The Mighty Defenders of 2026

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are continuing on our journey of highlighting some of the athletes in our 2026 Watch List! Today we focus on some of the defenders behind the block. These are players who prove themselves to be gutsy and quick on the court. Here are a random selection of these players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='261112' first='Lauren' last='Fenemore'] - Mill Valley/[program_tooltip program_id='428892' first='PVA' last='']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fenemore was a player who caught my attention and we highlighted her after the Prep Dig 250 Expo in December. She hasn't let down this winter with her club team displaying tremendous skill set and toughness in the back row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355649' first='Gabi' last='Poeschl'] - St. Thomas Aquinas/Pohaku</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pohaku showed they are one of the teams to watch in the 15U division this year. They are solid in all positions and that includes the back row with players like [player_tooltip player_id='355649' first='Gabi' last='Poeschl']. She is a rising player to keep an eye on not only on the club circuit but in the strong St. Thomas Aquinas program for years to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='349234' first='Ava' last='Deutsch'] - Trinity Academy/Shockwave</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From the Wichita area, Deutsch had a good year for a solid Trinity Academy team. She is technically sound and moves well behind the 10-foot line. She plays her club ball with Shockwave 15 Black. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='355652' first='Elle' last='Pederson'] - St. James/[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. James had a deep back row with many upperclassmen so we didn't see Pederson on the varsity level but we have seen her in action with [program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='Power']. She has looked very good in left back this winter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='223291' first='Alyssa' last='Young'] - Blue Valley West/Mavs KC</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Young stepped in and found a role in a state-qualifying program as a freshman. She saw action in 81 sets and had over 100 digs in a defensive specialist role. She has carried that play over to club ball making plays for Mavs KC. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='357550' first='Annie' last='Humphrey'] - Hays</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Humphrey did not disappoint in her first season of high school volleyball. She was electric for Hays pacing the team with over 400 digs and 500 receptions in the libero jersey. We hear she's also pretty solid on the pitch!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->