Small Schools, Great Players: Top Five of Indiana’s Small Schools of ’22
There are great players in areas you won’t normally find them. Luckily, Indiana is filled with tiny schools that are exceptional at volleyball, and the 2022 class is no exception. Here are our top five. Estella Kleffman Estella Kleffman 5'9"…
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Continue ReadingThere are great players in areas you won’t normally find them. Luckily, Indiana is filled with tiny schools that are exceptional at volleyball, and the 2022 class is no exception. Here are our top five.
Estella Kleffman Estella Kleffman 5'9" | OH Trinity Lutheran | 2022 State IN , 5-9, DS/OH, Union 16 Asics (16-1), Trinity Lutheran School (enrollment: 149)
Of the three classes of small school top fives we will list, Estella comes from the smallest school. Trinity Lutheran regularly competes for state championships in 1A, and just recently lost an epic 5-setter in the state final in 2019. Miss Kleffman is currently being used as a right-back defender in high school and will see some front-row time in club. Fully capable of doing both at an elite level is what catches our eye at Prep Dig.
Lovie Wallace Lovie Wallace 6'0" | MB Hamilton Southeastern | 2022 State IN , 6-0, MB, Munciana 16 Ninjas (16-1), Heritage Christian School
Amaya Lowry Amaya Lowry 5'9" | RS Heritage Christian | 2022 State IN , 5-9, RS, Academy 16 Yeti (16-1), Heritage Christian School (enrollment: 462)
I packaged these two together to emphasize how impressive this 2A squad was in their trek to their first volleyball state championship. Lovie is a space-eating, heavy-armed middle who does well in front of and behind the setter. Amaya already plays at an elite level, with her attack touch at 9-9 and rising. Miss Lowry’s volleyball smarts are also regularly on display, as she always seems to be in the right place at the right time both offensively and defensively.
Cadence Notter Cadence Notter 5'6" | DS/L Covenant Christian | 2022 State IN , 5-6, DS, Circle City 16 Purple (16-1), Covenant Christian School (enrollment: 365)
Cadence, along with the remainder of the DS’s on CC’s 16-1, are elite-level serve receivers and defend with the best, making their club team one of the best 16s teams in the midwest. Although she’s switched between three-rotation DS and libero for the entirety of her career, she’s more than capable of doing whatever it takes to win, no matter the role. Her anticipation and high volleyball IQ always has her in the right spot regularly.
Sophia Foster Sophia Foster 5'6" | DS/L Kouts | 2022 State IN , 5-6, DS, Boiler Juniors 16 Gold (16-1), homeschool
OK, OK, she’s not TECHNICALLY in a small school. One could argue that she’s at the smallest school possible, and has little to no opportunity to play in the fall. With that being said, she’s the libero for this small satellite club for The Academy, and this author got to see first hand how Sophia runs the defense. In short, she’s just as good as any other libero at this level. I hope we get to see more of her in the future, as it looks super bright to me.