VHSL Players to Watch: Class 3 Girls Volleyball Hot Prospects

<p>Better late than never is an ongoing theme with this Covid derailed scholastic year. High school volleyball returns to the commonwealth with tryouts starting February 15, 2021, but icy conditions and snow throughout the commonwealth postponed tryouts for many teams. The season will go on. There is a great deal of talent returning to the Class 3 division of the VHSL and here are some of the top players to watch for the upcoming season. There are several high level prospects in this year class including some players who have caught the attention of Power 5 coaches and programs. </p> <p><strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-132734 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/IMG_2488.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Kate Hardie</strong> (<em><strong>Rustburg High- Junior</strong></em>): The dynamic 5’8 Outside Hitter is one of the leaders for the offense for the Lady Red Devils. She is a solid defender and strong server. She is an adept passer and attacker who hits with good power and range. Kate is an above average blocker for her size. For her travel team, Roanoke United, Kate is a setter in a 6-2 offense this season. She is capable of running a complex college offensive system with a high volleyball IQ, great athleticism and a great feel for the game. She sees the court well and consistently puts up hittable balls in tempo. She is capable to turning medium system balls into faster tempo, in system offense. She’s also a talented beach player so her prospects for Division 1 programs is pretty high. Kate is coming off a First Team All State selection in 2019. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="111449" first="Cam" last="Davenport"] (<em>Hidden Valley- Junior</em>):</b> Cam is a 5’11 Pin Hitter who is coming off a Second Team All State selection and is a teammate of <strong>Kate Hardie </strong>on the Roanoke United 17 Red team. Cam is an athletic Outside Hitter who hits with range and has exceptional court vision in attacking, which could translate to beach as well. Cam had a a whopping 375 kills in 2019 and looks to build on that for her junior campaign. She projects to a low to mid tier NCAA Division 1 prospect, with more strength and ball control could solidify her prospect status. She is a solid blocker and good defender. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111358" first="Jaydyn" last="Clemmer"] (<em>Rockbridge High-Senior</em>) </strong>Jaydyn is another standout player who is looking to build on a great 2019. She was Second Team All State for Rockbridge. The 5’7 Senior his .401 in 2019 with 406 kills and 486 digs for the Wildcats. She is an aggressive offensive force. She hits with power and range with great athleticism. She will surpass 1200 digs this season, only needing 6 more to hit the milestone. She has great feet to cut off serves and attacks and great platform awareness. She reads the play well and can handle tough serves and hard driven attacks with precision and poise. Jaydyn announced her verbal commitment to continue her playing career for the James Madison Dukes upon graduation. </p> <p><strong><img class=" wp-image-132744 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/sarah-calendar-300x289.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="185" />[player_tooltip player_id="111485" first="Sarah" last="Callender"] (Tabb High- Junior) </strong>Sarah is a 5’10 Outside Hitter who is an increasingly rare 6 rotation Pin Hitter. She touches over 9’4 and is exceptional in serve receive. She hits with range and power from both the front and back row. She reads the game well and has very solid footwork. She’s a very capable blocker at the net in isolation and help block situations. She’s a multisport athlete and high academic student. Sarah was Second Team All State in 2019. She projects to a high NCAA Division II to low Division I level player. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="111379" first="Amber" last="Parker"] (Western Albemarle High- Senior)</strong> The 5’3 Libero is the reigning First Team All State Libero for Western Albemarle and will return to command the backcourt for her senior season. The lightning quick defensive wizard can handle all speed of shots and covers immense areas of the back court, saving point after point. She is a relentless pursuer and has exceptional reflexes and reactions. She handles serve receive as well and is a high energy teammate. She has a solid jump float serve that is "flean" (flat and clean) that dances all the way to defender’s shanked passes. She could be a lot to mid-D1 prospect and if she continues to develop her reading to match her impressive reactions and exceptional quickness, she could become an elite defender at the next level. </p>