Top 250 Expo San Antonio: Freshmen Middle/Right-Side Hitters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love seeing the future of the sport unfold at these expos and showcases for the youngest players in high school. They are already so good but will develop so much more in the next couple of years that the change will be dramatic. In this article, I combined the middle and right-side hitters into one piece so we could discuss some of the biggest arms on the courts. Let's see what each of these freshmen has to offer in the coming years and what their strengths are right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482092' first='Liv' last='Hauerland']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hauerland is a 5'11" middle hitter from Dripping Springs High School's freshman class. Hauerland is good at blocking and hitting. She has great placement when trying to hit empty court space for a kill. She has a nice cross-court shot and can hit the edges of the back row to catch her opponents off guard. She is already so good and I cannot wait to see how she develops in the coming seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482095' first='Makayla' last='Morris']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morris is a 5'9" middle hitter from Wagner High School's class of 2027. Morris is strong, puts up a big block, and is a wall at the net. She can hit really hard and accurately. I watched her warm up with some back row play and she can really dig and receive the ball well. This makes her a very versatile athlete and dangerous on the court wherever she is. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482093' first='Lucy' last='Rote']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rote is a 6' middle hitter from Antonian College Preparatory's freshman class. Rote is a long, strong, and smart player. She has great reach and will catch hitters off-guard with her speed to the ball. She can get a touch on most things coming her way and put them back over the net to an accurately empty spot on the court. This middle hits hard and true and with speed. Great athlete! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482083' first='Jordynn' last='Taylor']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor is a middle hitter from Marshall LMS's class of 2027. Taylor is long and lean with powerful arms to block and hit. She is accurate and smart about where she is putting the ball on the opponent's court. She has speed at the net and is always set for her blocks. She can save and pop up a ball that has been blocked and leave it playable for her setter. This athlete would be valuable to whatever team she chooses to play with. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482062' first='Addison' last='Ezell']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ezell is a 5'8" right-side hitter from Cornerstone Christian School's freshman class. Ezell is strong and very athletic. She has hops and can really get above the net when striking against her opponent. She has the ability to turn out-of-system balls into a kill with her speed and strength. She is very flexible and a great blocker. She can also hit anywhere in the front row effectively and that is impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='482086' first='Kya' last='Flores']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flores is a 5'7" right-side hitter from Johnson High School's class of 2027. Flores is lean but has powerful and really strong legs that propel her up into the air when she is hitting. She plays very well off of the block and uses everything at her disposal to accomplish her goal. She is a very determined athlete and would be an asset to any team she plays on. She has great communication skills, a great platform, and is good at making her position an impactful one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":455258,"width":"141px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/09/50-Sydney-Suttles.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-455258" style="width:141px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='443046' first='Sydney' last='Suttles']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Suttles is a 5'8" right-side hitter from Keystone High School's freshman class. Suttles has great blocking and powerful hitting. She is very athletic and can really get up at the net to get a kill. She is strong and when she hits the ball it is going down. She is very aware of the court and the blocks in her way and knows how best to use them to hit empty spaces while still being inside the boundaries of the court. She is a motivator and her style of play is always up and ready and it is infectious to the rest of her team. She is a joy to watch play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->