Event Coverage: Circle Has Four Heavy Hitting Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Circle Thunderbirds are coming off a 30-plus win season and an appearance in the Class 4A State Tournament, and the T-Birds roster is still loaded for bear heading into the 2024 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I scouted Circle's match against Arkansas City on June 12 at the Butler CC summer tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are four Circle prospects who played well in the two-set victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taylor Russell</strong>, 5'9”, OH, Circle, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Russell is a powerful lefty, who opponents won't want hitting in-system attacks. She is a big-time jumper and hits the ball hard. She has a physical frame and in my estimation, is a solid college prospect. Russell finished with 95 kills as a junior. That total could easily be tripled during her senior season, as Circle is tasked with replacing two 300-plus kill attackers from last year's team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493434' first='Katelyn' last='Paul']</strong>, 5'9”, OH, Circle, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig currently has Paul ranked No. 135 overall in the class of 2025 rankings. Look for her to climb the ladder when the rankings are updated later this summer. She recorded 179 kills in 87 sets in her junior season. She is also an accomplished passer collecting 117 digs last season. She had a soft touch on a couple of her digs during the summer event. I also liked her serve, which is a hard line drive with some sink on it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='551289' first='Giya' last='Fairbairn']</strong>, 5'7”, OH, Circle, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairbairn is the quiet assassin on this squad. She has a nice reach and could become a dangerous threat at the net. She made a couple of nice adjustments on out-of-system balls in the match against Arkansas City. Of the four hitters in this group, she might have to claw the hardest to get playing time, but she is a talent that college coaches should take a look at.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='551318' first='Gracie' last='Tucker']</strong>, 5'9”, MB, Circle, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is nothing quiet about Tucker's game. She was one of my favorite prospects at the tournament. She plays with a high level of confidence and with a mean streak. Usually, I recommend prospects to be more aggressive, but Tucker is extremely aggressive and has a killer instinct on the court. Tucker collected 111 kills and 36 total blocks during her junior season. She will probably be seen as mostly an option on the front row, but she is an athlete that I predict NAIA and JUCO coaches in Kansas will fighting over.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->