February’s strong backcourt defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heart, when described as an attribute, is something all defenders have in common.&nbsp; Each libero or defensive specialist showed up often during a rally while watching the California athletes in a President's Day event at The Las Vegas Classic.&nbsp; This event brought forward a few athletes to mention their heart during this February event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Isabella Espinoza</strong> (2025) | DS/L | Rancho Valley<br>Passing after moving is generally agreed to be more difficult than passing when standing and Isabella Espinoza is at her best after lunging to pass the ball.&nbsp; She moves to make excellent angles to target and takes small steps to get there.&nbsp; Additionally, her bumpset is as graceful as a person lifting the ball to an attacker.<br><br><strong>Kelly Chu</strong> (2023) | DS/L | FORZA1 North<br>Determination is one observed attribute of Kelly Chu.&nbsp; She commits early to forearm passing the ball and keeps the ball on her midline or left side.&nbsp; Chu has no problem with the ball when on the leftside or midline while taking a knee as well.&nbsp; When setting an attacker, she makes the easy set and looks to bumpset.<br><br><strong>Sophie Tu</strong> (2023) | DS/L | Red Rock<br>Absorbing the force of a ball is a quickly seen element of the game of Sophie Tu.&nbsp; Tu will pass two too.&nbsp; The team has confidence enough in her abilities that they will be seen passing a two person serve receive formation.&nbsp; With the natural feel to absorb a serve and the space from a two person serve receive, she will often lean back just a bit when receiving serve.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Hrithika Cherala </strong>(2026) | DS/L | Core<br>Defer, discipline, and dimes are the three D's of serve receive for Hrithika Cherala.&nbsp; Dimes actually has two explanations in that she will turn on a dime to pass a dime.&nbsp; This agile mover is active when the opponent sends a free ball and additionally she does not hesitate to pass an opponent's serve with her hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='161316' first='Gwen' last='Newcomer']</strong> (2024) | DS/L | WAVE<br>The action of reaching for a ball to pass often happens with a pause, but [player_tooltip player_id='161316' first='Gwen' last='Newcomer'] is a go getter.&nbsp; On defense, a player is often positioned on percentages, geometry, or tactics and Newcomer certainly puts the odds in her favor.&nbsp; Her stalking moving of the ball allows her to be very engaged in the play and quickly reach to an attack that has pace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Vanessa Chung</strong> (2025) | DS/L | Pacific Coast<br>Excellent leg movement is often overlooked and Vanessa Chung understands the value of pushing a ball up to target.&nbsp; This reactive defensive player is always there keeping the ball moving forward.&nbsp; Additionally, her leg movement is emphasized again when she sets a second ball in that she will turn 180 degrees or more to get the set to an intended hitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->