Top 250 Expo Dallas: Junior Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were so many setters in Dallas this weekend and they all looked good! Looking at the Junior class, let's dig into the skills of each of these athletes and see what sets them apart from each other.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":470480,"width":"113px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/user-uploads/Emma-Blancovich-22-co25.png?w=389" alt="" class="wp-image-470480" style="width:113px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='470479' first='Emma' last='Blancovich'], setter, 2025.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='470479' first='Emma' last='Blancovich']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blancovich is a 5'8" junior setter from Sachse High School. Blancovich has great speed and control. She has a great platform and dig them up with the best of them. She is very athletic and so fast. She gets under the ball and uses great control to put the ball where it needs to go with strength. Superb athlete!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='434091' first='Yaara' last='Cohen']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cohen is a 5'6" setter from Plano Senior High School. Cohen has soft hands, great hustle, and is a very smart player. You can see the wheels turning when she is setting someone. She knows where the opposing team's blockers are and defensive specialists. She dumps judiciously and to empty spaces. She is quick to the ball and has a great platform. She uses her hitters very wisely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='460608' first='Alisi' last='Fonua']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fonua is a 5'8" junior setter from Euless Trinity High School. Fonua has a great platform and sacrifices her body to get to the ball. She moves with speed and precision, moving the ball around with ease. She has a high arch to her sets making it easy for her hitters to do their job. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='436701' first='Briley' last='Marion']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marion is a 5'5" setter from Denton Ryan High School's junior class. Marion is the setter with the most notes next to her name in my notebook. She has speed and accuracy. She is great at digging the ball up to keep a play alive. She has great placement when she sets a hitter using her good control of the ball to make beauty with what starts as a mucky ball. Serious athlete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":260166,"width":"161px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/Reagan-McCullough.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-260166" style="width:161px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Reagan McCullough, setter, 2025.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Reagan McCullough</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McCullough is a 5'8" setter from Hebron High School's class of 2025. McCullough is very good at digging the ball up off the ground and making it useful for her team. She has great placement of the ball for her hitters. She has great control. Her hands are soft and make for a nice hittable ball every time she touches it. She cleans up messes on the court and makes every ball playable. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brooke Starr</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starr is 5'7" junior setter from Lovejoy High School. Starr was notable for her agility and speed. She gets the ball every time she tries. It was impressive to watch her work. She gets down to the ground with ease and speed and digs the ball up or gets under the ball to set her hitters with ease as well. The movement that looks difficult for other athletes, she makes it look easy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Charlotte Watson</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watson is a 5'7" setter from Euless Trinity High School's junior class. Watson has great range, good form, and is very accurate. She is a smart athlete and always has a plan. She has great instincts as well, making her opponents scramble to catch up. She seems to know where they are all the time and makes them dive with her designed plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->