Available Hoosier Middles From The Class Of '26

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 at checkout for a discount off of your subscription!   In our last edition of the positional breakdowns this week, we talk about the unsung heroines---the middles who do all of the work and get the least of the accolades of any position. Here are five athletes from five different clubs from around the state that do their job well and are definitely primed for a bit more attention from colleges.    If there was such a thing as "Middle Blocker High School", Zionsville is it. Maddie is a long and lean middle that is fast on transition and has a solid arm swing to hit all angles regardless of where the ball is set. On net defense, Miss Herman's long strides allow her to defend from pin to pin with ease, and is rarely beat on the block because of that length of hers. Of the middles still available to this day, Maddie is the one that we expect to get the next offer for the next level, because the entire package is already there---it's just a matter of where she could fit, as there are multiple systems out there that could use her services.     For an undersized middle, Addi is a more than capable M2 for the next level because of her speed in transition and jumping ability alone. Always ready to hit and already owning the 4A State Championship trophy, Addi's capabilities might lead her to a system that has strong pin attackers around her. She's not the takeover middle that dots this list, but she's that role-playing middle that every college needs to keep defenses honest. As far as defense is concerned, she covers the net from pin to pin as well as the rest of this list, which is filled with bigger kids that all play high-level ball. In short, you could do a lot worse than Addi in the recruiting department.     More of a hybrid middle at the club level, Natalie can easily play right side with authority, just as she does for her 4A top ten high school program. Currently, she's the M2 for TI's top 17s team, and is a highly effective defender at the net. I'd like to see her get the ball a bit more in transition, which her club setter isn't comfortable doing in transition. That's not Natalie's fault---just understand that Miss Vance is capable of playing multiple positions that require multiple skill sets that set her apart from others listed as middles. Personally, this aspect of her ability makes her even MORE marketable for the next level.     London is an enigma, plain and simple. Some schools will dismiss her because she's (1) the shortest middle playing open-level ball, and (2) doesn't have the big, lumbering body type that D1 middles usually carry. Personally, I'll take London and her lightning-fast transition and out-of-this-world jumping ability. Bigger middles can't keep up with her speed, and middles close to her size can't jump as high as Miss Smith can. Realistically, London is ready for small school play RIGHT NOW, and I could see her replacing middles at multiple four-year institutions once she arrives on their campus. Yes, there are drawbacks to being shorter. But for a kid that can make up for it in work ethic and athleticism, she's more than capable.     Annika is playing on a newly formed club named "Gym Rats", which is completely on brand with Miss Koepke's style of play. Her length stands out immediately---I've seen websites list her height from 5'11" to 6'2"---as her wing span helps her be one of the better blockers in the northern half of Indiana. At New Haven, she's been asked to do a little of everything from serve receive to attacking in the back row to being both an M1 and an M2. She can be either middle position, and her defense and offense are at about the same developmental level for her class. She hits with pace, is always in the right spot when she's blocking and is tough to play against. With length, strength and a high volleyball acuity, Annika is easy to recruit to any level.

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