Five Liberos Show Off Skills At Topeka Open Gym

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twenty-five Kansas athletes gathered at the Sports Zone in Topeka for an open gym on June 18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night I featured five prospects I noticed during the practice environment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a second report featuring five defensive-minded athletes who gave up a summer evening of cheeseburgers and shakes to hone their volleyball skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553804' first='Hannah' last='Zaleski']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, St. Mary's, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zaleski was a prospect I was not familiar with at the open gym. She plays high school ball for the St. Mary's Bears. During her junior season, she recorded 289 serve receptions and 142 digs. She has solid defensive instincts and made consistent first passes during the drills at Sports Zone. She was the oldest athlete at the open gym and her experience and poise stood out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='460352' first='Ella' last='Foster']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Hayden, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foster is an athlete I was familiar with heading into the open gym. I saw her play in the Lansing summer tournament earlier this month and saw her play club ball last season with the Topeka Saints. Foster posted eye-popping totals of 557 serve receptions and 477 digs for the Wildcats as a sophomore. Hayden is a squad that is loaded for bear and will contend for a state title this fall. She can often get overlooked on a team with great hitters, but she will be responsible for getting the Wildcats in-system and will be leaned on for leadership. Prep Dig currently has Foster ranked No. 50 overall and as the fourth-ranked libero in the class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='474736' first='Kinsley' last='Smith']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Seaman, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith is currently ranked No. 101 in the Prep Dig 2026 rankings. She had a solid practice and was noticeable during passing drills. She finished with 327 serve receptions and 187 digs in her sophomore season for Seaman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='553801' first='Claire' last='Watkins']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Seaman, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I featured Watkins in April, 2023, when she was playing club ball for the Topeka Fury. The Seaman prospect can also play the setter position but should see more time as a defensive specialist. She also plays softball for the Vikings. Any observer will notice she is passionate about the game and will play whatever position will help her team the most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534840' first='Jarah' last='Dodder']</strong>, 5'4”, DS/L, Washburn Rural, ‘27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dodder first caught my eye at the practice with a hard and accurate serve during warmups. She has a quiet receiving frame and plays on the balls of her feet. She is a very unassuming talent who was supporting others during the practice but just went about her business. It will be interesting to see which level of competition she plays for Rural next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->