Kansas Pace Setters: Exposure For Five Ranked Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After reflecting on what direction I wanted to go in May, regarding reporting, I decided to focus on the setter position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setters run the offense and are the equivalent of the quarterback spot in football. While quarterbacks have to decide which receivers are open, setters have to decide which attacker is the best option to set based on the pass sent to the setter. Point guards, quarterbacks, and setters each decide how to distribute the ball and keep all their teammates involved in an offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For me, the setter position is the most difficult to scout. Keeping track of serve receptions, digs, and kills is way easier than tracking assists. Especially when I have to constantly flip my glasses to see what's happening on the court and what I am writing. I try hard, but it is difficult. I learned while working at Emporia State that volleyball is the toughest sport to stat. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So to make up for a lack of coverage of setters during the club season, I will spend this final month of the school year to focus on the Queens of Assists, before we get into summer team camp and clinic season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This first report features five ranked setters in the Kansas Class of 2025, still uncommitted, and who have been featured fewer than three times at Prep Dig in the past six months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493498' first='Jaidyn' last='Follis']</strong>, 5'5”, S, Beloit, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Follis finished with an eye-popping 1,038 assists in 89 sets played during her junior season. She has back-to-back seasons of 1,000 plus assists and will certainly look to add another grand to her career totals this fall. Beloit's state title dreams ended on Day One of the class 3A tournament last fall and the whole program will be playing with a mean streak in 2024 and looking to make a run at the state tournament in Hutchinson. Beloit's setter is ranked No. 31 overall and is the seventh-ranked setter in the class of 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493581' first='Bella' last='Holcomb']</strong>, 5'10”, S, Andover Central, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I feel like I have featured Holcomb a ton, so I was surprised when the Prep Dig data showed that she had only been mentioned once in the past six months. Holcomb is super athletic and arguably perhaps the most athletic setter other than the athlete currently ranked No. 1 in the whole state as a setter right now. The Andover Central prospect shared setting duties last season. She collected 475 assists and 134 kills in 94 sets played as a junior. Like Follis at Beloit, Holcomb and the Jaguars will be hunting a state title after being eliminated on Day One of the 5A state tournament. Holcomb is currently ranked No. 27 overall and the fifth-ranked setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='493422' first='Lauren' last='Heinz']</strong>, 5'7”, S, Andover, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Kansas currently has Heinz ranked No. 26 overall and the fourth-ranked setter. She has really nice touch and is a solid jumper. She finished her junior season with 901 assists in 95 sets played. She finds holes in the opposition's defense with her tip game. She added 59 kills to her senior season stat line which also included 30 blocks and 191 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514807' first='Remy' last='Tate']</strong>, 5'7”, S, Ingalls, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tate is ranked No. 97 overall by Prep Dig. She is a six-rotation player for Ingalls and has the versatility to play multiple positions. Tate recorded 913 assists in 77 sets played, ranking her among the state leaders in assists. She also finished with 196 digs and 45 aces last fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='514793' first='Isabel' last='Hurla']</strong>, 5'7”, S, St. Marys, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hurla recorded 842 assists in 85 sets played as a junior. The St. Marys Bears were one of the few Topeka area teams I missed scouting last season. Hurla and the Bears will be a priority to try to catch during the next high school season. Hurla's kill and block totals were not as impressive as other setters in the rankings, but she can play mean defense registering 159 digs last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->