Five Surprising Athletes At The Top 250 Expo Indiana

With a record-setting Top 250 Expo in the rearview, we have a bunch of athletes to talk about. Some are new to us, some are kids we've seen over the years. Either way, there were plenty of surprises along the way. Here are five athletes that caught our eye from Saturday.    At 5'6", anyone putting "OH" as your primary position better show me something. Miss Hill, you did just that. This kid can JUMP, and regularly put balls away on both pins throughout the day. Located just over the state line from Hammond, IN, This Illinois kid plays for a small high school and a small club, so she's flown under the radar for some time now. Miss Hill is a quick, springy outside that gets up to attack heigh surprisingly fast. I'd look forward to see what she does during club season.     In my defense, my coverage of northern Indiana is poor. If she had not come to our showcases years ago, I might not have seen her play ever. Miss Kipp is a long and lean outside that has arms longer than you would expect from an average outside. Her blocking has become more advanced since I saw her in August, and her attack is more consistent because she's finally being put in a position where she can thrive. Her club movement from Dunes to NIVA should advance her training exponentially, and she's already received NAIA interest.     The reason Gabie is on this list is simple---Indian Creek is NOT known for their volleyball. I keep saying this in my articles, then a kid like Gabie comes along. Big and physical, Miss Francis can be a three-rotation pin attacker that hits a heavy ball and becomes problematic for opposing attackers because of her size. Again, IC isn't your typical volleyball school, yet here we are, talking about Indian Creek kids in back-to-back weeks. I look forward to seeing Miss Francis develop this club season, which should be an eye-opener for collegiate coaches looking for a big pin player.     I pride myself on being able to see, hear of, or get a hint of someone's arrival at our showcases or expos. Honestly, I had never seen Caitlin play before Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised to see a primary-passing outside that hits a heavy ball at her size. Plus, she'll get a ton of great training from Boiler Juniors, leading me to believe that she'll see some solid club scheduling this spring. The BIGGEST surprise was that I had her at #240. That changes today, making her one of the highest risers in this class.     A pass-to-attack pin player if there ever was one, Katia's moved from Rev to Circle this spring, earning her a bit more exposure in her recruitment. That being said, she's at a high school program who's seen a varsity team graduate their entire roster---shocking to say the least. In other words, she's got fresh legs and a fresh shoulder that can take a full season of play because she doesn't have the overuse injuries that a lot of kids in this class have. Katia is a springy and quick kid with a whip of an arm and serve receive that can be above average at times.

With a record-setting Top 250 Expo in the rearview, we have a bunch of athletes to talk about. Some are new to us, some are kids we've seen over the years. Either way, there were plenty of surprises along the way. Here are five athletes that caught our eye from Saturday.