Six Bigs: Middles You Should Know In The Class Of ’24

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our last article about the new release of the '24 rankings, we touch on a second position group that are harder and harder to find these days. Here are six middles, their high schools, clubs and heights, and what we think of their abilities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='112085' first='Tiffany' last='Snook'], 6-2 MB, Hamilton Southeastern, Munciana</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Big and strong, Miss Snook is the quintessential M2 at the next level. She excels off of two feet, takes up a ton of space on the block and comes from multiple winning programs. HSE just captured their first-ever state title in volleyball, where Tiffany finished with five kills and two blocks in the title match. Want a winner who is big with exceptional training? Look no further.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='110492' first='Scarlett' last='Kimbrell'], 6-0 MB/OH, Franklin Community, Circle City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a traditional "basketball kid" to excel as quickly as she has in volleyball is a rare feat in Indiana. I listed the second position out of necessity---new high school coach Pat Carlson moved Miss Kimbrell to the outside to give yet another attacking option on a solid (and young) Grizzly Cubs team. Once club comes around, Scarlett is an M1 through and through, and her attacks off of one foot are high and hard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='133763' first='Marlina' last='Anderson'], 6-0 MB, North Central, Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smart and strong, Marlina is a great M2 option for a team looking for someone to minimize errors while doing all of the dirty work that goes unrewarded. She's quicker than she looks---and taller. Her arms defend more of the net than expected, has played high level club ball for years, and always makes the right decision on the attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='191070' first='Lucy' last='Kay'], 6-1 MB, Fishers, Rev</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long and lean, Lucy is one of the fastest middles in this class. She's always available to attack and moves laterally quicker than expected. I list her as 6-1, but she could be taller; her arm length almost makes me think she's still growing. Stuck in the "HSE sectional" in high school, her club seasons are great opportunities for her to emerge from that shadow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='143805' first='Ellie' last='Priddy'], 5-10 MB, Silver Creek, Union</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ellie, to these eyes, looks like what a small school should need in a middle. She plays bigger than her frame, does all of the skill work the "right way", and knows nothing but winning. Staring at possibly exceeding 750 career kills and 100 blocks at Silver Creek next fall, her training at Union has raised her volleyball IQ through the roof in the last two years, placing her in this article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='230528' first='Abbie' last='Cresse'], 6-3 MB, Blackhawk Christian, Empowered</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had the pleasure of watching Abbie play at the Bluegrass tourney in Louisville this past weekend. It is absolutely true that you cannot teach height, and Abbie has all of it. Her long arms make her nearly impossible to hit through, and her high contact point makes some blocks irrelevant. As of now, she's an M2 who does well with a setter that can match her attack touch height, and some band work to help speed that arm of her up should help her future. However, with a state title trophy on her mantle, and Empowered training her at a high level, it's only a matter of time before Miss Cresse follows in the Division I footsteps of her sister, currently on the roster at Louisville.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->