Middles Ready to Move in Class 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today we take a look at some of the middle blockers in Class 5 we expect to see new levels of their play in 2023. If it's offense or defense, here are a handful of players we should see growth along the net this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220349' first='Teagan' last='Pocius'] - 2026 - Marquette</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pocius had a good freshman season and an even better club season, so we should expect nothing less than a strong sophomore campaign from her. She had 124 kills in the middle last fall and 98 total blocks. She will continue to be strong in the block department but watch her offensive numbers take off. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222074' first='Parker' last='Kimball'] - 2026 - Park Hill </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We saw Parker during the high school season and the growth from then to the club season was evident in her play and confidence. After losing their main offensive weapon, look for her to get more touches and build on her 119 kills from 2022. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maggin Gunn - 2026 - Kirkwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gunn had 111 kills in her first high school season and saw action in 98 sets. After a season under her belt, we will see her offensive game expand. At the net defensively she had just under 30 total blocks, so we should see those numbers also go up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bella Molway - 2025 - Staley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From 2 sets as a freshman to 76 as a sophomore, we should see Molway take a bigger step as a junior. In her 76 sets last year she had 97 kills and 18 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Peyton Jones - 2025 - Fort Zumwalt North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones saw quite a bit of action last year, playing in 87 sets. She showed flashes of potential offensively with her 93 kills. An area we expect to show great improvement will be her hitting percentage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216425' first='Meredith' last='Barry'] - 2024 - Blue Springs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Springs senior will look to be a key piece offensively in 2023. She wasn't too shabby in 2022, evidenced by 146 kills and 52 blocks. If her history of improvement from season to season continues, expect a big final season for Barry. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='203489' first='Madeline' last='Ozersky'] - 2024 - Marquette</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Marquette middle we expect big things from this fall is Ozersky. Her numbers have gotten better and better each season and she wants to go out with a bang in her final season. Last year she had 149 kills and 68 blocks. Her block numbers jumped up almost 30 from the previous season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Margot Randall - 2024 - St. Teresa's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Randall mirrors Ozersky regarding growth year to year. Her kills doubled from sophomore to junior year. Her blocks made a big jump as well. The Star had 148 kills last fall and will look to better that in the months to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->