Academy Summer Showdown Wrap-Up: Yorktown

<p>As the defending 4A state champion Tigers took the floor on Saturday, I was wondering how young or inexperienced they might be. Where will the offense come from? Who are the primary passers, now that you have to replace two Division I liberos? Where’s the size? Simpler questions for another time, apparently, because they can all be answered NOW. Yorktown is your Summer Showdown champion for the summer of ’21, and it was methodical. Here’s what I saw.</p> <p><strong>Ava Eakins (’22, 5-7 OH)</strong></p> <p>A three-rotation outside for the Tigers, the kid who finished the state semifinal with a kill brings back all of that experience and will be relied upon to do that again. She may not be the biggest on the roster, but she’s always reliable. She looks even stronger than last fall, which should help for the grind that is a championship season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115068" first="Kaitlyn" last="Judge"] (’22, 6-0 RS/MB)</strong></p> <p>On this day, Miss Judge was a right side, and her top-three kills and blocks for Yorktown answers one of the questions above. She’s also big and strong enough to alter shots, if not terminally block them altogether. She was the right side last fall, too, meaning two starters on offense have a championship pedigree and will understand the work involved in doing it again.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85819" first="Rory" last="Powers"] (’22, 5-6 DS/L, Air Force commit) </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85824" first="Taryn" last="Sallee"] (’22, 5-5 DS/L)</strong></p> <p>You want replacements for two division I liberos? How about two kids who were major players on that championship squad that were top-four in digs and aces last fall? One, Miss Powers, has already committed to the Air Force Academy, and will make them better upon arrival. Taryn is more than capable of doing the same at the next level, and her Munciana training makes her a prime candidate for a second look.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115069" first="Emilee" last="Hill"] (’23, 5-8 S)</strong></p> <p>It probably helps that the 5-1 setter from last fall also returns, and she’s BETTER. A Munciana kid herself, Emilee’s hands are high, she finds the right attacker at the right time, stays in a fast-enough tempo to keep opponents guessing, and has athleticism for days. How so? She made the state finals this past spring in the 100m dash.</p> <p><strong>Charlotte Vinson (’25, 6-1 OH/S)</strong></p> <p>I would be shirking my duties if I did not mention the biggest addition to the squad. The last time I saw Charlotte, she was 5-11, and was exceptional on the 14-1 at Munciana. Now, bigger/faster/stronger than a few months ago, Miss Vinson is ready for big girl ball, and can step in for Miss Hill above if things go a bit south. She attacks high and hard, can step in on defense, serves tough, and sets well. Learning the change in speed of the game from 14s to 15s (or from MS to HS) should be tougher than this; Charlotte will transition easily into the spot vacated by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85673" first="Ellee" last="Stinson"] (’21, 5-2 DS/L, Northwestern University). </strong>This is a solid early candidate for the top spot in my class of ’25 rankings, coming out in a few months.</p>