California High School Report Vol 7

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school season is now upon us!&nbsp; Who has what it takes to win the coveted State Championship?&nbsp; California is one of the best states in the nation when it comes to this wonderful sport and we are here to highlight all of our amazing teams and players.&nbsp; Let's meet a few of the teams and players who are poised for a solid run this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oaks Christian Lions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions of Oaks Christian have been looking really good this season and are off to a great start at 6-2 on the year.&nbsp; While a lot of teams have one huge star that carries the offensive load for the entire team, this team uses a very balanced and spread out approach that makes it tough for teams to cheat over to one player.&nbsp; By moving the ball around to multiple weapons, it keeps the defense off-balance.&nbsp; What this approach also does is keep hitters and blockers very fresh for the entire length of the season and hopefully a long run in the playoffs.&nbsp; Junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='544254' first='Sadie' last='Kocur'] leads the team in kills so far and has also done a fantastic job blocking at the net also.&nbsp; Right behind her in the kill leaderboard is pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='466229' first='Masina' last='Ogbechie'] who scores in a variety of ways on the right side.&nbsp; She has been a staple on the varsity squad since her freshman year and has been solid for the Lions.&nbsp; Her length and power allow her to score over left side blockers.&nbsp; When she extends her arm fully on the attack, it makes it very difficult to block.&nbsp; Senior middle Brooke Gilmore has been a primary weapon for this awesome squad and that takes a ton of pressure off of the pins.&nbsp; When you can get a middle involved early and often in the offense, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense.&nbsp; It is also a direct correlation of great ball control.&nbsp;&nbsp; Speaking of great ball control, Senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='706300' first='Hannah' last='Brady'] can flat out dig the ball.&nbsp; I love how she uses both her platform and hands to keep the ball in play.&nbsp; Junior outside Jady Mape has been passing nails out of serve receive and murdering the ball at the net.&nbsp; She can really turn down the line in order to score on the pins.&nbsp; Sophomore outside Ellie Hallinan has also gotten in on the action by scoring at a solid clip.&nbsp; Lengthy right side Kamryn Tifft has been stellar on the opposite position.&nbsp; Her thunderous kill shots can be heard throughout the entire gym and feel like they should be worth multiple points.&nbsp; The setters for this awesome team are senior [player_tooltip player_id='222053' first='Maggie' last='Rhew'] and junior Kiah Wong.&nbsp; Maggie really knows how to feed the middle and move the ball around in order to spread the ball to everyone.&nbsp; She is doing a great job of leading this team to their wins.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Ranch Wildcats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One team that has caught our eye is the Wildcats of West Ranch.  There is a superstar freshman that has ben almost unstoppable so far this season.  Her name is [player_tooltip player_id='571994' first='Devyn' last='Kobe'] and she can ball.  The lengthy pin can play on either side of the setter and still get the job done in a stellar fashion.  Not only does she lead them in kills, but she has quadruple the amount of attempts as anyone else on the team.  You would think that with that many attempts, she would be not as efficient as she is.  However she has a whopping .422 hitting percentage which mean she is almost a guaranteed kill.  Junior [player_tooltip player_id='475518' first='Daniele' last='Clewis'] is one of those players who has that “it” factor.  She is fully capable of being a rock star at one position, but she doubles both as a right side hitter and a fantastic setter.  When she runs the 5-1 offense, this team knows that they are in good “hands”, literally.  She is the ultimate leader and makes everyone around her better.  The athleticism that she possesses is phenomenal and you can see it with every touch of the ball.  This young lady also plays stellar defense out of right back and could easily be a libero if need be.  Another awesome baller that is helping this team stay on the winning track is sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='564918' first='Lola' last='Van Why'].  Joeleen Reynolds may be a little smaller than most pins but she plays in a big way and is helping the scoring load be spread out with her offensive exploits.  Meanwhile, the defense is sored up by the phenomenal back row play of junior libero Alexandra Seres who has been all over the court keeping the ball off of the floor.  The three captains [player_tooltip player_id='480172' first='Grace' last='Kelley'], libero Seres and setter/hitter Clewis are making sure that the teamwork stays strong and it has resulted in a back to back championship at the Lakewood Tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite teams and athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Cali Family!&nbsp; Don't be afraid to interact with us.&nbsp; We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.&nbsp; Keep them coming!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->