Defenders Ready To Rise Up In Class 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 4 has some defenders ready to elevate their games in 2023. These are players who played well but weren't the leaders in the dig category last year. The players highlighted we think could build on their previous season and see their numbers make big jumps this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emma Smith - 2026 - Central (Cape)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith saw the court in 58 sets in her first season and showed she can have a promising future in the sport. She navigated the back row to the tune of 188 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Libbie Meek - 2026 - North Point (Wentzville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another player who was good as a freshman was Meek of North Point. She had more action, seeing the floor in 90 sets. She finished the year with 185 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emma Shryock - 2026 - North Point (Wentzville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Point was young in the back row, evidenced by having two sophomores on the list that saw significant action as freshmen. Shryock tallied 154 digs in 97 sets and looks for those dig numbers to see a jump this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kayden Butrum - 2026 - Branson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the group of rising sophomores is Batrum from Branson. In her first year of varsity ball, the defender racked up 149 digs as a defensive specialist. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219791' first='Francie' last='Keithline'] - 2025 - Notre Dame De Sion</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keithline showed flashes of being a good player for the next couple of years. Her sophomore season saw her match the average of 3.1 digs per set from her freshman year. We wouldn't be shocked if she came close to doubling those numbers as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jordin McGee - 2025 - Grandview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The All-American hurdler and long jumper in track and field will work to build on that success along with her solid second season in the libero jersey for Grandview. She was just over 200 digs in 2022.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gabbie Catlett - 2025 - Parkway West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Catlett made the most of her time on the court last fall for Parkway West. In 82 sets, she was able to get the ball up 195 on the season defensively. She is smart defensively and with a year down, let's see if she's closer to 300 this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->