Top Middles in the Sooner State Vol 1

<p>Not in my House!  In basketball there is the defensive Center. The stopper.  The one who can be relied on if an opponent breaks their defender down and drives to the hole.  Volleyball also has their stopper.  Their first line of defense is the Middle Blocker.  The name of their position says it all.  But in all actuality, their position is so much more than that in this day and age of the sport of volleyball. </p> <p>Middles (what us in the biz call them for short) now have to be extremely athletic, agile, and high fliers. Outside pin hitters get most of the glory, but it’s all set up with a solid middle attack.  In advanced offenses, they are running back of the team.  Setting the middles early and often is the strategy of any high power offense.  Once they are established, the defense has to respect them.  This will open up the flood gates for the Outsides to swing through splits in the block or one on one situations.  It’s like a run first offense in football and then running a play action pass that gets a huge first down or scores a touchdown.  Its a game of chess not checkers. </p> <p>I’m probably missing some diamonds in the rough but here are just some Middles watch out for in the great State of Oklahoma.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="144103" first="Lari" last="Migliorino"] [2022] 6-0 Middle (HS: Norman/Club: Oklahoma Peak Performance/Verbal: Central Oklahoma)</strong></p> <p>Lari is currently ranked as our 2^ndbest overall prospect and the top middle in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings.  She is the show stopper for Norman High School and one of the best club teams in the Sooner state at Oklahoma Peak Performance.  Her reach to close the block cannot be ignored.  It stifles opposing attackers.  Just when they think they have a window to hit into…bam! Lari says Not in Her House! Her super high approach touch is difficult for opponents to defend.  Very quick off the ground and a deadly arm-swing give this young lady a solid attack that is a force to be reckoned with. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="144104" first="Lillian" last="Young"] [2022] 6-2 Middle (HS: Elgin/Club: Oklahoma Charge/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>Lillian is currently ranked as our 6^thbest overall prospect and the second best middle in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings.  She is the big gun for Elgin High School and stars for the great Oklahoma Charge volleyball club.  A towering net presence at 6 foot 2 inches tall shows why Miss Young is someone to watch on the court for her senior season.  She hits the ball with a lot of force due to a very heavy arm.  She is very capable of running quick tempos all throughout the net and can run each route in the middle route tree.  She is part of the famed 10 foot club which means she is capable of touching ten feet in the air with her approach jump to attack.  This can be a deadly weapon as she towers over opposing blockers.  Her strength lies in her ability to press on the block and make opponents fear her. Stay tuned for more from Lillian as we cover her senior season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="144105" first="Tierney" last="Jackson"] [2022] 6-2 Middle (Club: Club One/Verbal: Unocmmitted)</strong></p> <p>Tierney is currently ranked as our 9^thbest overall prospect and the third ranked middle in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings.  She is the cannon for her Club One volleyball team.  For being 6-2 she does not lumber on the court.  Her armswing isn’t slow at all.  Its actually lightning quick, which helps her kill the ball very efficiently.  She shows off great quick footwork during her play. She stays on the balls of her feet when running her attacks.  She truly drives her feet hard into the ground to aggressively approach her setter. This young lady has a bright future ahead of her if she continues on this path.  We are excited about watching her develop and think she could rise in the rankings as long as she stays on this path to greatness.   </p> <p>This was just some quick analysis of a few of the top middles for the class of 2022 in Oklahoma.  Stay tuned for more coverage on the rest of the amazing athletes in the state as we embark on a fantastic journey together.  </p> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.  If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info on them at nov8vb@yahoo.com.  Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.  Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.  Thanks for following Oklahoma Family!</p>