Savvy Setters from Day 2 of Asics President’s Day Classic
Setting is TOUGH. These Nebraska players showed consistency and grit through adversity today. Most have been mentioned in previous articles, but they deserve more love because they rarely get it. Keeping hitters happy is a full-time job, and these setters are doing it with grace!
Hope Leimbach - Nebraska ONE 17 Titanium
Small but mighty, the 5'5" Midland commit was the most consistent setter on the day. She took any pass or dig and put that ball on the money for standouts Marriah Buss and Fallon Stutheit. Sky-high digs landed in her hands perfectly, where many setters would fumble the ball, Leimbach let it go with SUCH precision. She was also a vocal presence on the court and ran an unpredictable offense. In Nebraska ONE's match against Northern Lights 172, she had 18 assists in the second and third sets alone, in a match her team even lost. Midland got a good one!
Mara LeGrand & Barrett Power - Nebraska Juniors 171
If you're looking to run a 6-2 offense, model it with two setters like LeGrand and Power. A lot of 6-2 offenses lack consistency due to different setters, but these two have the same style, and they make it look pretty. The two undersized but big time setters had the same location consistency, athleticism, and crafty decision making. The rhythm they created with jump-setting was spot on with one another. They were in-sync and their team benefitted from it. NE Jrs won in three against Ozark Juniors 171 and in the second and third sets LeGrand tallied 9 assists and 4 digs while Power had 7 assists and won the match with a perfect setter dump.
Rachel Walker - VCN 18 Black
Walker keeps showing she is physically one of the strongest setters in the gym. Her ability to push a ball from pin-to-pin with tempo was impressive and her calm and cool demeanor led her team. I mean you don't have to be great when you have Jaela Zimmerman on the outside, just throw something up there, but Walker gave her accurate sets from anywhere on the court as she did to any of her offensive options. Walker's team is 4-2 heading into the last day of the tournament.
Setters to watch on day 3: Tria McLean (Nebraska Elite 16 VICI), Emma Worthington (Nebraska Elite 17 TKO), Annika Evans (VCN 16 Elite), Grace Volk (VCN 18 Black)
