2023 Rankings: DS Options In Hoosierland

<p>We wrap up our week of highlighting positions in our updated rankings by emphasizing the last line of defense. Here are our top five DS options for the Class of 2023 from Indiana.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85901" first="Reese" last="Baker"], 5-4, Wapahani, Munciana, Prep Dig #9</strong></p> <p>It is never a surprise to us Hoosiers that a kid from Munciana tops the list of defensive specialists. The prototypical DS from Delaware County can receive serve, smoothly defends, can easily make the second ball hittable when the setter takes the first, and is a leader on the court that a coach doesn’t have to worry about constantly. Evidenced by this are recent Munciana grads that are current starting liberi at Auburn, Ohio State and Nebraska. Reese follows that line of thinking, and can fit in nicely to receive serve on half the court while defending any of the three back row positions efficiently.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85914" first="Ramsey" last="Gary"], 5-5, Pendleton Heights, Munciana, Prep Dig #17</strong></p> <p>Miss Gary has, admittedly by this author, flown under the radar because of the high school she attends. I’ll take the blame for that. In the shadow of other 4A volleyball programs that are superior (read: Yorktown and New Castle), PH doesn’t get the attention it deserves. If any of the PH kids play club, it’s at Munciana, and their training is second-to-none. Ramsey is as smooth as it gets, and her quickness and anticipation has helped others on the court around her relax while she does the dirty work. PH has just graduated a big right side to play at D2 power University of Indianapolis. Can Ramsey one-up that?</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99584" first="Elizabeth" last="Gee-Weiler"], 5-4, Mount Vernon, Academy, Prep Dig #20</strong></p> <p>Coached by Eric Buhlman, former Ball State player, in high school, it makes sense that a Mount Vernon kid would make our rankings in at least one position per graduating class. Elizabeth is the clear leader in talent for the ’23 graduating class for the Marauders. Super smooth, quick as can be, and can pass anything at her, she could easily go to a higher level school than the University of Indianapolis and Valparaiso-bound recent graduates of Mount Vernon.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85916" first="Alexandra" last="Kraft"], 5-2, Providence, Union, Prep Dig #24</strong></p> <p>Providence is THE volleyball power in the southern portion of Indiana. Most, if not all, of the Providence kids that play volleyball play club at Union, the rest pick either KIVA or MAVA as their destinations just across the Ohio River into Kentucky. It bears mentioning that this is another Union kid that has super high volleyball IQ, and always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. At first glance, Miss Kraft is tiny and unassuming. Once the whistle blows, she plays with much more length and range than you would find in a DS at this level. </p> <p><strong>Tess Hawkings-Wilding, 5-5, Zionsville, Team Indiana, Prep Dig #27</strong></p> <p>Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of film on Tess. What we do know is that she can double as an emergency setter if needed and can pass and defend with the best the Eagles have to offer. She also comes from a great training background, as Zionsville is a regular in the high school volleyball world, and she receives great training from Team Indiana. Stay tuned, as I believe I’ve just earned a trip up to Zionsville to watch Tess work.</p>