Class 3A: Top Teams – Ferndale
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. It’s the fifth week of the series now, so class 3A is our focus.
Ferndale
Last season marked the end of an era for Ferndale as after being part of the division’s top-eight for the last four years the Golden Eagles saw three players who were instrumental in their prolific run graduate in All-State team members Nicole Headrick, Malia Honrud and Bri Byrnes. The team has some interesting talent on the pipeline and should still be able to remain competitive for another year, but it will certainly be more challenging to battle with the top teams in the class.
Their three key players are:
Avery Schneider – Middle-Blocker – Junior
Avery Schneider was part of Ferndale’s core last season and she took up the task of dominating the net with incredible success, being among the team’s main blocker and hitters past season. Her offensive game will be on even higher demand next season after the Golden Eagles lost their go-to scorers to college volleyball and the six-footer middle-blocker, who has a heavy arm and great timing at the net, is expected to give her numbers a considerable boost.
Kaelee Bungard – Outside Hitter – Junior
A volleyball and basketball player, Kaelee Bungard displayed a great all-around game for Ferndale last season. The 5’7” outside hitter had a prominent role on the team’s offense, being arguably the Golden Eagles’ second most frequent option at the net behind Headrick, but also had great importance in the team’s defense, sharing most of the backcourt duties with libero Byrnes. Bungard, who also plays on the sand, will be key to the team’s stability next season.
Alyvia Semu – Middle-Blocker/Outside Hitter – Junior
Alyvia Semu’s versatility will come especially handy next season when Ferndale will need adjustments to make up for the loss of a handful of graduating seniors. Capable of playing at both the middle-blocker and outside hitter positions, the 5’10” prospect displays great leaping skills, impressive reach and an impressive ability to hit hard angles from either position, making of her a real threat at the net.