Standout Setters at Top Expo 250
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There were so many stand-out setters on Saturday at LaVista. It became evident the talent level right away when they broke into position drills. The setters worked extremely hard and at a quick tempo. During a showcase sometimes it can…
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Continue ReadingThere were so many stand-out setters on Saturday at LaVista. It became evident the talent level right away when they broke into position drills. The setters worked extremely hard and at a quick tempo. During a showcase sometimes it can be hard to create chemistry and temp with hitters, but these setters did an excellent job of distributing the ball across the pins and making some really smart decisions. Their energy level and team-first mentality was also very evident. Here is a look at some great setters:
The first standout was Class of 2025 5’8” Kennedy Johnson Kennedy Johnson 5'8" | S Lincoln East | 2025 State NE from Lincoln East. She has great hands and is able to set pin to pin with ease. The intangibles were, what a great teammate she was and how she was an energy giver out on the floor. Johnson has strong wrists and is athletic. She helped guide Lincoln East to the State Tournament this past season. Johnson had 590 set assists for the Spartans this past fall. She plays for Nebraska Juniors 16 Black during club season. She is fun to watch!
Another ball of energy and positivity from the Class of 2025 was 5’8” Sadah Wiley out of Ralston. She was deliberate about lifting up her teammates and communicating right away. She demonstrated high-caliber leadership skills to go along with her high-caliber play. She squares to her hitters well and always played floor defense first. She was very scrappy on defense. Loved her court presence on Saturday. Stay tuned in to Wiley during club season as she competes for Club Legacy.
Kaitlyn Bodnar Kaitlyn Bodnar 5'8" | S Duchesne | 2026 State NE , a 5’8” prospect out of Omaha Duschene, was a threat up at the net. She was not afraid to dump it to the open court. Bodnar had great court vision on Saturday during team drills. She also has strong wrists, great hands and finishes well to her hitters. To go along with her setting finesse she plays scrappy defense. This young setter will be fun to watch in the upcoming club season for Premier.
Another 5’8” standout was Rayna Bartholet Rayna Bartholet 5'8" | S Omaha Skutt Catholic | 2026 State NE out of Skutt Catholic in Omaha. Bartholet was a huge hustler and all over the court on Saturday. She was strong to the pins and made great connections with both pin hitters. The Skyhawk sophomore demonstrated high volleyball IQ and top-notch court vision. This is another young setter that will be fun to watch compete for Premier this club season.
VCN club player and Lincoln Southwest player, Jadyn Hazzard Jadyn Hazzard 5'8" | S Lincoln Southwest | 2026 State NE is another 5’8” sophomore who stood out. She was physically strong in all drills and varied the offense really well to keep opponents guessing. Her back sets are flawless and undetectable. One thing that stood out too, was how well she blocked for her size. She really does a nice job of penetrating and getting stuff blocks. Hazzard also has a great jump float, which caused teams to get out of system during team drills. Keep track of this sophomore during club season and into fall as well!
5’10” sophomore McKenna Powell McKenna Powell 5'10" | S Malcolm | 2026 State NE out of Malcolm is tall and has long levers. She is a strong setter and was making great connections with all of her hitters on Saturday. In particular, she set the slide really well and really got in a rhythm. She tallied 845 set assists in guiding the Clippers to the State Tournament in November. She also had 20 ace serves and 36 kills. Powell had a lot of weapons around her this past fall so she could pick opponent’s poison pretty easily. She has a high ceiling and it will be fun to see her continue on her volleyball journey with Nebraska Juniors and the Malcolm Clippers.
Natalie Perkinson is another sophomore to keep on your radar! The 5’6” setter out of Omaha Concordia has great hands. Perkinson also was strong with floor defense as well. She had 910 set assists this past season for the Mustangs. She has a great touch on the ball and betters the ball each time.
So many standout setters to analyze and watch this past weekend. They really excelled during position training and then upped their game during team drills. They were all hard workers and had a no-quit attitude about them.