Top 250 Expo Iowa: Sophomore Setters

<p>The more I see this sophomore class the more impressed I get. They tick so many must-have boxes for their position of expertise that a coach could throw a dart and whoever they landed on would be a good choice. That is not to say that each setter is not a great individual athlete with distinct abilities and specialties. Let's start breaking down who is who and what they excel at on the court. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/454-Kaelyn-Wieland.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489164" style="width:175px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='261075' first='Kaelyn' last='Wieland'], S for West Des Moines Valley, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='261075' first='Kaelyn' last='Wieland']</h2>   <p>Wieland is a 5'8" sophomore setter from West Des Moines Valley High School. Wieland is a great setter and a great defensive back-row player as well. She has amazing footwork and a great platform. She communicates well with her teammates and talks to her hitters. She has great range and strong hands. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/Addy-Allen.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489186" style="width:166px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='389008' first='Addy' last='Allen'], S for North Scott, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='389008' first='Addy' last='Allen']</h2>   <p>Allen is a 5'6" setter from North Scott's sophomore class. Allen has nice sets, she drives them directly at her hitters and gives them a huge advantage with the quick set. She is also really good in the back row, she has good hands and quick feet. She moves around the court with ease. I would guess she is a multisport athlete with her speed and agility.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/418-Kai-Arens.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489133" style="width:174px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='448156' first='Kai' last='Arens'], S for Bondurant-Farrar High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='448156' first='Kai' last='Arens']</h2>   <p>Arens is a 5'9" setter from Bondurant-Farrar High School. Arens is a really good blocker as well as a setter. She has a nice backset but I noticed her first for her right-side hitting ability which was very good as well. She has a vicious cross-court shot that is deadly to her opponents.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/420-Lilee-Boriskey.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489135" style="width:176px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='476860' first='Lilee' last='Boriskey'], S for Edgewood-Colesburg, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='476860' first='Lilee' last='Boriskey']</h2>   <p>Boriskey is a 5'8" setter from the sophomore class at Edgewood-Colesburg High School. Boriskey has good hands and an eye on everything around her. She makes good choices when dumping the ball into the opponent's court. She has a lot of speed and is always where she needs to be. She can hit, dig, and block well. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/12/Elise-Coghlan-e1689924602385.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-263548" style="width:175px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='261063' first='Elise' last='Coghlan'], a setter from ADM High School, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='261063' first='Elise' last='Coghlan']</h2>   <p>Coghlan is a 5'8" setter from Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School. Coghlan is very fast to the ball and is good with out-of-system plays. She dumps very well and has a great platform to get underneath the ball if it is heading out of play. She has great parity and makes smart choices with her hitters.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/432-Emily-Henderson.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-489147" style="width:162px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='243457' first='Emily' last='Henderson'], S from Clear Creek Amana, class of 2026.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='243457' first='Emily' last='Henderson']</h2>   <p>Henderson is a 5'8" sophomore setter from Clear Creek Amana High School. Henderson might have been my favorite setter of the day. Her athleticism is a presence on the court. She can be felt when she is on the court. The entire mood changes when she is there. She has great hands, so much speed, and moves with purpose. She is always trying, which is a good thing. She has an internal locus of control, which means she looks to be driven by an internal motor, not from external forces. She looks to always be attempting to outdo herself which is pretty impressive. She was fantastic at the expo.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/137A8344.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-373099" style="width:189px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'26 Iowa Select S [player_tooltip player_id='389006' first='Carsyn' last='Kelley']. (Rob Howe/PrepDig.com)</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='389006' first='Carsyn' last='Kelley']</h2>   <p>Kelley is a 5'11" setter from the sophomore class at Pleasant Valley High School. First off, my apologies on mis-spelling your name this weekend. I fixed and reposted my tweet. Kelley has great reach and seems to have golden hands. Everything she touches turns to gold. She has a soft touch, great height to her sets, and makes smart decisions about which hitter to set. She motivates the team well and sets them up for success.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/05/137A8295.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-392395" style="width:194px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">15U Iowa PowerPlex [player_tooltip player_id='389060' first='Tatem' last='Schmidt']. (Rob Howe/PrepDig.com) </figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='389060' first='Tatem' last='Schmidt']</h2>   <p>Schmidt is a 5'11" setter from Ankeny Centennial High School's sophomore class. Schmidt makes her job look easy, knowing full well it is not. She is long and lean and very fast. She has great range and is excellent when setting middle hitters. She is a great hitter and gets so many digs it is a little bit crazy. She has great reach and a great platform on top of being a great setter.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/11/137A1082.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-476256" style="width:189px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Waukee Northwest's [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'] sets at the state tournament. (Rob Howe/PD) </figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt']</h2>   <p>Vogt is a 5'10" sophomore setter from Waukee Northwest High School. On top of all of her setting skills, Vogt is also a great blocker. She is very fast on her feet and makes good, quick decisions while playing. She can dig as well but her best skill is probably her smarts on the court. Impressive athlete!</p>

The more I see this sophomore class the more impressed I get. They tick so many must-have boxes for their position of expertise that a coach could throw a dart and whoever they landed on would be a good choice. That is not to say that each setter is not a great individual athlete with distinct abilities and specialties. Let's start breaking down who is who and what they excel at on the court.