WARNING! Big Season Ahead-2023 Middles

<p>Only about a month and half away, volleyball will be in season for the 2022 season. Once July 15th arrives, most high schools will begin practicing. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Teams will likely attend summer leagues and team camps before July 15th. We are going to take a look at a handful of players we think will have a huge senior season for the respective school teams. </span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145982" first="Audrey" last="Bird"]-</strong></span> She plays for the perennial powerhouse, the Edmond Santa Fe Wolves. Her vertical is crazy high, pair this with her 6’ frame, watch out! She has become even more explosive and fast twitch this club season while playing for Peak 17EP under UCO head coach, Edgar Miraku. Playing on this high level team against other high level teams each weekend has only pushed her skills even further. She did not back down in any set I watched her play in. Her tempo and control has started to shape her into a more dynamic player. She will be surrounded with quality players on her school team. This will help keep her in one-on-one situations with blockers. That is bad news if you’re the opponent. We look forward to her moving up the rankings and college’s prospect lists. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145974" first="Layla" last="Lenex"]</strong>- She plays for the up and coming Sand Springs Sandites. They have turned the program around there and she has been a big part of that ascension. She annihilated some balls last year in games. Watching her in club this season, she seems more comfortable moving around the net and hitting a multitude of different sets. She has also become a very consistent blocker while playing for TPV 17-1. I look for the Sandites to continue fighting with the big dogs of 6A and Layla being part of the equation that gets them over the hump and take down a few of them. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145986" first="Julia" last="McLendon"]</strong>- She plays for the always solid, Edmond Deer Creek Antlers. They lost a couple solid players from last year’s team that made it to the state tournament. This will require her to step up and take on more of the load. I think she will handle it beautifully. She is a hard working and selfless player, always hustling and happy for her teammates’ success. She won’t be just a good player for them but a good leader to look up to. Coach Ward and Ok Charge 17UA ran an up-tempo offense during club and this has really helped Julia take her game up a notch or two. I look for her to be more involved in a variety of ways this school season and force defenses to really pay attention to where she is on the court. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145994" first="Ellie" last="Smith"]</strong>- Ellie plays for the reigning 6A state champs, Jenks Trojans. She was a solid contributor last season, but this season, I think she will move into the spotlight as a star player for them. This club season playing for UPVBC 17 Open, possibly the best club team in the state, has really prepared her to play at a high level. She will for sure start to see more and more colleges finding interest in her impressive skills and 6’2 college ready frame. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We look forward to covering more players and teams this coming school season. Oklahoma has taken a big step this club season. This will make for even better matchups in the coming months. </p>