Missouri High School Juniors You May Not Know – But Should
Image Courtesy: Daily Journal As we head into the final weeks of the Missouri high school season, players are attracting interest from colleges. In fact, several have already decided where they will play at the next level; Jordan Illif from…
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As we head into the final weeks of the Missouri high school season, players are attracting interest from colleges. In fact, several have already decided where they will play at the next level; Jordan Illif from Mehlville is committed to Mizzou already, as is Addison Lyon, the dynamic setter out of O’Fallon Christian.
But while many have their collegiate paths forged, countless others do not. Here are just a few juniors you may not know, but definitely should.
Bridget Bone – Libero, Farmington
Farmington has struggled at times in 2019, but Bone has been a wonderful libero for the Knights. In 61 sets played, Bone has 395 digs, good enough for 6.5 digs per set. Bone is also effective at serve receive with 329 so far this season. Farmington lost a heart breaker to Cor Jesu at state last season and Bone and the Knights would love to make a run and make it back to state.
Cassie Gray, Defensive Specialist – Rock Bridge (Columbia)
Gray has really come on of late, registering double-digit digs in 11 straight matches for Rock Bridge. The defensive specialist had her best match in a win against Kirksville where she had 28 digs in a three-set battle. Gray is one of the state’s leaders in digs with 309 in 62 sets of play for an average of 5.2 per set.
Winklemann – courtesy Hermann Advertiser CourierHannah Grosse, Setter & Grace Winklemann, Outside Hitter – Hermann
The Winklemann, Grosse combo has been almost unstoppable in 2019 for Hermann. Winklemann lives on the outside and leads the state in kills with 413. If that wasn’t impressive enough, she has had double-digit kills in all games this season except three. Winklemann also has 178 digs, 25 blocks and 28 aces.
Grosse has done an incredible job quarterbacking the Bearcat offense this season. She is among the state’s leaders in assists with 756. She has lead Hermann to a 25-5 record in 2019 and is averaging 11.6 assists per game. Grosse has had seven games in which she has had more than 30 assists, including a huge win on Monday against Helias. Hermann also got a monster 2-0 win against Jefferson City last Saturday.
Dori McRaven, Middle Hitter – West County
Simply put, McRaven is a special athlete. She has been turning heads on the basketball court for a long time. With her numbers for the West County volleyball team this season, she deserves some accolades there, as well. The middle hitter has 109 solo blocks in 53 sets played. Let me repeat that: 109 solo blocks. That’s two blocks per set. The first-team all-conference selection last season also has 207 kills, 31 aces and is hitting .295 this season for the Bulldogs.
Peterson – courtesy Max PrepsAleena Peterson, Outside Hitter, Defensive Specialist – Lutheran (Kansas City)
Peterson was a Class 1 all-state selection in 2018 so she is definitely a player most in the Kansas City area know about, but she needs to be on this list. On her club team, the KC Invasion, she is listed as a defensive specialist. For Lutheran, she leads the team in kills with 162 as an outside hitter. Peterson also leads the Knights and is among state’s leaders in aces with 68. The junior has 264 digs on the year.
Mallory Polk, Outside Hitter – Lesterville
Polk is a Jane-of-all-trades for Lesterville, leading the team in kills, digs and serve receive. The outside hitter is one of the state’s leaders in kills with 5.4 kills per set. Against North County on Monday, Polk had a triple-double with 18 kills, 20 digs and 21 serve receives. She has had double-digit stats in those three categories in an unbelievable 17 games this season.
Paige Reeser, Setter – Jefferson City
Reeser took over the Jefferson City offense as a sophomore and has not looked back. There were bumps in the road for the in 2018, but 2019 has been a different story, as the Jays go into the final weeks of the season with a 28-3-3 record. Reeser is a huge reason for the turnaround, with 643 assists so far this season. She has been brilliant at providing a balanced attack for the Jays. Reeser also has 209 digs for Jefferson City, as well as 22 aces and 46 kills.