Top 2027 Middles in Class 1

Ryan Johnson December 18, 2024 @ 04:21 PM

Now that we've released our rankings for the 2027 class, let us preview some of the top Class 1 middles in the 2027 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='485590' first='Rylie' last='Schreiner'] – 5'11” – Leopold   Leopold has a ton of youth coming through the program, and they are performing at a high level. Rylie finished the season with 323 kills while hitting .269. Rylie is a long mobile player who can thump it from either pin but is good at hitting behind the setter. She covers the net from pin to pin with great footwork and will be a brutal attacker for the Wildcats and the [program_tooltip program_id='432193' first='[program_tooltip program_id='428797' first='Pursuit' last='']' last='Volleyball'] Club.   [player_tooltip player_id='485602' first='Reagan' last='Tenholder'] – 5'10” – Archie   The Southpaw finished the year with 322 kills, a 145-kill improvement, and I would expect a big jump next season as well. Reagan is excellent at using the lefty attacking to her advantage by cutting the ball thump down and taking out the setter on the first contact. Reagan is tall with a long wingspan, which would make her a lethal right-pin attacker.   [player_tooltip player_id='732870' first='Megan' last='Copeland'] – 5'10” – Ellington   Another Class 1 team that is youth-heavy is the Ellington Whippets. Megan's 315 kills on the season put her in third place for middles in Class 1 for the 2027 class. She is still raw, but she has a heck of an arm swing and gets on top of the ball to hit it down. Megan was named all-conference and all-district for her play this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='475335' first='Olivia' last='Kennedy'] – 5'10” – Advance   Olivia stormed onto the scene last year and helped her team win a state title. This season, she followed that up with a runner-up finish. Olivia is a high-IQ middle who is quick and uses her big vertical to advance the smaller blockers. She increased her kill total from 148 to 303 and finished in the top five in blocks with 88.   Gwen Bowling – 5'10” – Bell City   In Class 1, if you have a big-time middle, give her the ball as much as possible. Gwen debuted this year on varsity and led Class 1 2027 players in blocks with 109. She gets blocked and is listed at 5'10”, but her vertical figure makes her seem taller. Gwen finished with 140 kills, and I expect that to jump significantly next season as she develops more over the off-season.   [player_tooltip player_id='732889' first='Reese' last='Whitesell'] – 5'8” – Lockwood   Lockwood is another Class 1 team stacked with youth, and I've already written about some of Reese's teammates. Reese is a raw lefty middle that can jump out of the gym. She is a great attacker on the right pin and loves the line, but she always plays in the middle. She finished the year with 263 kills to go along with 56 blocks. Keep an eye on this Lockwood team because they will be tough over the next few seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='485626' first='Ava' last='Norton'] – 5'10” – Plattsburg   Plattsburg had its best year in program history, winning the school's first every-district title, and a big part of that was the play of Ava. Ava finished the year 2nd in blocks with 99 for Class 1 2027 and increased her kill total from 78 to 213. Ava is a bouncy middle that can hit on either pin but uses her speed and power in the middle to her advantage.   [player_tooltip player_id='486432' first='Isabelle' last='Twomey'] – 5'9” – Lesterville   Another lefty middle that had a big jump in her performance from a year ago. The 135-kill jump to 177 total kills was one of the biggest jumps by a Class 1 2027 player this season. Izzy's blocking increased by 30 also. A big and strong player who can be a deadly attacker after gaining some more experience.

Now that we've released our rankings for the 2027 class, let us preview some of the top Class 1 middles in the 2027 class.