Ten Passers Passing: Athletes You Need To See After The Holiday

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we inch closer to whatever holiday you celebrate, club schedules will (or in some cases, already did) start. Here are ten defenders, both wearing the libero jersey and not, that are worth the admission price to see what first contact queens look like.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of '25</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The kid that comes to mind for me immediately is two-sport stud <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172311' first='Gracie' last='Bordenet'] ('25, 5-4, Lafayette Central Catholic, Boiler Juniors).</strong> It's hard for me to say this, but I'll say it---she could play both volleyball AND basketball at the next level. Full stop. Her athleticism transfers well to both courts, and the feet never stop. Works for me. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152932' first='Bella' last='Dafforn'] ('25, 5-4, Lawrence North, Circle City)</strong> is a recent transfer in to Circle, making the 17 Purple (17-1) that much better this spring. She could play any of the back row spots on defense, and with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173239' first='Avery' last='Freeman'] (IU commit)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173244' first='Eva' last='Hurrle']</strong> also as defenders, it looks like they're in good hands on serve receive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152929' first='Lillyanna' last='Joseph'] ('25, 5-2, Franklin Central, Team Indiana)</strong> has the left back position locked down at TI, and always has her feet going, ready to pass and defend at all times. Instincts work well for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172333' first='Claudia' last='Antcliff'] ('25, 5-3, Zionsville, Academy),</strong> as her five digs per set this past fall for the Eagles placed her among the elite defenders in her class in the state of Indiana. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of '26</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although it's harder for me to find defenders at this young of an age that stick out, Indiana has a couple that will make waves this club season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='260996' first='Chase' last='Lemming'] ('26, 5-9 OH, Seeger, Boiler Juniors)</strong> is coming off of a Second Team All-State season for Seeger, and is a primary passing outside if there ever was one. I'm not sure if she's still growing, but when you have just as many kills as you do digs in the Lafayette area, you're a primary passer. Her arm is thunder, and her feet are lightning. I'm also a fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366446' first='Hanna' last='Stewart'] ('26, 5-4, Franklin Community, Team Indiana),</strong> a left-back queen who has great anticipation and a high volleyball IQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of '27</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought going this young on defenders would be difficult. Sometimes, it's good to be wrong. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443834' first='Katie' last='Brinkruff'] ('27, 5-6, Fishers, Munciana)</strong> looks like a gym rat, and her Munciana training has her on the fast track to being an elite defender, <em>despite</em> being a primary attacker for Fishers on their JV squad. She's been to a couple of our showcases, and has definitely turned heads with her natural and smooth movements as a passer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='435853' first='Avery' last='Bastien'] ('27, 5-6, Center Grove, B-Town)</strong> has already released videos of herself doing some winter sand training. She's also crushing weights in the weight room, and has high volleyball acuity for those that recruit kids that read and react at the highest level. If this kid isn't ready for the next level, I don't know what "ready" looks like.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->