It’s been two weeks since our last entry and the club season is reaching its end as everyone prepares for AAU and USA Junior National Championships. D3 programs are announcing their incoming classes via social media, which is making it infinitely easier for me to research and review the future of the D3VB landscape. So dive in to Part IV of our Impact recruit series, where Harvey and I highlight players across the country we think have the potential to make some noise their freshmen year.
As always, the players featured aren’t ranked in any meaningful order, as we at FrogJump do not rank incoming recruits. Parents, do not email me asking “why was my athlete not listed”… you will not like my response. (Please notice how I have underlined the last sentence, as many of you continue to email me -___-).
Luke MacPherson – Opposite/Outside Hitter – St. Joseph (Long Island)
St. Josephs (LI) reasserted their claim as the top program in the Skyline Conference last year, putting an exclamation point on their season with a 3-1 upset of Southern Virginia in the NCAA Tournament (shocking everyone outside of New York).
The Golden Eagles will look to keep the ball rolling in 2023, and Luke MacPherson is a homegrown product they should be excited about. An undersized pin at 6’1’’, Luke’s vertical more than makes up for the inches he gives up; no ball is too high, might as well call him Skywalker. Combine his attacking prowess with his serving ability and the Eagles have a quality prospect for years to come.
Elijah Lee – Outside Hitter – Vassar
I won’t mince words here; Elijah Lee is good. A 6’6’’ pin hitter from California, the Beckman Boys High School product comes to the Brewers with a skillset ready for the collegiate level.
A six rotation passer, quality athleticism, and solid arm range will be a potent weapon to shore up the pin depth of the Vassar Brewers this year as they look to reclaim UVC dominance.
Cannon Tucker – Opposite – Vassar
Cannon Tucker easily challenges Max Barr (Juniata commit) for the title of best Opposite prospect for the class of 2023. A 6’5 lefty product of club Vanguard, Cannon checks all the boxes one looks for in an Opposite.
Height, check. Athletic, check. Vertical, check. Power… check. He won’t be thrown into the fire just yet at Vassar with senior leader Adam Gulick still anchoring the right pin, but once he gets used to the collegiate game Tucker will be a force for years to come.
Adin Jepsky – Endicott – Libero
A libero! Since when does FrogJump list liberos on their Impact Recruit list! Time stamp it for 6/13/2022 as Adin Jepsky is the first Libero to make our list since this series inception. Coming from Mountain View Volleyball Club, Jepsky excels in the aspects of the game which never make the highlight reels.
He defends well, extends plays through coverage, and can pass half the court in serve receive. My favorite part of his game however is his help-setting. I’m a sucker for a help-set, and Jepsky can help-set!
Jerry Feng – Outside Hitter – NYU
One of the four DIII commits to make the AVCA DIII All-American team, Jerry Feng is going to be a dynamic addition to the NYU Violets. Russ Rose once said “you need to have shots to play Outside” … and let me tell you Jerry Feng has shots.
Whether it’s going 4-to-4 or cross body line Feng sees the block and exploits it well. The kid has a whip, and shouldn’t have a problem terminating at the level required within the UVC. NYU has a lot of pin depth to replace outgoing senior James Haag (OH1), but Jerry Feng will easily compete for time with those on the roster.
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