January’s Class of 2025 Prospect Roulette

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a little bit since we have been able to dig into Prospect Roulette.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the prep season over and the holidays in the rearview, now is a good time to revisit some of the prospects featured in the state, starting with the Class of 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's how it works: I'll pop up a random number generator that includes the 2025 rankings. I'll generate 10 numbers and the 10 that come up will be the ranking of the player. I'll then spotlight those players in the article to help give them some more attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's 215 players ranked in our Class of 2025. Let's see who has the lucky numbers this month:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id='156321' first='McKenna' last='Payne'], DS/L SMCC/Michigan Elite</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payne had a great prep season where she contributed in every way for the Kestrels as they went on to win the Division 3 state title. Payne excels as a defender, where she will be when she competes for the Utah Utes next fall. However, she can set, hit and serve with the best of them as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>183. [player_tooltip player_id='261196' first='Megan' last='Mackinder'], OH Stockbridge/Flight VBC</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mackinder was a really potent outside for Stockbridge this fall. She racked up big kill totals, utilizing an array of shot speeds and locations. She showed a lot of good awareness at the net and also was smooth in her defensive play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>145. [player_tooltip player_id='487149' first='Olivia' last='Inthout'], DS/L South Christian/FaR Out</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The South Christian senior had a great prep season, helping South Christian be among the top teams in Division 2. She's got a great feel for the play that is developing and gets into position to make a tough dig look rather routine. She also proved to be a powerful weapon from the service line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>83. [player_tooltip player_id='288955' first='Mya' last='Kattula'], S/RS Notre Dame Prep/Michigan Elite</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kattula has been one of the impressive do-anything players to come out of the NDP program. They have flourished at producing S/RS players and Kattula displays a lot of the great qualities as other Irish alums. Kattula plays with a lot of competitive fire and court IQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>156. [player_tooltip player_id='156336' first='Lucy' last='VanDrunen'], OH GR Christian/MVA</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>VanDrunen has a lot of length that she is able to utilize at the net with swings that stay above her opposing blockers. She has a good approach toward the net and mixes up her locations well. Her finishing rate has been steadily improving throughout the years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>13. [player_tooltip player_id='156313' first='Marie' last='Laurio'], OH Saline/Legacy</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laurio has been one of the most explosive outsides in the state throughout her high school career. She's been able to elevate her play at the national level during club season as well, earning a spot with the Syracuse volleyball program next fall. Laurio has a lot of hangtime and tremendous arm speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>200. [player_tooltip player_id='502207' first='Lauren' last='Bower'], MH Hudsonville</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bower was an important part of the Hudsonville rotation this fall, as she was a consistent finisher in the middle to give the Eagles some variety on offense. She also put in a lot of effort with her blocking, which made life easier on her passers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>54. [player_tooltip player_id='224598' first='Adelee' last='Kaiton'], OH/DS FH Eastern/MVA</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaiton is a dynamic player that has shown she can excel as a defender or a hitter. She's got great instincts in the back row and her agility allows her to play a variety of shots as a hitter. When Kaiton gets on a roll, she is very difficult to slow down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>112. [player_tooltip player_id='288949' first='Isabelle' last='Earley'], MH Novi/Legacy</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6'1” middle for Novi really showed big improvements in her play during her senior season. Her kill total nearly doubled from 2023, while her finishing percentage skyrocketed. Earley also showed strides in her blocking and serving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>31. [player_tooltip player_id='288960' first='Reese' last='Lowe'], OH Byron Center/FaR Out</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lowe was a big kill machine for Byron Center this fall while being up against consistently high-level competition. She covers a lot of space at the net and can really uncork on the ball. Lowe showed she could finish from anywhere on the court and do it with consistent velocity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->