Class 2B: The Elite Scorers

<p>Scoring is a key aspect of the game of volleyball. It doesn’t matter how good a team is in defense or if it has a great setter, if it doesn’t score points there’s no way it will win a match. Even though a good offense is the one that involves at least a few players, some hitters naturally are more used by their teams due to their great efficiency and these are five athletes who had these roles at the Class 2B in 2019 and will likely carry the same loads again next season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Ellie Marble – Outside Hitter – Sophomore – LaConner</strong></p> <p>Ellie Marble was one of the two athletes who shared the division’s Player of the Year award in 2019 and one the reasons she was placed on top of the class was her scoring ability. With 397 kills, the then-freshman led LaConner to a State Championship title and her offensive efficiency was at full display in the final match against Northwest Christian, when she registered 18 kills for the Braves. A six-footer, Marble is not only a hard-hitter as her offensive game is extremely diverse and consistent.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Chiara Carey – Outside Hitter/Opposite – Junior – Northwest Christian</strong></p> <p>Chiara Carey was the best scorer for State Championship’s runner ups Northwest Christian during her junior year in 2019. The 5’7” outside hitter/opposite registered 249 kills in a team that had three players with at least 200 points and added at least 12 for the Crusaders in three of their four State Championship matches. Her performance deserved an honorable mention for the All-State team.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"] – Outside Hitter/Middle-Blocker – Senior – Toutle Lake</strong></p> <p>A two-time All-State team selection, [player_tooltip player_id="97006" first="Nikarra" last="Smith"] has on her offensive skills the most important part of her game for Toutle Lake. As a 6’1” hitter, she’s hard to stop when at the net due to her tremendous reach, which gives her a huge advantage in sets off the net, and her heavy arm. Smith is also very versatile offensively, being equally effective in high balls on the left and on quick sets through the middle, giving tons of options for the Ducks to work with. She ranks 27th in the class of 2021 for prepdig.com.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Sahara Browing – Outside Hitter – Junior – Walla Walla Valley Academy</strong></p> <p>If there’s someone who’s able to challenge Marble as the best offensive player in the division it’s Sahara Browing. The 5’8” outside hitter has carried Walla Walla Academy to the State Championship with 348 kills and earned an All-State team honorable mention because of it. More than a volume scorer, though, Browing is a very efficient hitter as her kill percentage for the Knights was absurdly high at 54.5%.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Mia Tunison – Outside Hitter – Junior – Northwest Christian</strong></p> <p>Norwest Christian’s well-balanced offense set the stage for another prospect of the team to shine in Mia Tunison. The 5’8” outside hitter made great strides in her second season of high school volleyball as she notched 204 kills, including 37 over the Crusaders’ four State Championship matches. Tunison was an All-State team honorable mention nominee.</p>