Ranking Top 2027 Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Ohio class has some really good floor leaders and distributors and it was not easy to rank them given the quality of their collective and individual skills and among all the other talent. Here is the inaugural ranking of top 2027 setters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#6 [player_tooltip player_id='480817' first='Kendall' last='Hubbard']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 5'9, Hubbard moves around the floor well to the point of contact when setting while also using that athleticism to be able to swing aggressively when needed. She earned nearly 500 total assists for MND last fall and will likely be an even bigger factor for this group this coming high school season as she returns with more savvy, competitive experience, and hungry to get MND back to the top of the standings in the very competitive GGCL. In addition to setting, her range of skills is a big reason why she lands atop the setting position in this first iteration of the 2027 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#8 [player_tooltip player_id='480859' first='Lilah' last='Laaper']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laaper was fun to watch all club season in this role for Mintonette. Utilizing consistent hand position and balance, she has all the tools to become an elite setter with highlights in her quickness, movement and footwork, tempo, and ability to get a lot of people involved. Sharing this role for Mintonette's top 15U team, she had the ability to ignite them when it was her turn to lead the offense. As her Coshocton team went .500 in conference play in 2023, Laaper shared the setting role earning nearly 400 total assists on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#10 [player_tooltip player_id='480835' first='Maria' last='Schulte']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the graduation of their top setter from a very successful 2023 season, it is assumed the Schulte earns the reigns as the primary distributor for a McNicholas team that has a lot of young pieces back that are highly skilled and coming off very competitive club seasons. Schulte is no exception. She was dynamite for the top 15U team for NKYVC as she is quick with great touch and tempo while also showing good understanding of point flow and finding hitters good opportunities. Look for Schulte and McNicholas to make a good run to repeat their 2023 success as DIII state runner-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":474087,"sizeSlug":"thumbnail","linkDestination":"none","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/user-uploads/smith_kelsie_42.jpeg?w=150&amp;h=150&amp;crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-474087" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#19 [player_tooltip player_id='474086' first='Kelsie' last='Smith']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith was a big factor for her River View team during her freshman season and will be back in a veteran role following a great club season sharing the setting for Mintonette's top 15U team. For River View in 2023 she had a great stat line at 785 total assists and 63 service aces, both tops for the Black Bears. She was second on the team defensively with 268 digs on the season. Smith shows the fundamental Mintonette form in her dish of the ball and it will be fun to watch her progress in becoming more dynamic in her pursuit and range of distribution.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#23 [player_tooltip player_id='592219' first='Makayla' last='Koenig']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Koenig is the tallest among this group of setters at 5'11 and more evaluation will be done to see how she can set herself apart given her added length. In watching with [program_tooltip program_id='431573' first='RockCity' last=''] this past club season she displayed good command of the court along with consistent distribution and use of her physical tools to be able to score on the second touch. As she played less of a setting role for Riverside last season, she was distributing regularly during club with good decision-making, tempo, location, and a lot of competitive fire.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->