Five west TN Players Worth Price of Admission

These five players from the western portion of the Volunteer State are worth checking out. They do what they can to help their respective club and high school teams win.    Collison (pictured) has a 13-inch vertical jump and combines it with great athleticism to put balls down. Collison is especially tough on ones with a quick arm swing. Collison takes great strides toward the net, gets on top of balls then puts great power into them. Collison taps or pounds balls off blockers for big points. Her vertical jump also comes in handy on solo and double blocks with her good timing and aggressive play at the net. A good crossover step toward the pole helps her out with her swing blocking.     Coaches say Coulter combines her athleticism with great court awarness and ball-placement precision. When given great space away from the net, Coulter takes her time seeing the court then taking good follow-throughs to put balls down. She makes things happen when the team is out of system. Coulter is not afraid to shove or tip balls to the sides of blockers. Coulter sends hard cross shots to opposite side lines. Coulter also does a good job running efficient offenses and making good first touches. Coulter uses her size to get up on blocks. Her versatility reflects in the stats as she had 241 kills, 673 assists, 57 aces, 39 blocks and 289 digs in the fall for Rossville Christian Academy.     Thornton is sound at controlling the net. She goes up and places balls nicely away from opponents. Thornton has a quick arm swing and follow-through for a great downward trajectory. Thornton executes sound gap shots and ones. Thornton is not afraid to go high and win jousts. Thornton can angle balls off blockers and out of bounds for points. Thornton is not afraid to use her off (left) hand to suprise opponents.     Malone has great size and fully uses it plus a great burst toward the net to pound down balls with authority. She makes outstanding in-air adjustments consistently finding holes. Opponents throw consistent double teams at her, but Malone's wrist snap lets her power balls by blocks before they can get over to close them out. Sound defensive specialists may beat balls off her hands to spots on the floor, but often still can't dig them up.     The lefty sets balls at unique angles to hitters. Garrett does a good job adjusting to balls and delivering quality sets. Garrett executes solid shoots and five shots on go routes. Garrett consistently sends balls back toward the net, yet gives enough room to put teammates in good position to succeed. Garrett can execute the back set with little lean. Garrett also makes sound first touches.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and coming soon, Tennessee. 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 michaelgraham@prepdig.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.

These five players from the western portion of the Volunteer State are worth checking out. They do what they can to help their respective club and high school teams win.