Five Available Middles In The Class Of 2026

Positional breakdowns are where we make the majority of our articles happen. We delve into the commitments, pore over the rankings for available players, then separate by position. In the interest of fairness, I pick five kids from five different clubs from around the state so that we can talk about a variety of players, skill sets and sizes. Here are five middles, available for a commitment, that each have a unique skill set that makes each of them special.    Maddie is a springy, quick-twitch middle who can thrive in either middle position. Her attacks in front of the setter have her always up and ready to hit, while her slide attacks have her chasing the ball, creating explosiveness in the jump with every step. Her whip of an arm is hard to duplicate in this class as well, and her placement on Academy's 17-1 squad should allow her to use those skills on an open-level schedule. Maddie's net defense is solid as well, as her arms make her look taller than she actually is.     Not as tall but just as explosive as Maddie (listed above), Addi is the only state champ on this list and was a major factor in the Charger offense this season. Her ability to transition quickly gets her in the air faster than the slower, bigger blocks she might go against. I'm also a fan of her net defense, where she uses her legs more than most to defend from pin to pin with ease. Miss Shippy is also fully capable of playing either middle position, and is just as terminal in front of the setter as she is behind.     Put speed and legitimate size together, and you get Ella. An absolute force on offense, the ball coming off of Ella's hand just SOUNDS different, and there's a pace to her ball that has knocked more than her fair share of defenders on their backs. She thrives on sets in front of the setter, and has mastered every angle on every possible set in front of the setter. That's not to say that she isn't going to play M1, but that her strengths lie in being the middle next to the right side. No matter where you put her, you've got a difference maker in the middle once she arrives on campus.     I've been part of this game since I was 12 years old. In the nearly 40 years I've been around volleyball, this is my first left-handed middle I have ever come across. One would think that a zero-tempo set would be awkward for a lefty middle hitting IN FRONT OF the setter, but Miss Creviston makes it look easy. It is, of course, difficult to defend, which puts Makenzie higher on this list because of that fact. She's also exceptional as a blocker, and is one of the better ones to come out of western Indiana in some time.     An M2 through and through, Maezi is a big and physical middle that can take up space on the block and power through undisciplined blocks regularly because of her size and the angle at which she attacks. Being in the gym around outstanding coaching for most of her volleyball career (in both HS and club), she's come along quickly as an attacker. Her block, of course, is exceptional, and her broad shoulders couple with her long legs to not only close blocks but defend from pin to pin easier than most. Again, you can't teach size. But Miss Snyder's skill set makes recruiting her that much easier.

Positional breakdowns are where we make the majority of our articles happen. We delve into the commitments, pore over the rankings for available players, then separate by position. In the interest of fairness, I pick five kids from five different clubs from around the state so that we can talk about a variety of players, skill sets and sizes. Here are five middles, available for a commitment, that each have a unique skill set that makes each of them special.