Eight Division I-AA State Teams, Eight Key Players from Each One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Notes: Do you want to get in front of Prep Dig Scouts? This is one big way to do it. The annual Kentucky Exposure Tour in Wilder is Nov. 28. Click on this link to register:</em> <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky</a>. <em>For 25 percent off, type</em> ET26Mike25OFF <em>at checkout.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two-time defending champion Valor Prep Wildcats came into the season huge favorites to three-peat as Division I-AA state champions. None of their five losses came to anyone in their class. The three teams from the Volunteer State to knock off Valor Prep in Franklin, Arlington and Father Ryan are playing for state championships this week in Murfreesboro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://poll.fm/17592113","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"crowdsignal","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-crowdsignal wp-block-embed-crowdsignal"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://poll.fm/17592113 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Valor Prep (42-5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats are once again rolling behind [player_tooltip player_id='946607' first='Jentelle' last='McNairl'], Anarela Meijas Ayala and [player_tooltip player_id='785422' first='Kerrington' last='Corbin']. [player_tooltip player_id='984589' first='Bella' last='Brooks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='946594' first='Annie' last='Shive'] have added to that balance with [player_tooltip player_id='984591' first='Elsa' last='Love'] setting things up. [player_tooltip player_id='984590' first='Jocelyn' last='Stewart'] has nicely stepped in at libero and Neena Valdez has made nice contributions on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Dyer County (31-10)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Choctaws find themselves back in Murfreesboro after beating rival Crockett County four times Dyer County is definitely battle-tested playing that tough schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='947035' first='Kierstyn' last='Ray'] has a number of reliable hitters she can send balls to with five going for 108 or more kills on the season. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1053356' first='Zoey' last='Morris'] and Katie Caldwell lead the way followed by Blair Acree, Adalyn Harrison and Kate Davis. [player_tooltip player_id='947030' first='Evie' last='Rogers'] leads the way on defense with Katherine Benedetto also making solid contributions there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Upperman (31-6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bees have put together the dominant season the expected in the preseason crushing the way through District 7 play and back to the state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='956849' first='Presley' last='Hickman'], [player_tooltip player_id='958244' first='Josie' last='Bush'], [player_tooltip player_id='958463' first='EK' last='Pruitt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='811667' first='Bella' last='Tidwell'] lead the Bees in kills with [player_tooltip player_id='958461' first='Emery' last='Huddleston'] going over 1,000 assists on the season. [player_tooltip player_id='958331' first='Shayla' last='Burchett'] is the leader on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Sullivan East (29-6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots also drove back to the state tournament behind the dynamic sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='948445' first='Makayla' last='Moore'] and libero [player_tooltip player_id='948448' first='Bella' last='Pickering']. [player_tooltip player_id='948449' first='Jillian' last='Fisher'] is the setter with [player_tooltip player_id='948446' first='Natalie' last='Holt'] giving Sullivan East a nice presence in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='948447' first='Audrey' last='Easley'] gives the Patriots nice all-around play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. Hume-Fogg (17-6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Knights knocked off Creek Wood to make it to the state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='964309' first='Anna' last='Eckert'] is the kills leader and [player_tooltip player_id='997426' first='Cassie' last='Gambill'] does a good job distributing the ball to other hitter such as Lyric Gordon. [player_tooltip player_id='1053386' first='Madison' last='Rustmann'] leads Hume-Fogg on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6. Crockett County (30-11)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This marks the 12th appearance for the Cavaliers and fourth in a row. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='988551' first='Lakyn' last='Forsythe'] delivers nice balls to the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='988552' first='Emilee' last='Chandler'], [player_tooltip player_id='959322' first='Wesley' last='Thornton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='816413' first='Madi' last='Collins']. The Cavaliers drew Valor Prep in the opening round. They might need their best game of the season to advance to the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7. Elizabethton (20-12)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fighting Cyclones made it to state behind the tandem of senior outsides [player_tooltip player_id='959187' first='Jasy' last='Shell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='835540' first='Mahala' last='Nave']. The setters are seniors Abby Gwinn and Kinsley Brittain. Junior libero Sydney Minton sets the tone on defense along with junior Mollie Ledford.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8. Signal Mountain (21-15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles made it back surviving transfers and the transition to a new head coach in Kate Harwood. Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='960707' first='Abney' last='Harwood'] leads the Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["785422"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad56202a94e9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Corbin (pictured) has great timing on her blocks combining her size with great athleticism. Corbin uses that size to sky over double blocks and pound balls into seams. Corbin puts nice off shots to the back row on ones. Corbin also does a good job tapping balls to deep corners on nines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1053356"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad56caa41bbd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Morris has taken huge step forward to help the Choctaws turned into a highly balanced team. Morris takes fives and pounds balls down lines in addition to tooling blocks. Morris does not get phased when first swings do not go down. She keeps swinging hard. Morris gets up with a nice vertical to hit balls over double blocks. Morris also pounds balls from the middle and back rows. She puts good topspin on her back row rips.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["797230"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad56caa41c23"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Goehring may not have the defensive stats as some of her teammates, but she has done as much to help the Bees succeed this season. Goehring handles roll shots with ease. She consistently makes the simple passes. Goehring uses a nice platform to record sound two to three-point passes. She is a good communicator in the back row. Goehring could use some work on her ball control, but it has improved since the start of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["948449"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad56d4f5b31a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Fisher has a great connection with the hitters. Fisher puts balls where hitters can take big rips on them. Fisher executes a variety of short and long sets and gives the Patriots quality net backup. Fisher lunges after balls defensively under control. She also shows great reflexes to keep plays alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1053386"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad573b4a42d2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rustmann squares her body up to balls and executes both overhead and bump passes with precision. Rustmann regularly makes the simple passes. She does a sound job reading hitters well, stopping in her tracks then making the simple two to three-point passes. Rustmann does a nice job guarding lines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["816413"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad57afada803"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Collins makes things happen from the middle and pins for the Cavaliers. Collins mixes in nice tips to shallow zones on ones. Collins makes things happen when she has the right spacing away from the net. Collins does a nice job tooling blocks and pounding balls down lines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["959187"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad57cfa2288a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Shell has given the Fighting Cyclones a reliable option on the outside. Shell wins jousts and comes in off blocks to take quality swings. Shell adjusts mid-air to put off shots to open one zones. Shell tools blocks and paints back lines. Shell has a nice attack approach and pounds over tough crosses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["960707"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ad57fbd0b3b9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Harwood's versatility has helped Signal Mountain drive back to the state tournament. Harwood involves a variety of hitters and executes a variety of sets long and short. She has a deceptive setter dump to the donut and attacks seams with precision. Harwood sends out of system balls to the back row to deep corners for kills. Harwood does not hesitate to shove balls away from opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Note from Writer</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two and a half years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigkentucky/#">prepdigkentucky</a>, @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigtennessee/#">prepdigtennessee</a>&nbsp;or @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigoh/#">prepdigoh</a>&nbsp;on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy, @PrepDigTN or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky, Tennessee or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky or Tennessee 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 on yearly subscriptions, enter code graham30 at checkout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->