grabbed 5.2 rebounds in 21 games as a freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='757254' first='Sayler' last='Stapleton'],</strong> 5'4”, S, Meade, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stapleton is another multi-sport prospect. She is currently unranked by Prep Dig, which is an oversight, but is ranked No. 59 overall by Prep Girls Hoops. She finished with 65 aces in 90 sets and with an eye-popping total of 813 assists last season for the Buffaloes. During her freshman basketball season, she scored 12.9 points per game in 24 varsity contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483945' first='Macy' last='Karlin']</strong>, 5'6”, RS, Marantha Christian, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karlin is currently ranked No. 57 overall in the class of 2027. She finished with 59 aces in 107 sets during her freshman season. She is a six-rotation athlete for the Eagles racking up the following numbers last fall; 243 serve receptions, 262 digs, and 145 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->