Best Defensive Specialists at the Indiana Stock Up Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive Specialists hold a special place in my heart. They are so tough and have to be the backbone of their team's defense. I know most of the oohs and aahs are reserved for the great hitters, but the DS/Ls are the ones who receive those hard-hit lasers from their opponents. It all gets thrilling if a rally is going strong and that takes some great DS/Ls as well as hitters. Let's see who were the best defensive specialists from the Indiana Stock Up Showcase. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='152932' first='Bella' last='Dafforn']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dafforn is a 5'4" DS/L from Lawrence North High School class of 2025. She was so good at the showcase that she caught my attention for a full ten minutes before I realized I was staring. She had a great platform, great serves, and she got the ball up and to the setter every time I was watching. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='394021' first='Christina' last='Avritt']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Avritt is a 5'2" DS/L from Fern Creek High School in Kentucky class of 2026. Avritt has a very level platform and keeps low to the ground allowing her to dig up some very hard-hit balls. She has great movement down low to get to the ball and is very athletic. She is a very consistent athlete and gets the ball to the setter so the setter doesn't tire out running to get to the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='261045' first='Norah' last='Campbell']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":263621,"width":296,"height":197,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/6-Norah-Campbell-e1689832097982.jpg?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-263621" width="296" height="197"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='261045' first='Norah' last='Campbell'], class of 2026.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbell is a 5'7" DS/L from Seymour High School class of 2026. I had spotted Campbell originally last December at a Top 250 Expo put on by Prep Dig in Indiana. She is a great server, has a lovely platform, and was everywhere on the court last year. During this Stock Up Showcase, she was noted for being very athletic and quick moving. She has those spastic reflexes that are desirable for a DS to possess. Her platform is still great and she has developed a great vision of the court and expanded her understanding of where she needs to be during critical moments. This is not to say that she was not already aware last winter, but it is just a little better now so she has grown since I last saw her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='393366' first='Addison' last='Dockins']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dockins is a 5' DS/L from Crown Point High School class of 2026. Dockins is small and fast. I almost didn't see her move she is so fast. She has great placement on the court which indicates her understanding of where she should be and why she should be there. She is a smart athlete and very athletic. She is able to lay out on the floor and pancake a ball into the air really nicely. She is very consistent and gets to the setter almost all of the time. She is a fun one to watch and she has years left to perfect her craft. Beautiful job!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='435838' first='Katelyn' last='Lusiak']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lusiak is a 5'4" DS/L from Eastern High School in Kentucky class of 2026. Lusiak is a great libero and the ball is her only concern while on the court. This means she is very focused on taking care of the ball. She has an awesome platform, is very consistently in the right place at the right time, and was communicating and working out coverages with the other athletes in the back row constantly. She would be an asset to any team either in high school or at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='282978' first='Ella' last='Worden']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Worden is a 5'3" DS/L from Brebeug Jesuit Preparatory High School class of 2026. Worden moves fast to the ball and gets set to use a beautiful platform to pop the ball up to her setter. She was a great communicator and was full of fire at the showcase. She was a fun athlete to watch. She was so determined that the ball would not touch the floor around her, that I started to just expect it to not hit it. She digs the ball up fast to get it to the setter, who also sets it fast, then the middle pounds it down. It is very hard to defend that type of rally. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='399671' first='Natalie' last='Laughon']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laughon is a 5'6" DS/L from Guerin Catholic High School class of 2026. Laughon was able to dig the ball wherever it ended up. She is able to play really low to the ground and has a great platform. She handled every ball when thrown onto the court and dug it up to the setter so she barely had to move. She communicated well with others on the court, was very aware of her opponent's side of the court so she knew where the ball was coming from, and was always able to get it into the air to her setter. Very consistent defensive specialist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='221483' first='Brittain' last='Bills']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bills is a 5'7" DS/L from Avon High School class of 2026. Bills is one of the most relaxed players I saw at this showcase. It looked nearly impossible to get her riled up. She was so easy and confident, nothing seemed to disturb her. Cool and collected, she put every ball where it was supposed to go and it never seemed to strain her. She is very athletic with quick reflexes which enables her calm and consistent play. She was very court aware and that helped her ability to just play ball after ball with no drama. Very good, consistent athlete from such a young class, she has years to develop still while in high school. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='242010' first='Eva' last='Kilpatrick']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kilpatrick is a 5'4" DS/L from Carmel High School class of 2024. Filpatrick was very athletic and kept low to the ground. She put every ball to the setter and made some diving digs which were impressive. She called out where she was so her teammates in the back row knew where she had covered and what she couldn't cover. She looked a lot more experienced than some of the other athletes on the court. She had a very consistent day a the showcase, which is not the most flashy descriptor, but it is one you want to be used for your back-row defensive athletes. Nicely done!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->