Packing For Philly: Must-Haves For NEQ, Part Two

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My flight, and the flights of many others descending on Philadelphia this weekend, leaves tomorrow. You can't just <em>show up</em> to a qualifier unprepared. You have to be packed appropriately and ready to go upon arrival. In order for teams to do just that, you need a setter. Here are five setters that will run the offense for each of their squads to hopefully earn or upgrade their bid to Vegas this summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three different options from three different teams in two different graduating classes will run a 5-1 this coming weekend in 16 Open. Let's start with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='252404' first='Addie' last='Haberthy'] ('26, 5-11 S, Roncalli),</strong> Circle City 16 Purple's setter. Long, lean and smart, Addie has all of the physical skills to get the job done, and you can watch her do those things in warmups. But what about the mental part? She's got that winning mentality, all while being easy-going and calm during even the toughest of times during play. You could do a LOT worse than Addie in the class of '26. Another solid pickup for the class of 2026 is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='301136' first='Grace' last='Hargis'] ('26, 5-9 S, Avon)</strong> from Rev's 16-1 squad. Quick and attentive to detail, her hands and feet move in consort so that very few balls are imperfect. Location is her calling card, all while running a faster-than-average offense. She also uses that speed to get to a ton of balls some others can't (read: won't) get to. Finally, from the class of '27, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='435850' first='Anabelle' last='Schembra'] ('27, 5-9 S, Center Grove)</strong> is playing up a year, which doesn't faze her in the least. She's already the starter in the 5-1 offense her high school program runs, as a freshman, and is an aggressive and physically tough setter that will never know the word "quit". I like her location, but also her ability to defend her position both on the floor and at the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 USA</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although there's only one Indiana-based team playing in this division in Philly, the setter in question already has the collegiate body type and size to take her game to the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='210333' first='Kenlee' last='Barnard'] ('26, 6-1 S/RS, Evansville North)</strong> has a <em>long</em> commute from home to practice with her squad at Circle in Plainfield, and makes the most of her time, size and skills there. I listed both positions because she's been asked to do so much that it goes without saying. When hitting, she has a high attack point and scores points regularly. As a setter, she can get to tight (and overpassed) passes with ease, all while locating sets in tempo for her teammates. She should be a setter at the next level, but understand that she can do multiple things on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 Liberty</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Once again, there is only one Indiana-based roster is in this division, so this squad should make the most of their time in Philly. Rev's 16-2 team's success starts and ends with the effectiveness of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534878' first='Samantha' last='Gooding'] ('26, 5-10 S, New Palestine).</strong> Quick and smart, Samantha can run a fast offense, keeps out-of-system balls in tempo and accurate, and defends her position at an above-average level. I like her length as well when she blocks---her arms led me to believe that she was taller than her 5-10 frame would indicate. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->