The best from each class – District 2B EWAC East
The start of the high school volleyball season in Washington is closer than ever and at this point, you should already be very familiar with the best teams and the most impressive players from each district as we analyzed them…
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Continue ReadingThe start of the high school volleyball season in Washington is closer than ever and at this point, you should already be very familiar with the best teams and the most impressive players from each district as we analyzed them in detail for the last few months in our several different series.
However, we know one of the reasons why many of you follow high school volleyball is to try and anticipate which prospects have what it takes to succeed at the collegiate level and beyond. So, in this series, we’ll share our best guesses and list the top student-athletes from each of the next three graduating classes in each State district.
Today our focus is the East portion of the 2B Eastern Washington Athletic Conference (EWAC) and here are the players we selected:
Class of 2021
Jessica Mitchell – Middle-Blocker – Walla Walla Valley Academy
Being able to get more than kills and blocks from middle-blockers is sometimes what makes good teams become great ones and that’s probably the case with Walla Walla Valley Academy and Jessica Mitchell. The 5’9” prospect left nothing to be desired at the net last season, ranking second in kills (91) and third in blocks (19) for the Knights. Mitchell, however, brought incredible value for the team in other areas of the game too, registering team-highs 267 digs and 70 passes, besides 45 aces. Such a complete performance took her to the All-State team as an honorable mention and to the All-League first team.
Class of 2022
Sahara Browing – Outside Hitter – Walla Walla Valley Academy
Sahara Browing stands out in the entire district and is right up there with the best in the entire state. The 5’8” outside hitter has made it to the All-State team in each of her two seasons of high school volleyball and was picked for the All-League first team in 2019 after a stellar performance. Browing led the Knights’ offense with a strong showing as she registered impressive 348 kills, accounting for more than half of the team’s entire production in that department, and also added a team-high 94 aces and was second-best in blocks (21), digs (232) and passes (66).
Class of 2023
McKaila Balcom – Opposite – Tri-Cities Prep
Not many freshmen got an opportunity to impress last season due to the District’s highly competitive level, but McKaila Balcom was among the ones who started their high school careers on the right foot. Left-footed opposites are always intriguing and most of the time a player of Balcom’s size, 5’8”, is brought to a strong and consolidated program as Tri-Cities Prep, the outcome is positive. The next years will tell us more about Balcom, who also plays basketball, but she certainly got the tools to excel and is at the right place to do so.