One fun part of the high school season is seeing high-level athletes playing in different positions from what they do in club and for what they committed to at the collegiate level. There are few examples below with as we check in with a dozen 5-star athletes from the Class of 2024 below. It includes a couple from highly-ranked schools like No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern and No. 6 Grand Oaks TX.
Ava Falduto OH IC Catholic Prep IL: Falduto shined at libero this past season for 1st Alliance 17 Gold, which took bronze in 17 Open. She committed to Penn State in the same position but is swinging on the outside for the Knights this fall. The team, which is 26-3, is one of the top contenders for the Illinois Class 2A state title. Falduto currently leads the team in digs with 253 and averaging 4.5 per set. She’s also second in digs with 235, averaging 4.2 per set. She had a season-high 23 kills in mid-September and broke the 20 mark for the second time last week with 21 in a victory over St. Francis.
Morgan Gaerte OH Angola IN: The Hornets are 33-1 and are in the midst of the Class 3A state championships and continue play with the regional semifinals Saturday. A Notre Dame commit, Gaerte has provided a big-time arm on the outside. She leads the way with 419 kills, averaging 4.3 per set and hitting .433. Her season-high 31 kills came in Angola’s only loss to date, a four-set defeat to Carroll.
Izzy Starck S/RS Viera FL: The Hawks have benefitted from the arrival of Starck, a Penn State commit, this fall. They are currently in the 7A state playoffs. Starck is having a monster season setting and hitting. She leads the team in kills with 314, averaging 4.8 per set and hitting .353. She’s also recorded 318 assists, averaging 4.8 per set. Four times she’s had 20 or more kills, including a season-best 28 in a four-set victory over Merritt Island in September. She’s also twice dished out 23 assists, including adding 17 kills in an October victory over Merritt Island.
Zoey Burgess MB Lone Peak UT: With Burgess, a Kansas commit, Lone Peak is among the top candidates in the upcoming 6A state playoffs. Burgess has registered a team-leading 241 kills. She’s averaging 3.0 per set and is hitting .421. She’s also the team leader in blocks and is second in aces. Burgess totaled a season-high 18 kills and hit .571 in a five-set victory over Bingham earlier this month.
Lauren Harden OH Hamilton Southeastern IN: A Florida commit, Harden and company are currently 29-0 and are ranked No. 4 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings. The Royals continue the 4A state playoffs in Saturday’s regional semifinals. Harden is leading the charge with 319 kills, averaging 3.8 per set and hitting .333. She’s twice reached a season-high 17 kills, with both matches happening in September.
Avery Jackson OH The Hockaday School TX: Jackson – a Stanford beach commit – has played an instrumental role for the Daisies this fall. Hockaday wraps up the regular season next week. Jackson currently leads the team with 587 kills and is averaging 5.4 per set. She’s also second in digs with 450, averaging 4.1 per set, as well as leading in aces too. Twelve times she’s eclipsed 20 or more kills, including twice surpassing 30 or more. It featured a season-best 33 kills in a five-set loss to Plano West in August.
Taylor Parks S Calvary Christian FL: Parks and the Warriors have a big 3A showdown against Berkeley Prep on Thursday for the right to continue on in the state playoffs. The result won’t be known as of publication, but the Warriors entered the match 23-3 with Parks guiding the attack. The Florida commit has put up 537 assists, averaging 8.4 per set. She’s also been a threat offensively, as she’s second in kills with 178. She’s also second in digs with 183. She registered a season-high 46 assists in a September victory over Cardinal Mooney.
Kiarrah Horne OH Millbrook NC: The Wildcats are aiming to finish on top of the 4A state playoffs and were 19-4 heading into Saturday’s clash against Panther Creek. Horne, a UCLA commit, has been a force on the outside. She’s powering the offense with 354 kills, averaging 4.7 per set and hitting .340. She posted a season-best 30 kills in a five-set loss to Apex in early September. She also had an outing where she hit .800 in a victory against Sanderson, recording 12 kills on 15 swings without an error.
Alec Rothe OH Dublin Scioto OH: The Irish are 23-0 heading into Thursday’s contest against South as they chase the Division 1 state title. Rothe – a Florida commit – has been holding it down in the middle. She leads the way with 225 kills. She’s averaging 4.2 per set and is hitting .373.
Emerson Sellman OH The Academy of the Holy Cross MD: An Ohio State commit, Sellman has carried the Tartans to a 23-0 mark to date. The 6-4 outside has amassed 234 kills. She’s averaging 4.7 per set and is hitting .377. She’s also first in both blocks and digs as well. She put down a season-high 25 kills in a four-set victory over Bullis in September. She also had a season-best 15 digs in that match too.
Ayden Ames OH Prosper TX: Ames committed to Nebraska as a middle but plays on the left for the Eagles. With it, she’s put up big numbers this fall. She’s sent down a team-best 404 kills, averaging 4.6 per set and hitting .380. She’s also second in both blocks and digs despite missing time. Her two top outings have both come against nationally-ranked McKinney Boyd when each time she recorded a season-best 24 kills.
Jaela Auguste MB Grand Oaks TX: We finish up with yet another big-time player from the Lone Star state and another Florida commit. Auguste has been a force in the middle for Grand Oaks, which is ranked No. 6 in vballrecruiter.com’s Top 50 National HS Rankings. With so many offensive weapons, she’s fourth on the squad in kills with 196. She’s averaging 2.5 per set and is hitting a whopping .547. She’s made a bigger impact on the defensive side, sending down a team-leading 111 blocks. That’s an average of 1.4 per set.
