Five sound multi-sport players

Each player may be different. With the participation numbers across the country at all-time highs, it is no surprise a number of players are specializing in volleyball going straight from high school in the fall to club ball in the spring.   However, there are still a good number of players excelling at both volleyball during high school and club in addition to other sports such as basketball. Others may just play high school sports.    Kinner tops this list as a standout in both volleyball and basketball. Kinner has contributed for both sports since she was allowed to do so in the seventh grade. Kinner contributed 62 kills and averaged 11 points per game on the hardwood as a seventh grader. Those numbers have only grown now in her fourth year with both. Kinner has turned into one of the more dominant hitters in the state after recording 656 kills this past fall and her defense has drastically improved with 280 digs. Kinner also helped the Tigers win the first state tournament game in school history. On the hardwood, Kinner is averaging 22.6 points per game having to take on a leadership role as the young Tigers have seen three eighth graders play at least 21 games.     Whitford plays not just one or even two sports, but three at Campbell County. Whitford, who is Kinner's cousin, has been a contributor in volleyball, basketball and softball consistently since entering high school. She made her varsity pitching debut in a big game as an eighth grader. Whitford is trying to become versatile in all three sports. She helped Campbell County volleyball to the region championship as a sophomore in 2023 and led the Camels with 136 kills this past fall. They struggled with youth in key spots, but Whitford hopes to grow from it her senior year. Whitford is the third leading scorer currently for the basketball team and helped the basketball and softball teams to district championships last year.     Clark is using her size to her advantage for both the Wayne County volleyball and basketball teams. The lefty Clark made a splash on the volleyball court using unique angles to put balls down from the middle and the pins. Clark finished second on the team with 154 kills and led the Cardinals with 29 solo and 23 assisted blocks, helping the Cardinals to 20 wins on the season. She saw significant time as an eighth grader on the basketball team and has improved her averages to 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game entering Monday during her current freshman campaign. There have been some double-doubles in there as well. Clark will join the South Central Sparks club team after basketball season ends.     Lamb had a dominant volleyball season and is doing the same thing currently on the basketball court. Lamb dressed for varsity in basketball as an eighth grader, but began to contribute for both as a freshman. Lamb more than uses her size to her advantage. Lamb is a six-rotation player that hits from both the front and back row and gets her hands on a number of balls for sound blocks. She's also good on defense and serving. On the hardwood, Lamb dominates the paint. If she gets the ball down deep, she finishes most of the time and grabs big rebounds. Lamb had 698 kills, 91 solo blocks, 311 digs and 60 aces, helping the Cats volleyball team go 28-11 and make it to the 13th Region semifinals. She's currently averaging a double-double of 18.5 points and 13.4 rebounds per game for the Cats basketball team. Lamb has focused on extending her shooting range.     Hogancamp (pictured) has blossomed at both volleyball and basketball for the Comets since entering high school. Hogancamp is a three-sport athlete, also playing softball in the spring. Hogancamp uses her size well to dominate the net on the volleyball court and the paint on the basketball court. Hogancamp had 366 kills and 39 solo blocks and 27 assisted blocks, helping the Carlisle County team win the 1st District championship. Hogancamp currently averaged a double-double of 13.9 points and 11.2 points per game against constant double and even triple teams down low for the basketball team.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.

Each player may be different. With the participation numbers across the country at all-time highs, it is no surprise a number of players are specializing in volleyball going straight from high school in the fall to club ball in the spring.