West Linn Tournament: Stand-Out Pins

This past weekend over 20 teams played at the infamous and yearly West Linn High School tournament in Portland, Oregon, fighting hard to win games against teams outside of their conference and rise in their state rankings. Although every player had a great tournament day, here are the pins that showed up and stood out the most:    Toomer, a senior for West Linn, has an epic cross court shot as one of her teams' starting pins. She is a bouncy hitter, with good eye work, reading her hitters and going up hard to block. Her transition is fast and effective, making her a hitter that her setters want to set.     Bauer, a freshman for West Linn, is a small hitter, but a top scoring player and a go-to for her setters. She has an excellent cut shot to zone 4, taking defense by surprise and scoring points. She swings hard and strong, transitioning fast and being available to hit on almost every ball.     Ruden, a senior for McMinnville, has a great aggressive swing from the backrow, allowing her to be an option at all times. She has active feet on defense, constantly moving and facing her hitters. She goes up hard in the front row and swings away when she gets the chance.     Tuioti, a senior for Sheldon, in an undersized pin, but when she is put in the front row, she can swing away and score big points for her team. She is incredibly fast in transition, seeing the court well and being able to know where to place the ball, especially when she is swinging against big blockers.     Gentle, a junior for McDaniel, is a big offensive option on her team. She is a go-to hitter, using the block well and swinging high hands when she needs to. She has great power behind her swings, packing a punch and challenging other teams.     Stave, a freshman for McDaniel, is fast, aggressive, and smart with her swings. She covers herself well when she hits into the block, giving her another chance to attack. She has great out of system sets when in the backrow and always makes a move to the ball.     Sarantakos, a freshman for Valley Catholic, is another small but mighty pin hitter. She has stellar hops, allowing her to hit high and through blocks. She mixes in tips and tricks when needed, but overall has a very steady and effective swing.     Herber, a junior for South Salem, continues to impress spectators. Her epic line shot and high volleyball I.Q. would put her on anyone's radar. When sets are high, Herber knows to wait to perfect her timing and put the ball away.     Nielsen, a junior for Roseburg, has a good aggressive swing from the backrow as well as a tough serve that pushes points. She has great loud and positive energy, uplifting her teammates, keeping the vibe fun, and swinging away at balls.     Johnson, a senior for Jesuit, has an incredibly impressive vertical, hitting hard enough to get past any block that is put up. Her transitions are lightning fast, making her a hitter that her setters depend on. Her hands get just as high as her vertical, putting up a ball against attackers.     Pentecost, a freshman for Nelson, played as an outside this tournament, swinging hard and hitting open seams. She takes away so much space when she is blocking, not only with her hands but with her footwork. She shoots to the pin fast and always gets her hands up.     Thompson, a senior for Camas and college commit for the University of Miami, has a hard driven swing, hitting past or over blocks. She transitions hard and fast and is without a doubt one of the most valuable players on her team scoring points for them left and right.     Hunt, a junior for Mountainside, is a beast on the pin, jumping incredibly high and swinging hard. Hunt has massive D1 potential, getting those hard kills that are needed, transitioning fast and always being a solid and effective option for her setters.

This past weekend over 20 teams played at the infamous and yearly West Linn High School tournament in Portland, Oregon, fighting hard to win games against teams outside of their conference and rise in their state rankings. Although every player had a great tournament day, here are the pins that showed up and stood out the most: