Blocking Beasts In The Freshman Class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>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!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are a ton of up-and-coming freshman seeing a significant amount of playing time with the big girls on varsity. Yesterday, we wrote about five attackers that are, quite literally, LEADING their respective squads in kills. Today's article touches on the kids that <em>prevent</em> kills from happening. Depending on the size of the player AND the size of the player they're going against, blocking isn't exactly an easy skill to develop, and this group of freshmen are making it look easy in the early going. Here are five from around the state that are AVERAGING a block per set in the first few weeks of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["748426"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa1a43ba1e1f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We can lead this article off with a ton of different kids in the #5 spot. Why not talk about a Boiler Juniors-trained kid playing some high-level 3A ball with a volleyball blue-blood like Cathedral? Averaging nearly a block per set in the first four weeks of the season, Rylee is the heir apparent to the line of D1-possible middles that Cathedral produces nearly every season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":1040237,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa1a43ba1e7b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Looking more and more every match like the middle she is, Zoey is a long and strong middle attacker that would probably be best suited on the right side in her future. That length and shoulder strength makes her one of the better blockers on this list. The 11-4 Cougars are also taking advantage of Zoey's ability to score points in multiple areas—-attacking and blocking from the middle are her specialty, and her vision of the court is tough to defend against.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":1040240,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa1a43ba1ec1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The squires have already played 17 matches this fall, and their 10-7 record doesn't accurately reflect the impact that Kendall has for her squad. Averaging over a block per set, Miss Lauer's intimidating presence makes opposing attackers alter their shots, which can induce hitting errors that are just as point-productive as blocks themselves might be. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":1040243,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa1a43ba1f1d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With almost as many blocks as kills in the early part of this fall, Izzy's Monroe Central squad is reaping the benefits of this middle blocker's well-rounded game. With more solo than assist blocks in her stat line, Miss McGrath is doing a lot of the job herself for the 4-6 Golden Bears—-and has the second-most blocks of any freshman in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":1040247,"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa1a43ba1f65"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The current best blocker in all of Indiana in the class of ‘30 comes from Fort Wayne-area Jentrie, whose two kills per set/one block per set stat line is an impressive amount of points for a kid this young. Think of the math—-in a three-set match, she's responsible for 9 points on her own, not to mention the errors she induces from her opponents AND her touches she gets, making defense behind her that much easier.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->