Eight 2027 Prospects To Shine The Spotlight On

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2027 is filled with outstanding talent and some of the prospects have been unnecessarily left out of the spotlight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But, now is their time to shine and let the state know just how good they are. Here are eight 2027 talents that deserve more of the spotlight and worth keeping an eye on heading into their senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='845232' first='Avery' last='Bailey'], RS/OH Midland Dow/Mid-Michigan Aces</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 6-foot power lefty, Bailey brings a lot of intangibles to the court that can create problems for opponents. She has a smooth approach to the net and good forward momentum on her swing. She gets a lot of lift off the floor to combine with her length, which makes for a lot of explosive attacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='916026' first='Lily' last='Klein'], MB/OH Flat Rock</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Klein was a big force for Flat Rock this fall, helping it reach the Division 2 state finals matchup. Klein is very imposing at the net and came through with a lot of big kills during the postseason run. Next fall should be a big opportunity for her to keep raising her stock as she sees more and more opportunities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523847' first='Rory' last='O'Connell'], OH Howell/Legacy</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Connell is an improving six-rotation outside that does a great job of attacking at sharp angles and coming down hard over the top of the ball to keep defenders from having much shot at keeping it in play. She's also a motivated defender that is putting in the work to become a stronger and more consistent player in all phases.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='916051' first='Quinn' last='Knoblaugh'], S/RS Hanover Horton</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knoblaugh is a well-balanced player that is able to see the court really well through her experience playing two positions. Her hitting is showing improvement in terms of finishing rate and power, while her setting is getting more accurate and leading to bigger swings out of her hitters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='727743' first='Jada' last='Austin'], MB/OH Utica/Monsters</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Austin is a quick player that does a nice job of spreading out her attack locations. She anticipates blockers well and can make last-second adjustments to her swings. When she gets a clean look, Austin has a strong follow through that shows the aggression needed to finish at a high rate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816366' first='Madeline' last='Kozuch'], OH Morley Stanwood/Inside Out</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kozuch is one to really keep an eye on. There's a lot to like about her play, most importantly that she has her best outings against the toughest competition. Kozuch has the athleticism and agility to cover a lot of space at the net, and she is able to take her swing to another gear in tense moments. Kozuch is able to make herself really long in her approach as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831699' first='Ella' last='Wilcox'], OH Parma Western/Team Pineapple</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilcox has a really smooth delivery on her attacks and she's got a lot of spring, too. That, combined with her length, makes her a very fierce outside option. She can also slide into the middle if needed. When she gets rolling, Wilcox is tough to slow down. Even her back-row attacks are picturesque.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454362' first='Karlie' last='Smith'], S Saline/L2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith does a lot of things well in all phases of the game. Her setting has showed notable improvement year-to-year and she's been able to add new caveats to her play in that role. Smith is also a sound defenders that can turn the tide of a match with a key dig or block, but also can be a real force from the service line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->