Standing 6-foot-9 and just a freshman,
Athiei Dhal of
Freeport (Fla.) is the tallest high school volleyball player in the United States according to roster data submitted to MaxPreps.
"Her mom tells me she is still growing," Freeport coach Stacey Bennum said.
Ryanne Brubaker of
Grundy Center (Iowa), a 6-8 junior, is the only other player approaching Dhal's height.
Athiei Dahl poses with 5-foot libero Antonia Palacio during a team photo shoot. (PHOTO: Courtesy of Jessamine Marie Photography)
Dhal is already making an impact for Freeport, notching 68 kills in 47 sets with a team-high 24 blocks. The Bulldogs are 11-5 this season.
Also a basketball standout, Dhal told
MyPanhandle.com that it's fun to walk into a gym and see heads turn.
"It's kind of funny because they're like, wow, that girl is really tall," Dhal said. "Every time I walk in the gym and I'm like, yeah, I'm a little, I feel like, yeah, I'm a little intimidating."
Dhal, whose mom is an assistant basketball coach at Freeport, is used to not only the looks, but steeling herself against competition as she travels to nearby Orlando for weekend basketball tournaments.
Dhal listens intently during a game against Choctawhatchee earlier this month. (PHOTO: Holly Mapel)
Despite standing out above the crowd, Bennum said Dahl is simply a teenager.
"She is easy to get along with, on the quiet side, and gets along well with her teammates," Bennum said. "When I see her at school she is usually just smiling and happy and talking to her friends."
And of course Dhal has goals as lofty as her 6-9 frame, wishing to win a state title in both volleyball and basketball while chasing a future in perhaps the WNBA, she told MyPanhandle.com.
