Stud Setters Dominate the Prep Dig x USAV Showcase

<p>The night before nationals, you would think the gym would be quiet, but instead, 270 athletes from across the country were competing in our showcase. It was a great event, and the setters were impressive. Setters have one of the toughest jobs at a showcase like this (in my opinion). They have to forge connections with hitters they have never met and run courts amidst a lot of athletes, all while performing well themselves. These setters did not disappoint. Here are setters who played at a stud level throughout the showcase. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lola Baker - 1st Alliance - 2027 </h2>   <p>Lola was jump-setting in warm-ups. Yup. Even in a figure 8 warm-up/conditioning drill, she was getting her feet set and jump-setting the ball. She was one of the only ones in the gym to do it consistently. And she didn't stop there. She ran courts like it was her job and stood out as a leader among 270 athletes. She caught my eye several times and always worked hard, ran down balls, and put 100% effort into every contact. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='289655' first='Lauren' last='Garcia'] - Alamo 15 Premier - 2027 </h2>   <p>Lauren is a setter with clean hands and moves well across the court. She is quick and gets her feet to the ball. She sets herself up for success on the court, which helps her lead the other athletes on the court. Lauren has huge potential and caught my eye early on in the expo. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sophia Saiz - Texas Fierce Elite 14-1 - 2027 </h2>   <p>Sophia brings grit to the court. She picks up everything and has a quick touch on the ball. Sophia has clean form and has huge hustle. Her grit really showed in the 6v6 and competition-style play. She keeps the ball moving and is engaged in every play. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lily Mae Buerkle - OJVA - 2026</h2>   <p>Lily Mae has crazy clean hands. Her touch on the ball is quick and effective. She did not make a lot of errors and always seemed to be able to make a playable ball off the pass. Lily Mae was engaged in every play and was consistently impressive throughout the night. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jocelyn Heckman - MAVS KC 15-2 - 2026 </h2>   <p>Jocelyn is a scrappy and clean setter. She puts great tempo on the ball and forged connections with hitters throughout the event. Her ability to move the ball around quickly and cleanly while still connecting with hitters she had never played with before stood out to me. Jocelyn is an athlete with a lot of potential and one to keep an eye on. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kaitlyn Leberstien - Premier Volleyball of Delaware - 2026 </h2>   <p>Kaitlyn is listed as a right side but also set at the showcase. She has clean form and is an impact player. Kaitlyn controls the ball well and is key no matter where she is on the court. She is well-rounded and versatile. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='318196' first='Danielle' last='McAllister'] - STVA 15 Miznuno - 2026 </h2>   <p>Danielle has a big presence on the court. She is a talented lefty setter who runs the court well. She has a lot of potential and kept catching my eye. She excelled from ball control warm-up drills all the way through competition-style drills. Danielle played at a high level and was impressive no matter where she was or who she was playing with. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jillian McCarty - Wildfire 15 National 1 Ore - 2026 </h2>   <p>Jillian is a 6'0" setter who moves the ball with tempo from pin to pin. She has book-perfect form and has a super quick touch on the ball. She utilizes every hitter on the court and makes smart decisions. Jillian has huge potential as a setter and athlete in this class. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coco Natarajan - Drive Nation 15 Red - 2026 </h2>   <p>Coco was one of the top setters with the most potential at the showcase. She ran the show no matter what court she was on. She is a lefty who can also swing on the right side. Coco is an incredibly talented athlete with consistent and clean form and ball placement. Her touch on the ball is lightning quick, and she made smart choices. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kennedy Ostendorf - Ohio Premier Volleyball Club - 2026 </h2>   <p>Kennedy is very athletic. She has a great jump set and pushes the ball pin to pin cleanly and efficiently. She is gritty and dynamic on the court. Kennedy is a solid athlete in everything she does. She is a gamer on the court and has huge hustle on every play. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='299270' first='Olivia' last='Pena'] - Alamo 15 Elite - 2026 </h2>   <p>Olivia does all of the little things right. She is a talented setter who is fast and gritty but that comes from a solid foundation and attention to the small details in her form. She gets her feet to the ball early and beats the ball before she makes contact. She has easy hands and a clean finish. She caught my eye numerous times. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='318199' first='Katelyn' last='Pritchard'] - Texas Fierce Elite - 2026 </h2>   <p>Katelyn is a very strong all-around athlete. She has great movement across the court and gets her hand on nearly every ball her passers put up. She is one of the very talented setters coming out of Texas in this class. She was a huge gamer on the court and excelled in competition-style drills and </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Abby Schoene - Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite - 2026 </h2>   <p>Abby is a high-level setter that stood out, especially in transition and 6v6 drills. She has a confident presence on the court and is a natural leader. She made great connections, especially with the middles on her court that she had probably never played with. I feel like she is the type of athlete that you could drop onto any court, and she would take charge and play at a high level. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sophia Song - Red Rock 15-1 Robin - 2026</h2>   <p>Sophia is another setter who is very strong in all her skills. She had a consistent jump set and was gritty and scrappy on the court. She added value on defense as well as in setting. She keeps her body neutral and has clean contact on the ball, making her hard for opposing blockers to read. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More impressive setters: </h2>   <p>Claudia Barbey - Top Select 15 Elite - 2026</p>   <p>Addi Bloor - MAVS KC 15-2 - 2026</p>   <p>Paityn Johnson - I AM VBC - 2026 </p>   <p>Ariel Rieck - Low Country Volleyball Club - 2026</p>   <p>Valerie Wadas - San Antonio Force - 2026</p>   <p>Ava Zalta - Tampa North 15 Black - 2026</p>

The night before nationals, you would think the gym would be quiet, but instead, 270 athletes from across the country were competing in our showcase. It was a great event, and the setters were impressive. Setters have one of the toughest jobs at a showcase like this (in my opinion). They have to forge connections with hitters they have never met and run courts amidst a lot of athletes, all while performing well themselves. These setters did not disappoint. Here are setters who played at a stud level throughout the showcase.