Inaugural Class of 2027 Rankings: Five Potential Hidden Gems

Each class had hidden gems. They get overlooked for a number of reasons such as the high school team struggling or they play in more rural parts of the state. These five are good start to that list.    Reynoso (pictured) has been a steady first contact hitter for the Redhawks ever since setting foot in high school. Reynoso patrols the back row with authority. Reynoso moves her feet and squares her body up with balls, then follows it up with great technique to start the Seneca offensive flow with outstanding two to three-point passes. Reynoso crouches down to dig up balls in front of her and gets her hands up quickly to handle hard shots over her head. Reynoso also has a hard line drive serve. Reynoso led Seneca with 428 digs and finished second with 77 aces this past fall. Reynoso is also a solid student carrying a 4.0 grade point average.     Ponce does a great job watching hitters and anticipating where balls are doing. Ponce dives to the ground and even records pancake digs when needed to keep plays alive. Ponce flies all over the court. Ponce has shown she can handle a variety of hits from hard spikes to soft shoves toward the sidelines. Ponce also has a nice jump serve. Ponce finished the fall season with a team-high 397 digs to go with 54 aces to help the Wolves win a third straight 55th District championship and make it back to the 14th Region title game for the third consecutive year.     Warren does a great job adjusting to sets on the outside both in and out of system trying to make things happen for the Comets. Warren takes great approaches to the net in sync with setters, then sends balls different directions from hard shots to the back row and pushes to the shallow sides. She can hit balls off blockers when needed. Warren is also a sound passer for the Comets. She reads hitters well and maintains her position to make crisp passes, especially on the soft, short hits. Warren currently plays on the Carlisle County basketball team. Warren had 353 digs and 182 kills to help Carlisle County win the 1st District championship.     Hall consistently approaches the net with a purpose for the Red Devils. Hall takes solid steps then maintains a good form all the way through her spike attempts. She constantly finds ways to land balls away from defenders. Hall is also a sound blocker. She reads hitters well then times up her blocks. Hall is hard to get around on the double blocks. Hall recorded 197 kills, 51 solo blocks and 32 assisted blocks, helping Russell make it to the 16th Region semifinals.     Whitaker has the tools to receive some looks if certain aspects of her game come together. Whitaker is a strong blocker. She uses her height to jump up and force hitters to go over or around her, making it easier for the defensive specialists to get to balls. Whitaker also puts down overpassed balls quickly. Whitaker does a good job placing balls to the back row and landing soft hits to the sides. Whitaker had 123 kills to go with team-highs of 41 solo and 44 assisted blocks, helping Harrison County go 23-15 and make it back to the 10th Region Tournament.

Each class had hidden gems. They get overlooked for a number of reasons such as the high school team struggling or they play in more rural parts of the state. These five are good start to that list.