Under The Radar Middles In The Class Of 2029

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And don't forget to follow @KypPDIN on X for all of your Indiana high school and club volleyball news!   This year's crop of freshmen is nothing short of athletic and volleyball smart. Even in Indiana, where we're not exactly known for size, there are plenty of options for big and physical middles all over the state. Here are five from everywhere (even playing club in other states!) that will see a lot more recruiting attention as the club season comes to a close.    Coming over from Munciana, Amira is a physical, athletic and raw middle that can do everything bigger middles can do. On the block, her long arms and natural instincts have her in front of the right hitters, covering the right angles, all while being in good body control to not be in the net. On offense, she attacks high and hard, and knows how to adjust when attacking to minimize errors. Her training at Circle has made her rise meteoric, and I look forward to how she wraps up the club season and reevaluate how far she's come this spring.     Big, physical, and owning a very high volleyball IQ, Lexi is a difference maker for both her high school team and at KiVA. Long arms and even longer legs allow her ample opportunity to defend from pin to pin with ease, and her transition is fast enough to frustrate slower blockers. Her under-the-radar status is simple: she plays high school ball in Indiana and club ball in Kentucky. She's all set to dominate both sides of the Ohio River for years to come.     At 6'+, Alana is a rare breed of fast, athletic, springy, and with a swing that's consistently terminal. She's all about being an M2, and excels with a setter that understands how high to set her at zero tempo. Anything in front of the setter on offense is code for “I'm ready to be set”, and is constantly working her transition to be available to hit. On defense, her block is so long and penetrates so well that even her BLOCKS are terminal. At current, her under-the-radar status is implied by being on the second-best high school team in her own district. If more kids like Alana show up at Fishers, however, that status might change—-and in a hurry.     More of a bruising middle than the gliding gazelle you see in Alana above, Gia's upper body strength carries her to terminal swings regularly. Although not as big as a lot of middles in this class, she makes up for the lack of size with good footwork, solid transition, and consistent play. At current, she's a “blocker first” type of middle, with the arm swing and the leg drive in the process of being refined.     Claire is a “control middle” if there ever was one. Using that definition, Claire is RARELY making errors on the attack, is reliable on defense, and has great court vision to do everything bigger middles can do. Yes, her size might limit her collegiate recruitment in that position. That being said, her continued work ethic, solid and consistent play and readiness for anything on the court will carry her far for a small-school look or two.

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And don't forget to follow @KypPDIN on X for all of your Indiana high school and club volleyball news!