Five Promising, High-Potential Class of 2030 Players

Each year, plenty of middle schoolers benefit from playing on the varsity across the Commonwealth in each Kentucky High School Athletic Association sport except football and soccer. These five showed a lot of promise this fall on the volleyball courts.    Keck (pictured) has some athletic genes in her and things began to take shape in the fall. The driven Keck made her way into the rotation for Somerset seeing action in all 36 games. She is trying to turn into a sound all-around player. She sends rainbows to open spots in the back row and can use her off (left) hand to tip balls and fool opponents. Keck makes good in-air adjustments to send balls away from defensive specialists. Keck is also good at squaring up her body to balls, then using a good platform to make precise two to three-point passes.     Jessie is displaying tremendous athleticism for the Cardinals. Jessie has great range tracking down balls quickly and keeping plays alive. She has good control. Jessie showed she can put balls on target so hitters can take solid swings. Jessie had 115 assists and 63 digs in the fall, helping Taylor County go 20-13, win a fourth straight 20th District crown and make it back to the 5th Region Tournament.     Duvall brings a lot of energy to the court. She interchanged the setting duties with her sister, bringing another dynamic to Clinton County. Duvall sets up hitters for success and makes good decisions with her swings. She can shove balls down the line and tip them to the middle. Duvall also does a good job stepping toward balls, stopping her feet then making precise passes. Her footwork on her swings could use some work, but she has the talent to do a lot of good things for Clinton County these next four years. Duvall had 457 assists, 202 digs and 40 aces in the fall, helping the Bulldogs make it back to the 4th Region Tournament.     Oesterreicher is another talented young player for the Bulldogs. Oesterreicher takes good swings from the middle and pins. She can hit balls off blocks and tip to the middle for big points. Oesterreicher also does a good job pairing up with teammates and putting up double blocks. Oesterreicher had 231 kills, 25 solo blocks and 16 assisted blocks in the fall, helping Clinton County go back to the 4th Region Tournament.     Kearns has a bright future ahead of her. She did some setting so the main setter could take some swings. Kearns does a good job distributing the ball. Kearns steps toward balls then stops her feet to make good passes, even if she has to learn some. Kearns has great hands and Bourbon County head coach Cassidy Gilbert praised her game sense. Kearns had 120 kills and 83 digs in the fall for Bourbon County.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for nearly two years 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 or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, 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 year, plenty of middle schoolers benefit from playing on the varsity across the Commonwealth in each Kentucky High School Athletic Association sport except football and soccer. These five showed a lot of promise this fall on the volleyball courts.