Class of 2025 Rankings Update: Middle Blockers

The middle blocker position is an intriguing spot in this class. There are all different types of athletic profiles and skills across the list which allows college programs to find what fits them best. I was able to find some great prospects going through film especially when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. The middle blocker position really comes down to their size, length, foot speed, arm speed, and overall IQ and skills. These prospects all have a unique combination of those attributes that showed me that they earned a spot on the updated rankings list.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Newly Ranked Prospects</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='526007' first='Helenn' last='Montilla'] - Miami Hype 17 Emilio   Helenn has an intriguing combination of size and agility that I rarely see at the position. She has quick feet especially on her last two steps to close blocks and to close to the ball when hitting. She has a very fast arm and has the length to really get on top of the ball but does a great job of driving the ball to deep corners. When you look at her blocking the first thing you notice is her ability to close the block and get her hands over the net early. She takes up a lot of space and does a great job of pressing back into the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='526009' first='Isabelle' last='Clark'] - Cape Coast 17 Falcon   The first thing you see when you watch Isabelle play is her energy and effort on the court. When you look at her as a player, she may not be the most technically sound but takes advantage of defenses and scores on a regular basis. Her high snap on contact with the range she's able to hit that with is impressive. Looking at the defensive side of her game her biggest attribute is her ability to press and finish blocks. You put these skills on top of the intangibles she brings to the table it makes sense why she made the updated rankings list.   [player_tooltip player_id='526010' first='Ellie' last='Joffe'] - [program_tooltip program_id='491326' first='IMG' last='Academy'] 18's   Ellie's biggest asset to her team is her blocking. It seems like the ball consistently finds her block and the ball almost always goes down for the point. She does a fantastic job of pressing over the net whether she puts her hands straight up and down or if she reaches outside of her body to close the block. She has all of the lateral quickness you'd look for from someone at the position and even if her feet can't close she'll make sure to close the space with her arms and hands. Offensively she has so much potential to grow into, but her defensive prowess is shown consistently.   [player_tooltip player_id='526018' first='Olivia' last='Elliott'] - No Name 17 Sarah   She's a very unique player in that her main option to attack the ball is off of one foot. No matter where the ball is set she's able to drive off of her last step and use her insane length to hit over and around blocks. Because of her insane length she's an intimidating blocker especially when closing to the pin. When she's able to build momentum and use her athleticism to close the block and drive off of the ground she's able to close the block both with her feet or with her arms and hands if needed. Olivia is a fantastic prospect for teams that could use a player who can hit from anywhere on the court at any tempo or location.   [player_tooltip player_id='526020' first='Phyllis' last='Flatley'] - Game Point 17 Rox   Phyllis has all of the potential to be a top 50 player in the state with her combination of size, length, and athleticism. You see it very early on in film how much she could really dominate the game no matter what the other team tried to do to stop it. She has some technical skill work to grow into, but when she does the right things and makes good decisions she's one of the most impressive middles in all of the rankings. Her offensive ability to hit over and around blocks with power or speed in combination with her defensive ability to dominate other hitters on the net is a rare combination.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stock-Risers</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='455061' first='Sarah' last='Dibbs-Frantz'] - No Name 17 Sarah   Sarah has always been a player that intrigued me because of her length and height at the position. One of the main reasons why she moves up in this list is her continued growth at the position when it comes to her IQ and play speed. She's able to diagnose opposing defenses a lot quicker which allows her to use different shots to score. She's also able to diagnose the opposing offense a lot quicker as well to help her be in better position to take away space on her blocks. She's become a great overall player that still has a ton of room to grow.   The middle position in the class of 2025 is littered with talent and potential. These are only a few of the additions that were made to the list and they all caught my eye early on in the process. My favorite part of watching and ranking this position is to see how much of an impact that these prospects can make for their team even though they're only playing 3 rotations. Each of these prospects have their own play type and skill set that really intrigued me when doing the rankings and I can't wait to see how they shake up at the next rankings update.

The middle blocker position is an intriguing spot in this class. There are all different types of athletic profiles and skills across the list which allows college programs to find what fits them best. I was able to find some great prospects going through film especially when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. The middle blocker position really comes down to their size, length, foot speed, arm speed, and overall IQ and skills. These prospects all have a unique combination of those attributes that showed me that they earned a spot on the updated rankings list.