How the Diamonds have handled the pressure

The coveted Diamond Status. Only given to our players ranked 99 or above. A rare feat to be sure, given to a mere seven players last year out of well over 1200 people. But playing in high school and playing at the absolute top of the Division I level are completely different games. As the college volleyball world sprints towards the postseason, how have these seven young women contributed to their teams and has their Diamond Status held up to the pressure?

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Henley Anderson | Outside Hitter | Texas | Austin Skyline/Dripping Springs HS

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One of five outside hitters with Diamond Status, Anderson did not travel far for college and slapped on a burnt orange jersey. Despite the massive well of talent for the Longhorns, Anderson made an immediate impact on her team, with her most impressive showings coming in the nonconference slate early in the year. In the five-set marathon with SMU, she put up her career high in both kills (15) and total attempts (44). Against Arizona State, she got a roaring 6 blocks despite the stunning loss. She is third on the team in both kills and points, sitting behind Torrey Stafford and Cari Spears, incredibly illustrious company to be in. She has even kept the fact that her secondary position was on defense incredibly prevalent, sitting at 88 digs on the year so far. At the moment, her biggest problem is simply efficiency. While she sits incredibly high in the kills and points column, she is sitting at .122 on the year for hitting percentage, third worst on the team (minimum 10 attempts). But, considering her age and the hitter room that she is in, it is nothing major to scoff at and has already solidified herself as an amazing future product for the Horns. 

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Ayanna Watson | Outside Hitter | Pitt | Vegas Aces/Bishop Gorman HS

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Another one of the strong outside hitter recruits, Ayanna Watson may have been given the tallest task of all: getting put on the pin opposite of Olivia Babcock. If that was not enough, she came in behind seasoned veteran Blaire Bayless. Despite all of these things facing her, Watson has lived up to the challenge. She has solidified herself as the number three option for the Panthers, sitting in third in kills, points and attempts. She has also tacked on 20 service aces to her season, sitting only behind Babcock, the all-time serve leader for Pittsburgh. If anything needs to be cleaned up for her, it is her hitting percentage. Hitting at a .291 clip, it seems odd to say that needs to be spruced up, but this is not a standard offense. A stunning five players hit above her, and her team is hitting at a .332 clip overall. So while just below .300 will cut it at most schools, Pitt expects more, but with a couple more years, that number looks like it could easily go up.

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Halle Thompson | Outside Hitter | Wisconsin | Houston Skyline/Grand Oaks HS

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Coming out of the very highly regarded Skyline program, Thompson took her talents very far north to play for the Badgers. She, however, was one of many. Wisconsin pulled in three diamond-level prospects, nearly half of what the nation had to offer. For better or for worse, Thompson joined a team saturated with players similar to her. Thompson is one of six outsides on the team and is the second-shortest one there at six-foot-even. She has only played 24 sets across 10 matches. For better or for worse, she has taken just about every swing she can when she gets on the court. On the good, she’s averaging about 5.6 attempts per set she appears; on the bad, that has resulted in just a .104 hitting clip. The biggest thing that Thompson and her fans should take peace in is the fact that she is very much not alone. Despite the small sample size, she still has more experience this year than star transfer Grace Egan and fellow Diamond woman Madison Quest. It may be hard to be discouraged, especially after the output of fellow Diamond-level teammates Decelise Champion and Audrey Flanagan, but Thompson is showing what is standard for a freshman. A lot of time on the bench, a lot of mistakes, flashes of greatness, and plenty of room to grow.

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Genevieve Harris | Setter | Texas | NC Academy/Cardinal Gibbons HS

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Moving outside of the hitter realm, Harris was far and away the highest-rated setter recruit in the country. She took her talents far out of North Carolina down to the Lone Star State. The expectation for her was to very much ride the bench this season. Sitting behind two of the best setters in the country, Ella Swindle and Rella Binney, a lack of playing time was very well expected. Early in the season, awaiting the arrival of Ella Swindle back into the lineup, she split time with Binney. Once Swindle came back, her playing time dwindled once again, until Swindle went back down with an injury against Alabama and has not seen the court since. While most of the workload has landed on Rella Binney, Harris has made important contributions and has notched double-digit assists in her last 3 games. While the season has been a bit of a roller coaster all the way around for the Longhorns, Harris is doing exactly what she needs to do to solidify her spot as the lead setter once her two predecessors are out of the door. 

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Jayden Robinson | Outside Hitter | Nebraska | Houston Skyline/Ridge Point HS

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Yet another Houston Skyline product, Robinson was the headlining recruit for the nation's preseason national title favorites. Despite the team accolades this Husker squad has put together with an undefeated record and a unanimous No.1 ranking, Robinson’s playing time has been virtually non-existent. This should not serve as a surprise to anyone, though. Harper Murray has the starting spot on lock, with Teraya Sigler and Skylar Pierce waiting strong in the wings. It has really been a battle for fourth place between Robinson and Gold-level Gabby DiVita. Robinson has seen action in just four games- South Dakota State, Florida Gulf Coast, Ohio State, and Northwestern and never had more than three swings and one kill per game. Right now, it is hard to tell where she stands, and it will simply be a matter of playing the waiting game and letting practice and time put her on the court.

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*Decelise Campbell and Audrey Flanagan were awarded Diamond Status however did not have profiles purchased and fully created.