NCAA Volleyball's Top 10 True Freshmen
NCAA Volleyball's Top 10 True Freshmen
Making the transition from high school to college can be one of the hardest steps in an athlete's career. Some crack under the pressure or need time to adju
Making the transition from high school to college can be one of the hardest steps in an athlete's career. Some crack under the pressure or need time to adjust, others thrive right away. These 10 NCAA volleyball true freshmen are the latter. Whether they lead their teams in kills or collect weekly honors left and right, these freshmen look to be the stars of their college programs for years to come.
Oleksak, a 5-foot-10 Phoenix native, is the first true freshman to start at the setter position for Colorado State in more than 10 years. Her Arizona Storm club team--which featured Gatorade Player of the Year Khalia Lanier, who is now a freshman at USC--finished third at the 2016 Girls' Junior Nationals. So far this season, Oleksak ranks third in the nation with 11.78 assists/set.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BK_ug_EjS1f/?taken-by=csuvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
Washington native Kara Bajema had never played middle before joining the Huskies. Two months into the season, the 6-2 freshman ranks 19th in the nation in blocks/set with 1.43. She leads her Washington team with 70 total blocks and ranks fourth with 91 kills.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOjjphBEON/" hide_caption="0"]
Freshman middle blocker Rachael Kramer has the best hitting percentage in the country. The 6-8 Phoenix native has committed only 13 errors on 132 swings and has 84 kills for a .538 percentage. Kramer's 49 blocks are second only to first team All-American middle Rhamat Alhassan on the Gators' squad.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/780516648256167936" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
McKenna Miller has been the go-to girl for BYU since the very first match of the season. In that match against Utah Valley, the Murrieta, California, native led her team with 13 kills. Almost two months into the season, Miller has a team-high 593 attempts and 254 kills, and her 4.15 kills/set ranks her in the top 40 nationally. The FloVolleyball Player of the Week during the week of September 6 is one of only three BYU players who has appeared in all 61 sets.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJji3p6AqmE/?taken-by=byuwvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
Khalia Lanier, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016, has certainly hit the ground running for the Trojans. She has a team-high 238 kills on 694 swings and ranks second on the squad with 172 digs. Lanier is working to fill a large hole for her team, this one left by graduated 2015 AVCA Player of the Year Samantha Bricio.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ6Q_WTghfV/?taken-by=kaylanier" hide_caption="0"]
Lexington-native Leah Edmond leads her Kentucky team in kills with 233. The a four-time SEC Freshman of the Week seems to thrive under the pressure of being her team's go-to hitter. In an upset of Florida, which was ranked fifth in the country at the time, Edmond put away 19 kills, in addition to seven digs and a block. That performance earned her the SEC Player of the Week honor on October 3.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLeCxZBgQ0d/?taken-by=kentuckyvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
At the beginning of the season, four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week Alexis Hart was presented with the tall task of filling the shoes of first team All-American outside hitter Daly Santana. So far, the Independence, Missouri, native appears to be up to the challenge. Her 158 kills ranks third on the team, and her Gophers squad is 13-2.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ_GsZcjEa_/?taken-by=gophervball" hide_caption="0"]
3. Ronika Stone, Oregon, Middle Blocker
Middle blocker Ronkia Stone has played a big role in helping Oregon tie Washington State for the top spot in the Pac-12. The highest-rated recruit in Oregon volleyball history and a member of one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in the country for 2016, Stone has lived up to the hype so far, ranking 11th in the nation with a .443 hitting percentage.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLcpZe5AlF7/?taken-by=ronikastone" hide_caption="0"]
Only two months into her first season of college volleyball, Fitzmorris has already earned four weekly honors, including the AVCA National Player of the Week award on September 6. The 6-6 middle blocker ranks 13th in the nation in blocks/set with 1.52 and ranks third on her team with 144 kills.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ_o1rHBXTY/?taken-by=stanfordwvb" hide_caption="0"]
Molly Haggerty is the top offensive producer for Wisconsin, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. Her 167 kills are 30 more than the player with the next-highest tally on the team, and her career-high 27 kills and .641 hitting percentage against Texas A&M set a school record. She earned the first FloVolleyball Player of the Week honor of the 2016 season.
10. Katie Oleksak, Colorado State, Setter
Oleksak, a 5-foot-10 Phoenix native, is the first true freshman to start at the setter position for Colorado State in more than 10 years. Her Arizona Storm club team--which featured Gatorade Player of the Year Khalia Lanier, who is now a freshman at USC--finished third at the 2016 Girls' Junior Nationals. So far this season, Oleksak ranks third in the nation with 11.78 assists/set.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BK_ug_EjS1f/?taken-by=csuvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
9. Kara Bajema, Washington, Middle Blocker
Washington native Kara Bajema had never played middle before joining the Huskies. Two months into the season, the 6-2 freshman ranks 19th in the nation in blocks/set with 1.43. She leads her Washington team with 70 total blocks and ranks fourth with 91 kills.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOjjphBEON/" hide_caption="0"]
8. Rachael Kramer, Florida, Middle Blocker
Freshman middle blocker Rachael Kramer has the best hitting percentage in the country. The 6-8 Phoenix native has committed only 13 errors on 132 swings and has 84 kills for a .538 percentage. Kramer's 49 blocks are second only to first team All-American middle Rhamat Alhassan on the Gators' squad.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/GatorsVB/status/780516648256167936" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
7. McKenna Miller, BYU, Outside Hitter
McKenna Miller has been the go-to girl for BYU since the very first match of the season. In that match against Utah Valley, the Murrieta, California, native led her team with 13 kills. Almost two months into the season, Miller has a team-high 593 attempts and 254 kills, and her 4.15 kills/set ranks her in the top 40 nationally. The FloVolleyball Player of the Week during the week of September 6 is one of only three BYU players who has appeared in all 61 sets.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJji3p6AqmE/?taken-by=byuwvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
6. Khalia Lanier, USC, Outside Hitter
Khalia Lanier, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016, has certainly hit the ground running for the Trojans. She has a team-high 238 kills on 694 swings and ranks second on the squad with 172 digs. Lanier is working to fill a large hole for her team, this one left by graduated 2015 AVCA Player of the Year Samantha Bricio.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ6Q_WTghfV/?taken-by=kaylanier" hide_caption="0"]
5. Leah Edmond, Kentucky, Outside Hitter
Lexington-native Leah Edmond leads her Kentucky team in kills with 233. The a four-time SEC Freshman of the Week seems to thrive under the pressure of being her team's go-to hitter. In an upset of Florida, which was ranked fifth in the country at the time, Edmond put away 19 kills, in addition to seven digs and a block. That performance earned her the SEC Player of the Week honor on October 3.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLeCxZBgQ0d/?taken-by=kentuckyvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
4. Alexis Hart, Minnesota, Outside Hitter
At the beginning of the season, four-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week Alexis Hart was presented with the tall task of filling the shoes of first team All-American outside hitter Daly Santana. So far, the Independence, Missouri, native appears to be up to the challenge. Her 158 kills ranks third on the team, and her Gophers squad is 13-2.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ_GsZcjEa_/?taken-by=gophervball" hide_caption="0"]
3. Ronika Stone, Oregon, Middle Blocker
Middle blocker Ronkia Stone has played a big role in helping Oregon tie Washington State for the top spot in the Pac-12. The highest-rated recruit in Oregon volleyball history and a member of one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in the country for 2016, Stone has lived up to the hype so far, ranking 11th in the nation with a .443 hitting percentage. [instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLcpZe5AlF7/?taken-by=ronikastone" hide_caption="0"]
2. Audriana Fitzmorris, Stanford, Middle Blocker
Only two months into her first season of college volleyball, Fitzmorris has already earned four weekly honors, including the AVCA National Player of the Week award on September 6. The 6-6 middle blocker ranks 13th in the nation in blocks/set with 1.52 and ranks third on her team with 144 kills.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ_o1rHBXTY/?taken-by=stanfordwvb" hide_caption="0"]
1. Molly Haggerty, Wisconsin, Outside Hitter
Molly Haggerty is the top offensive producer for Wisconsin, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the country. Her 167 kills are 30 more than the player with the next-highest tally on the team, and her career-high 27 kills and .641 hitting percentage against Texas A&M set a school record. She earned the first FloVolleyball Player of the Week honor of the 2016 season.
