Top 250 Expo San Antonio: Junior Setters

Rebecca Russell November 18, 2023 @ 10:09 PM

<p>Most people love reading about hitters and great digs, or the really dramatic plays on the court during a game. Personally, I love watching the setters. Nothing happens on a court without the driving force of their setter. They determine who hits, in what order, and they have to understand everything going on in a game to be successful. This morning I had the honor of watching some athletes play that I had never seen before and they were impressive. Let's talk about a few of the setters from the junior class below.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='236052' first='Elizabeth' last='Cleveland'] </h2>   <p>Cleveland is a setter in her junior year at John Marshall Law and Medical Services. Cleveland is a really fast-moving setter. She is all over the court and always where she is needed. She has good range, soft hands, great placement, and seemed to adjust to new hitters easily. She communicates well and is smart about what she is doing during a set. She watches where opponents are located at the net and moves the ball around to avoid a big block. She is smart when she dumps the ball for a kill as well. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/Azteca-Crawford.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-412544" style="width:153px;height:auto" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='412446' first='Azteca' last='Crawford'] </h2>   <p>Crawford is a junior setter at Boerne Champion High School. Crawford looked so athletic and light on her feet. She has great speed, has great hands, is very precise and doesn't give up. The teams she scrimmaged with were very successful at the expo and that is in large part due to her ability to influence a set in her team's favor. She can block, dig, and hit as well as set. She runs a quick offense giving her team the best opportunity to come away with the point. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='480435' first='Piper' last='Justiss']</h2>   <p>Justiss is a junior setter at Bowie High School. She has a great platform in serve/receive, can dig with the best of them, has the speed and athleticism to get to every ball she needs to play, and has great parity with her sets. She is very court-aware and made some very smart plays in scrimmages. Justiss has all of the physical skills she needs to win, but her mental game might be stronger still. She makes quick decisions and is so strong at the net. Powerful opponent to play against. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/52-Hailee-Perry.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-273934" style="width:173px;height:auto" /></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='189246' first='Hailee' last='Perry']</h2>   <p>Perry is a setter in her junior year at Midway High School in Waco, TX. Perry is a very consistent setter, always finding her hitters on the mark. She has soft hands and is very aware of her court. She puts up hittable balls even with a tight pass. She has great parity and equally spreads around opportunities to hit and score. She is a calming presence on the court and does not appear to be flappable. She holds it together and shows maturity during a tight match.</p>

Most people love reading about hitters and great digs, or the really dramatic plays on the court during a game. Personally, I love watching the setters. Nothing happens on a court without the driving force of their setter. They determine who hits, in what order, and they have to understand everything going on in a game to be successful. This morning I had the honor of watching some athletes play that I had never seen before and they were impressive. Let's talk about a few of the setters from the junior class below.