The Freshmen Have Arrived: Meet the New Class of Indiana Middles

Let's be honest. Most freshman middles can look more like baby giraffes than blossoming collegiate athletes, but when it came to the Indiana Top 250 Expo this past Saturday, there were no baby giraffes to be found, only TONS of potential. I found myself in awe of their body control, solid fundamentals, hard work, and most of all, confidence. Any club or high school would be lucky to have these class of 2028 young ladies on their squad - the ceiling is certainly high, and the work ethic is clearly there. Well done ladies. We cannot wait to watch you soar over the next few years!    Grace caught my attention from the jump when the middles were warming up hitting ones off of a toss. Not only was she able to bounce balls with pace, but I LOVED her long, straight arms on her approach - they allowed her to use all of her 5'11" frame to drive momentum up and reach high. This shows great fundamentals that will help her to continue to develop well and quickly on her attacking. Right now I would put her in an M2 spot based on what I saw at the Expo. Watts drove hard on a one ball every single time in transition and was loud and confident in calling for the ball from the setter - a trait you love to see in a freshman middle. Look for Grace's stock to continue rising as she works on becoming more controlled with her blocking; she has great, big hands, but can improve with lateral movement and pressing over.     Annika is one of those players who walks in gym, hits a few balls, does some blocking footwork and you can already see that her potential is extremely high. My guess is her exceptional experience with track & field has already put her ahead of other freshman in the athleticism department. She is a highflyer who moves really well laterally (already a great blocker) and is so quick. Flatjord has the foundation of a high level D1 middle blocker. All she needs is more experience with transition, spacing with the setter and the net, as well as tracking the ball. She will also need her setters to understand the higher height of set she needs to be able to use her FULL reach, especially as she continues to work on having a quicker arm speed when hitting. For only having played for two years, I am beyond impressed and know that Annika is going to develop QUICKLY, and you know I will be watching!     Baker has all the makings of a solid middle - she is 6'0" tall as a freshman and has a long reach. Considering she plays at perennially good Fishers HS, paired with The Academy VBC during club season, she should develop well and quickly over the next couple of years. Right now, she already has the ability to bounce balls, which she put on display during warmups. As she works on her spacing with the setter and vision of the opposing block, look for her to become a very efficient hitter at the net. Brynn has all the pieces in place to be a solid M2 in both her attacking and blocking, and I look forward to seeing both of those things come together over this club season.     Hallie stood out to me as one of the hardest workers in not just the freshman class of middle blockers, but out of all of them. I never saw her slow down or take a rep off; she was always working on closing the block, transitioning off the net and being an option for the setter. As a middle, this hard work will be her bread and butter and a great foundation to build off of. Rieck puts up a good solid block with hands pressed over on both middle and right-side attacks. As she works on lateral movement/speed, especially to the left side hitter, she should close more blocks, and her blocking is going to improve tremendously. Same rings true for her transition off the net, as her speed/agility improves, so will her attack speed. I am definitely excited to watch her grow in this area over club season.     The first thing that caught my eye about Dowling was that she is built to play middle. She has a long lean build that lends itself to quick lateral movement, a high reach and solid blocking. During hitting drills and competition it was clear that Dowling is very athletic with a fast arm swing and she transitions really well for being just a freshman. One other trait that Danica has that many of the other young middles struggled with is tracking the ball in both serve receive and transition. She has a natural knack for it that you simply cannot teach; her depth perception and spatial awareness has already developed, allowing her to stay out of the way of the setter AND be a well-spaced option on every play. Lastly, this young player talks really well and has a confidence about her that we often don't see until a year or two down the road.    <h3 class="wp-block-heading">If you loved this article, please follow our Instagram page, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/abovethenetvolleyball">Prep Dig IN | Above The Net Volleyball</a> for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes action.</h3>   After following our page, take the next step and subscribe to PrepDig! By subscribing, you'll not only stay connected to the latest coverage of your favorite events, but you'll also be helping to shine a spotlight on rising volleyball talent.   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Let's be honest. Most freshman middles can look more like baby giraffes than blossoming collegiate athletes, but when it came to the Indiana Top 250 Expo this past Saturday, there were no baby giraffes to be found, only TONS of potential. I found myself in awe of their body control, solid fundamentals, hard work, and most of all, confidence. Any club or high school would be lucky to have these class of 2028 young ladies on their squad - the ceiling is certainly high, and the work ethic is clearly there. Well done ladies. We cannot wait to watch you soar over the next few years!