Class 2B: Top Teams – Northwest Christian
The next high school volleyball season won’t start in Washington until March 2021, but there’s absolutely no reason why we should wait until there to know more about the best teams in each class. In this series, we’ll dissect each…
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Continue ReadingThe next high school volleyball season won’t start in Washington until March 2021, but there’s absolutely no reason why we should wait until there to know more about the best teams in each class. In this series, we’ll dissect each of the state’s six divisions by analyzing the top teams and the most promising players and what we can expect from them when the balls are finally allowed to fly. As our series reaches its fourth week, it’s time to address Class 2B.
Northwest Christian
Northwest Christian secured top-three finishes in two of the last three State Championships and their 2019 campaign, the best-ever for the Crusaders with a second-place result, left the impression that the team could do even more in the upcoming season. Unlike defending champions LaConner, Northwest Christian is bringing back the entirety of its well-defined All-State team selections core of Madi Zorn, Mia Tunison and Chiara Carey, indicating they could be even tougher opponents when the next season starts.
Their three key players are:
Madi Zorn – Setter – Junior
Madi Zorn has been arguably the best setter in the division in her two years of high school volleyball, amassing All-State first-team selections in both of the last two seasons. Her play was particularly important for Northwest Christian’s success in 2019, when the 5’8” setter had her three main hitters with 200 kills each and saw a massive leap in perhaps her three most important skills going from 400 assists in 2018 to 680, moving up from 87 aces to 107 and jumping from 115 digs to 140. If that wasn’t enough, Zorn also added 80 kills and 13 blocks for the Crusaders.
Chiara Carey – Outside Hitter/Right Sider – Senior
Chiara Carey’s ability to score points is not dependent on whether she’s deployed as an outside hitter or a right sider. The 5’7” prospect always finds ways to put the ball on the floor and she had her best season in that department in 2019, when she led Northwest Christian with 249 kills and secured her second-straight All-State team honorable mention. Carey is much more than just a scoring machine, though, as she also helped the Crusaders with 64 aces, 13 blocks, 279 digs and 293 passes last season.
Mia Tunison – Outside Hitter – Junior
Mia Tunison formed a superb duo with Carey in 2019 and their chemistry will be even stronger heading into next season. The 5’8” outside hitter, who’s also a two-time All-State team honorable mention nominee herself, was Northwest Christian’s third-best scorer last season with 204 kills, she ranked second in aces (82) and digs (231) and third in passes (284) for the Crusaders.