MN Class of 2021 Thoughts & Preliminary Rankings: DS/Liberos

<p>As Prep Dig staff continue to review the 2018 high school season while looking forward to what should be a very exciting club season, the class of 2021 player rankings are being prepared. Before I formally engage in that ranking process I thought I would offer my top athletes by position in the class of 2021 based upon all of the information I was able to gain over the course of the past few months. The focus here are the defensive specialists and liberos, the backbone of any good offense. From serve receive to digging balls, these athletes work hard to keep their teams in-system. Here are my top picks for the class of 2021.</p> <p><strong>#1. [player_tooltip player_id="10110" first="Emma" last="Torstenson"]</strong> - <em>5’11 | Northfield</em><br /> The best among a team that is very strong in their ball control and defense. Torstenson is a stabilizer providing great leadership from the back row and helping to keep their offense in-system often. Shows great awareness around the court and understands angles very well to consistently locate the ball for her setters.</p> <p><strong>#2. [player_tooltip player_id="71945" first="Abby" last="Stark"]</strong> - <em>5’8 | Willmar</em><br /> One of the best at her position outside of the metro area. Stark helped guide Willmar to a Section 8 AAA final, just falling shy of the state tournament in a five-set loss. She set a Willmar school record for single-season total digs with 508. </p> <p><strong>#3 [player_tooltip player_id="71959" first="Jadyn" last="Garrison"]</strong> - <em>5’8 | East Ridge</em><br /> The defensive leader for a very good East Ridge squad. Provides great support for her teammates all around the court and through various tasks. She has good patience and eye work defensively that allows her to get to many balls.</p> <p><strong>#4 [player_tooltip player_id="58067" first="Rachel" last="Wieber"]</strong> - <em>5’11 | Northfield</em><br /> A great compliment to Torstenson in the back row for the Raiders. Maybe one of the most underappreciated members of this team given her role primarily as a defensive specialist. Can also swing on the pin with great length and size. Wieber is consistent in serve receive and defensively with good balance, read, and reaction that helps Northfield to stay in system frequently. </p> <p><strong>#5 [player_tooltip player_id="72048" first="Morgan" last="Chmielewski"]</strong> - <em>5’9 | Mayer Lutheran</em><br /> Maybe the best at this position in class A, she helped lead the Crusaders to a late season push and a return trip back to the state tournament. Good length and floor presence makes her very effective for a team that relies on their ball control to activate the great strength they have in the middle position offensively.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Others Considered</strong></span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="72033" first="Abby" last="Hennen"]</strong> - <em>5’8 | Minneota</em><br /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71962" first="Abbie" last="Higley"]</strong> - <em>5’5 | Cambridge-Isanti</em><br /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="71965" first="Hannah" last="Jensen"]</strong> - <em>5’8 | New Ulm</em><br /> <strong>Sarah Lenz</strong> - <em>5’8 | Belle Plaine</em></p>