Academy Summer League Week 4 Wrap-up: Lawrence North

<p>Of the three teams I got a chance to watch during week four of the Academy Summer League, I felt Lawrence North had the most athleticism. Their connections with each other in serve receive will come in time, but overall they handled Greenfield and Martinsville with ease. Here are a few kids that caught my eye from the Wildcats.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="85831" first="Kimora" last="Whetstone"], 5-9 MB</strong></p> <p>At first glance, your average middle will lick their chops at a smaller-than-average middle across the net from her. Miss Whetstone has built her career on opponents underestimating her, and she put that on full display Thursday night. Her transition is quick, she has long arms to block anyone she plays against, and is lethal behind the service line. She’ll most likely play the M2 this season for coach Nick Cox, and she projects to be a middle or right side at the next level.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="85838" first="Ariel" last="Helm"], 6-0 MB</strong></p> <p>Filling the other middle position Thursday night is a fast, long and strong M1 that dominated most of the night against Martinsville and Greenfield-Central. She takes long strides in transition, can go from pin to pin with ease, and has very few holes in her game. She can hit any set thrown at her; in just one sequence of a rally, she ran a 3, a 1 and a slide, all in tempo, and the slide was the terminating point. Relentless in her play, Ariel should be a pleasant surprise for someone looking for an M1.</p> <p><strong>’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110377" first="Kamryn" last="Utley"], 5-6 DS/L</strong></p> <p>Although I have her listed in the rankings as a setter, this is a Division I DS/L through and through. She controlled the serve receive pattern regularly, was definitely in charge of everyone’s placement on defense, and was deadly behind the service line. Don’t get me wrong---she’s fully capable of being a setter at the next level. But on this night, her stock has solidified as a reliable, strong, skilled DS/L, and will be a nice addition for any program that needs one.</p> <p><strong>’24, [player_tooltip player_id="110491" first="Leah" last="Richmond"], 5-8 S</strong></p> <p>The setter running the 5-1 offense has exceptional hands, quick feet, and an even quicker grasp of how to run a fast offense. Her athleticism gets her to a ton of balls, she plays above-average defense for her position, and if you’re ever in a pinch, her attack touch is 9-7. Her long arms also make up for her lack of height; she blocks exceptionally well and can get a ton of tight passes that other setters just don’t have the jumping ability to go get. In this class, Leah is my favorite setter, and it isn’t close. </p> <p><strong>’25, Bella Dafforn, 5-3 DS/L</strong></p> <p>A pleasant surprise on these league nights is always watching a rising freshman do her job, and do it well. Playing like she’s been there before, Bella was an outstanding passer and defender for the Wildcats. Her natural feel and anticipation required for a DS at this level is already ahead of her age, and she should be an excellent complement to Kamryn listed above. The two of them in SR for three rotations? Opponents will find out sooner rather than later to serve neither. And Bella is only getting better.</p>