Stat It Up- The Series: #16-20 Top Blockers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> Blocking is not an easy task to teach in high school, and these players just have a natural gift of protecting the ball on their side. Therefore, we have the #16-20 blockers in the state that each had over 90 blocks this year! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#16, [player_tooltip player_id='107399' first='Julia' last='Hunt']</strong> <em>(Holy Cross Covington)</em>- Discussed in my previous hitting articles, [player_tooltip player_id='107399' first='Julia' last='Hunt'] of Holy Cross, continually proved to be one of the best offensive players in the state. Now, with her total blocks of 127, she obviously demonstrates her star blocking skills, and that she's one of the best defensive players in the state too. Hunt averaged 1.27 blocks per set which is amazing for a middle hitter, let alone a pin attacker. With a district runner-up title, Holy Cross Covington fell short in the district finals and lost second round of region, but Hunt put on a show. She had 18 kills, 3 blocks, 10 digs, and 3 service aces in the district championship alone. As for her last game in region against Ryle, Hunt had 18 kills, 2 blocks, and 7 digs. Committed to University of Washington, [player_tooltip player_id='107399' first='Julia' last='Hunt'] has a bright future ahead! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":279196,"width":226,"height":271,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-12-27-at-12.32.49-AM.png?w=854" alt="" class="wp-image-279196" width="226" height="271" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Allie Dillon</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#17, Allie Dillon</strong><em> (Montgomery County)</em>- Junior middle blocker for Montgomery County, Allie Dillon exerted defensive dominance over the year with 118 blocks in 76 sets. Dillon also tallied 146 kills for the squad. She did a great job about transitioning from offense to defense, but Dillon made sure to specialize in both and not merge the two. Blocking is a hard skill to learn, but she was very patient defensively and really focused on this part of her game. She'll be a great asset to the team for her final season next year! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":255795,"width":264,"height":248,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/17-Taylor-Wathen-e1670162865971.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-255795" width="264" height="248" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#18, [player_tooltip player_id='253894' first='Taylor' last='Wathen']</strong> <em>(Whitefield Academy)</em>- Adding an underclassmen to the top 50, [player_tooltip player_id='253894' first='Taylor' last='Wathen'] from Whitefield Academy, gathered 94 total blocks from the middle hitter position in 96 sets. Wathen also added the second-most kills for her squad with 135 and averaged 1.75 kills per set. Like I've said before, blocking is a mentality. To have this blocking experience as just a freshman is almost unseen. Averaging 1.22 blocks per set in her very first year, Wathen proved her spot on the leaderboard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#19, [player_tooltip player_id='397719' first='Haidyn' last='Carter']</strong> <em>(Butler)</em>- Another freshman middle blocker, [player_tooltip player_id='397719' first='Haidyn' last='Carter'], led her team in blocking numbers with 109. In 90 sets, she averaged 1.21 blocks per set and also finished with the team-high of 140 kills. Carter was a presence at the net and established dominance over others at the net. Being smart and having height are two great aspects to have together, and Carter has them both. She had a fantastic first season and will continue to show off for years to come! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#20, Landree Moons</strong> <em>(Clinton County)</em>- One of the three Moons sisters on Clinton County, Landree Moons was a force to reckon with at the net. Junior outside hitter, Landree Moons impacted the team defensively with 125 blocks in 104 sets. Plus, she helped with 223 kills, 129 digs, and 44 service aces. Landree is the last Moons sister left of Clinton County as her other two siblings, Sadie and Mckenna, had their final year in 2022. Clinton County is in good hands with Landree offensively and defensively! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->