2029 Pin/Middle Powerhouses

The PrepDig exposure tour brought us the ability to check out some top level talent when it comes to the 2029 class. Over half our attendees were some of the best 2029 had to offer and we got to see them live and against each other. As a scout this really gives us the opportunity to see who can standout, who is underrated, and who is just a gamer.   In this article we will take a look at some of the best Pin/Middle Powerhouses from the event. These girls stood out in a number of different ways from their arm swing, to blocking, to just straight top level ability in the front row.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2029 Risers</h2>   First lets talk about some middle/pins who should be risers in the rankings when the 2029 list goes live later today! I have 4 that I have written down where they were all over the place on my note sheet as athletes to watch.   Those 4 would be:   [player_tooltip player_id='888752' first='Taylin' last='Moaratty'] [player_tooltip player_id='914473' first='Marlei' last='Reischl'] [player_tooltip player_id='882629' first='Kinley' last='Beaudoin'] [player_tooltip player_id='916730' first='Kendyll' last='Ross']   When looking at these 4 we have a lot of similarities between these 4. First they are all able to lead their team if called upon. When watching them in individual drills and game play I see these 4 as girls who if asked could single handily lead their team to victory (put the team on their back one might say). First you have [player_tooltip player_id='888752' first='Taylin' last='Moaratty'] who is a middle that can wreck a full game plan if the other team lets them be in system. She is someone who one could argue is one of the top middles in the class based on her ability to be an offensive force. What sets her apart in my eyes is how fast she moves both in offensive and defensive aspects of the game. She is lightning quick with her block getting side to side and transitions so smooth in offense. [player_tooltip player_id='914473' first='Marlei' last='Reischl'] is a pin who does well at hitting open spots, and being able to score points by doing multiple things. She can tool a block, hit an off speed shot, and of course hit around most blocks. She can also get up on the court and showed a lot of good explosion in her approach and block to be able to get up with most hitters. Kinley and Kendyll are both 6 rotational pins who have some length to them and can terminate the ball at will. My favorite thing about both of them is their ability to play all 6 rotations while being able to score points with their offense. Kinley also brought a lot of energy to the game play which is always a scouts favorite thing to see! She is also someone who has the court IQ to take what is open from the defense. She seems to score points at will sometimes. Kendyll is an offensive force as well, she has a lot of force behind her swing and seems to be able to beat through blocks just as well with going around them. Overall these 4 are going to make big jumps in the rankings update coming out today. All 4 of these athletes can do high level things and are on the cusp of being elite in most areas.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2029 Highest Ceilings </h2>   When we use the term highest ceiling.. you might be wondering what that means? As a scout I see highest ceiling as someone who hasn't quite got to their full potential or even scratched the surface, but has all the tools to start climbing the ranking list rapidly over the coming years.   The top 4 highest ceilings I saw are:   [player_tooltip player_id='888751' first='Brynne' last='Harwood'] [player_tooltip player_id='848047' first='Estella' last='Sauter'] [player_tooltip player_id='910193' first='Camryn' last='Logan'] [player_tooltip player_id='917172' first='Morgan' last='Graniello']   First let's clarify that these 4 are already very good volleyball players, easily people could objectively watch and agree with that statement. From a scouts view I see these 4 as athletes who will continually develop into top level players. First you have [player_tooltip player_id='888751' first='Brynne' last='Harwood'], she is someone is only going to get faster and stronger as the years progress. She already has a good foundational pieces in place with her form, technique, and energy she brings to the floor. She is going to start getting the physical aspect over the next few seasons and the sky is the ceiling as she has all the little things in place already. [player_tooltip player_id='910193' first='Camryn' last='Logan'] might be the opposite of that as she is already super strong and powerful but needs to harness that power and strength a little bit. She is very capable of being a 6 rotational pin, and has the offensive ability to terminate balls at will with her strength and power. She can also provide a very solid block for any big time RS hitters out there, and easily can chip in with her defense and serve receive. She will only get better and she gets older with her technique and form which will lead to big jumps in rankings for years to come. Estella is another pin who already can do so much for a team. She can play all 6 rotations and can hit with a lot of power. She does really well with her serve as well, she is able to keep a lot of teams out of system and really demonstrated a high IQ of knowing where to go with the ball. Her technique and form will only get better as she gets older, along with her ability to anticipate hitters as she gets more reps. She is someone who is only going to get better with more reps. The more she saw the ball on Sunday the better she seemed to get with the teams she was going against. Lastly you have Morgan who is a 6 rotational pin who can do all the little things well. She is a loud talker and can over communicate with her team as a play is going on. She seems to see the game in slow motion and is able to make high level decisions because of it. She has the technique of a very good hitter and the form is already there with her awing, passing, and serving. She will only get better as she gets bigger and stronger over the next few seasons. These 4 athletes have so much potential and will continue to develop into elite level players. I am excited to see them continue to grow this club season and see where they fall next year in our rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2029 Swiss Army Knives</h2>   This might date how old I am, but for those of you who don't know a Swiss army knife is something that is versatile, or can be useful in a number of ways. For this next portion we have 4 athletes who might have only listed one position,. but as a scout I see someone who is capable of doing more for their team, and can play multiple positions if asked.   [player_tooltip player_id='917180' first='Paloma' last='Starks'] [player_tooltip player_id='888818' first='Amare' last='James'] [player_tooltip player_id='917179' first='Indie' last='Heimark'] [player_tooltip player_id='917122' first='Sariah' last='Martinez']   Our first player that can do multiple things for her team is Amare. She is listed as a RS hitter but from what we saw at the event could also play the other side and be an OH if needed as well. She has great footwork that allows her to get behind the ball to use her arm swing to her benefit. She has a heavy arm swing and is able to beat through blocks at will, she can also tool them if she needs as well since she carries a high court IQ. Paloma is another player who is only listed as an RS but I saw some tendencies of a player who could also be a 6 rotational pin if needed. She has good footwork and is able to play solid defense when called upon. She is versatile with her game and can hit out of system along with in system shots as well. Indie was another player I liked what I saw as a pin. She is only listed as a OH but I saw some really good passes in serve receive on top of her stellar footwork in defense leads me to believe she could be a DS/L for a team if needed. Having a OH who can be an offensive force, but also someone who can be a DS for your team is a big plus in our eyes. Lastly, Sariah shares a similar story in the fact she is listed as an OH only, but she does so many things well on teh floor you could probably put her anywhere and she can help the team. She was someone who hit very well in multiple positions out of serve receive and base. She also played great defense and got a lot of touches on balls to keep her team alive when needed. These 4 can do it all for a team, and I am probably under selling how much they can really do for their team, look for these 4 during club season helping their teams in as many ways as possible.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2029 Gamers</h2>   Now we come to the last and probably my favorite category from this article... the gamers. I use this term gamer because the athletes in this category could have been listed in any of the other three categories but it wouldn't do them justice to be listed just once, so they get their own special category. These 3 are capable of playing multiple positions, have high ceilings, and can be some risers in future rankings when they come out.   [player_tooltip player_id='878965' first='Laela' last='Barksdale'] [player_tooltip player_id='917090' first='Mikayla' last='Duval'] [player_tooltip player_id='917184' first='Ella' last='Piepenbrink']   First you have Laela, who is a pin hitter with a lot behind her swing. She attacks the ball with a lot of force and is able to score a lot of points with just her offense. She also has a aggressive serve that can keep a team out of system when she hits her spots. She gets up on the block and can get a lot of good touches and block stuffs with how aggressive she is at the net. Ella is a middle blocker who is starting to really figure it out with her game, in the coming years I would be on the lookout for her as a dominate middle. She can already hit well and from multiple spots in the front row and does a great job reading opposing hitters and knowing where to set up to block. She has some length to her as well, and is moving really well for a middle. Lastly you have Mikayla who is a 6 rotational pin hitter that can do a lot in terms of her game. She is smooth with her passing and defense and is able to get a lot of great touches on the ball to keep the team in system. She also moves very well and can transition between defense and offense with ease. She is someone to watch with her growth as well, she is going to be a big time hitter as she gets older and strong. These 3 are for sure worthy of being in one of those categories above, but if we are being honest they could probably end up in multiple ones.   As a reminder with the 2029 rankings that have come out.. please please please tag us and send us clips of your games this club season! We will be around throughout but you got to put in a little work as well with so many talented 2029 in Arizona.   We look forward to seeing everyone after the holiday break! Enjoy the time off with the families.

The PrepDig exposure tour brought us the ability to check out some top level talent when it comes to the 2029 class. Over half our attendees were some of the best 2029 had to offer and we got to see them live and against each other. As a scout this really gives us the opportunity to see who can standout, who is underrated, and who is just a gamer.