2026 Prospects: The 100 Block Club

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blocking is one of my favorite skills in volleyball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ability to jump, time your jump, and be strong on the ball are three tough things to do.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's also a part of the game that often gets overlooked by the casual fan, but college coaches are always on the lookout for tall athletes who can dominate at the net defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a quick look at six of the top blockers in the Kansas Class of 2026. Each is ranked by Prep Dig and finished their junior seasons with at least 100 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809810' first='Morgan' last='Froese']</strong>, 5'11”, MB, Inman, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Froese is ranked No. 35 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She unofficially led all Kansas juniors in blocks with 217 in 100 sets played. She will also finished with 138 kills during her junior season and will be looking to reach the 100 mark in both categories in back-to-back seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489650' first='Taylor' last='McDonald']</strong>, 6'1”, MB, Valley Center, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonald is ranked No. 12 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She finished her junior season with 144 blocks in 82 sets played for the Hornets. &nbsp;&nbsp;She will also be looking for her third straight season with at least 200 kills. She has recorded 275 total blocks over three seasons. McDonald has verbally committed to Montana State in Bozeman, Montana.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='809657' first='Harley' last='Smith']</strong>, 5'8”, MB, Emporia, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emporia's Smith is ranked No. 187 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026. She registered 118 blocks in 86 sets for the Spartans as a junior. She also collected 110 kills last season. She arguably is one of the most underrated blockers heading into her senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='698050' first='Arika' last='Feldman']</strong>, 6'1”, MB, Little River, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Feldman is ranked No. 41 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She recorded 106 blocks in 103 sets played last season for the Redskins. She has verbally committed to playing basketball at Fort Hays State after graduation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489751' first='Mason' last='Palace']</strong>, 6'1”, MB, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, '26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Palace is ranked No. 61 overall and recently verbally committed to play volleyball for Pittsburg State University. She finished her junior season with 105 blocks in 97 sets played for the Crusaders. &nbsp;She tallied 385 kills last season, the most among the athletes featured in this report.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->