Best DS/Ls in Freshman Class from Prep Dig Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had the pleasure of watching these defensive specialists from the class of 2028 in San Marcos, California at the Prep Dig Preview. These are the top defensive specialists that impressed me tonight. Let's talk about their skills and what I found impressive about each of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jasmine Bautista</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bautista is a 5'1" defensive specialist from High Tech High School Chula Vista. Bautista is quick on her feet and is not afraid to go to the ground to dig up a hard-hit ball. She has a great platform and sends amazing passes. She is outstanding when receiving the ball and is accurate when hitting it up to her setter. She is the first touch and handles the ball exceptionally well. She is fast to the ball and back to get another. She is a consistent first touch to the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='517654' first='Olivia' last='Karvelis']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karvelis is a 5' DS/L from Point Loma High School. Karvelis is compact and fast. She is so close to the ground that it is a quick little bend to get under the ball and get it up to the setter. She moves athletically and is swift to the ball. She is a consistent player for the defense and you can hear her calling out during scrimmage. She is already so good and then I remember she has four more years of high school ball ahead of her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Talia Mardrussian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mardrussian is a 4'5" DS/L from Village Christian High School. Mardrussian has good control of the ball at all times. She is a consistent athlete and is always ready to receive the ball. She will chase down an errant ball and is very calming on the court. She has a good platform, good setting skills, and is a good communicator.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='524229' first='Emma' last='Nunez']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nunez is a 5'4" DS/L from Ayala High School. Nunez is not only a good DS/L, she is also a good setter. She is always ready for the ball and is very quick on her feet. She moves fast to get to where she needs to be and is very anticipatory of where the ball is going. She has a high volleyball IQ and uses that to enhance her play on the court. She calls out to her teammates and that helped them do when scrimmaging at the preview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='534049' first='Mila' last='Premysler']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Premysler is a 5'3" DS/L from Orange Lutheran High School. Premysler has great positioning when waiting for the ball and is always ready to go. She has a great platform and is very patient on the court. She listens to her teammates and does whatever is best for the team. She also had to set during scrimmage and did a good job with that as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":513859,"width":"219px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/02/L-SG-Peyton-Recinos-crop-2341x1538-1708835848.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-513859" style="width:219px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='469035' first='Peyton' last='Recinos'], DS/L from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, class of 2028.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='469035' first='Peyton' last='Recinos']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Recinos is a 5'4" DS/L from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. Recinos was impressive at the preview with her eagerness and ability to get under the ball fast and send it up to her setter to keep the rally going. She can not only dig and receive but she has the ability to set and hit from the back row. She follows the ball out of bounds and does not stop until she is at the line. She plays like an athlete that has already had a couple seasons in the high school gym.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seraphine Rodriguez</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rodriguez is a 5'4" defensive specialist from Mater Dei High School. Rodriguez is a very determined athlete who sacrificed her body on more than one occasion to dig the ball up and get it perfectly to her setter. She has amazing feet, a great platform, and is a rock for the defense. She was very impressive at the preview and will only grow and develop more and more through the next few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->