Class 5 Top 2028 Middles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The athleticism of middles in the 2028 class is impressive and&nbsp;appears to be a deep, talented class. If you are in Class 5 and a big-time contributor to your team, you already have a considerable upside. Here's a list of my top five middles for the 2028 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alayna Barkley – 6'0” – Waynesville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about a strong kid. Alayna is that type of player, as she will muscle her way through her opposition. Alayna can hit from anywhere on the court and is athletic enough to develop into a six-rotation player. Alayna led her team in blocks with 41 and 2nd in kills with 184.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729470' first='Sarah' last='Albers'] – 6'2” – Seckman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sarah led all 2028 players in Class 5 in kills with 331 and was second in blocks with 54. She's the best middle in her class; you will get it if you watch her play. She has excellent footwork in the middle and uses her height to bounce balls against some outstanding teams. Sarah plays way bigger than her height, as she is also a great leaper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729467' first='Gillian' last='Pfeiffer'] – 6'3” – Lindbergh</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have had the pleasure of watching Gillian play several times, and each time, I came away thinking she would be great. Because of her athleticism and quickness, she can play any position at the net. She is another ball bouncer and a massive presence at the net. Gillian led her team in kills with 179, which was done by&nbsp;missing 11 sets on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729602' first='Livia' last='Ahmann'] – 6'1” – Lebanon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Livia finished as the top blocker for the 2028 players in Class 5, with 78 total blocks and added 102 kills. Still raw in her attack, she will develop into a beast. Her blocking is there, and Livia understands this skill. She's a very long 6'1” and gets way above the net when stuffing her opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729590' first='Briley' last='Zerbe'] – 5'10” – Lee's Summit West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched LSW play at the Rockwood Tournament, and Briley will be another top-notch Titan. LSW keeps cranking out elite athletes, and Briley will be just that. She might be undersized for middle in Class 5, but her speed and fast leaping make up for it. Briley was more defensive this season, so I expect her kill numbers to skyrocket next season. She would finish the season with 43 kills and 47 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->