It’s one thing to be playing up an age group for a solid 18s team, like the two middles listed above. It’s COMPLETELY another to be playing up an age group for the Samurai, easily the top 18s team in the state of Indiana. Ja’Maria’s sheer athleticism draws recruiting eyes to her court, and can make even the average fan envy her speed and jumping ability. The training she’s receiving with some of the best recruits Indiana has to offer, while playing a strictly open-level national schedule, puts Miss Jackson squarely in the middle of the “top available middles” conversation for her graduating class. Her athleticism alone should be earning her a ton of recruiting views, let alone her volleyball acuity and coachability.

Undersized but springy, Ja’Maria takes advantage of every slow, lumbering middle out there and out jumps them all. Her lightning-quick transition, coupled with a relentlessness few can compete with, make her an easy recruiting target in this class. She has All-State and (possibly) AAU All-American written all over her, and her quickness and athleticism lead the way. Add to all of this her ability to read and react at a collegiate level, and she’s ripe for the picking for this class.

Shorter but just as effective as Milana, Ja’Maria is a highly athletic and springy middle that would be best suited as an M2 at the next level. Her two-footed approach is fast, quick-footed and gets her in the air quicker than most blocks realize that she’s jumped and will attack. What impresses me the most about her is her net defense. Her ability to not only block, but PRESS across the net and take away attacking lanes is impressive for ANY height, let alone Miss Jackson’s. I’m not entirely sure if gravity is optional for her, but after watching her play this past fall, she’s got all the tools in her toolbox to take her talents to the next level.

Burris, and subsequently Munciana, are well-known nationwide about their passing and ball control abilities. It’s not often that they get a home-grown middle that can jump higher than most middles in this class. Ja’Maria is a highly athletic M2 who can get her head and shoulders over the net and wait a while to pick her angle of attack. That might sound like hyperbole, but she looks like she hangs in the air while attacking, making her abilities stand out that much more. Length is not an issue for the 5’10” product, as she can also cover pin to pin with ease. Burris is on our watch list for state title contention, and a lot of their offensive abilities will come straight from Miss Jackson.