Top Performing Sophomore DS/Ls at Dallas Top 250 Expo Vol. 1

<p>A good defense is vital to the success of any volleyball team. The skills needed to master the position of defensive specialist include exceptional ball control and outstanding digging skills. Defensive players need to excel in serve/receive, passing, and defensive plays. Let's look at these sophomores who stood out at the expo today.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kynlee Smalls</h2>   <p>Smalls is a 5'1" defensive specialist from North Crowley High School. Smalls, oh the irony and I will leave it at that, is great at taking speed off the ball in serve/receive and has great passing skills. Her platform is solid and she moves her feet well to progress with the ball how she needs to successfully pass it to the setter. She looks confident on the court and follows the ball through until it is unplayable or successfully over the net. She can also hit pretty well when in a situation to do so and with quite a bit of power behind her swing.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mel Alghazi</h2>   <p>Alghazi is a 5'7" DS/L from Midlothian High School. Alghazi has a long reach for a DS/L and uses it well to get the ball dug up and into play. She keeps it off the floor and moving to her setter quickly before the other side of the net has time to set up and defend against her hitter. She has a lot of speed to her movements while maintaining control of the ball and is great at serve/receive, serving, and passing.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/12/362-Camryn-Bruder.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-485891" style="width:185px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='484381' first='Camryn' last='Bruder'], DS/L from Burleson High School, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='484381' first='Camryn' last='Bruder']</h2>   <p>Bruder is a 5'7" DS/L from Burleson High School. Bruder was one of the fastest athletes at the expo today and has those lucky arms and hands that most coaches look for in a defensive specialist. They are not lucky, of course, that is years of training and practice and trusting the body to use it's muscle memory to do what it is supposed to do. Meaning, this a</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_5557-crop-2250x1478-1733029086.png?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-726283" style="width:275px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='580004' first='Daiva' last='Tennison'], DS/L from Marcus High School, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='580004' first='Daiva' last='Tennison']</h2>   <p>Tennison is a 5'5" defensive specialist from Marcus High School. Tennison is quick and agile and makes playing defensive specialist look easy, it is not. She moves with speed to the ball and has a great platform for popping the ball up to her setter or to set a hitter. She has a high volleyball IQ and was quite impressive at the expo.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='529145' first='Nia' last='LaMons']</h2>   <p>LaMons is a 5'4" DS/L from Reedy High School. LeMons is quick-footed and has quick reflexes. She has good ball control and an excellent platform. She is very agile and moves with speed and grace on the court. She is good at her job in the game and gets more digs than most with better control.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ava Reese</h2>   <p>Reese is a 5'2" DS/L from Whitehouse High School. Reese is low to the ground and is quick to get to the ball and keep it in play. She is constantly watching and moving to accommodate her teammates making them hard to beat in the warm-up skills at the expo. She has agility and is smart about how she plays so she is not wasting a lot of movement without results on the court. She is a worthwhile athlete to have on any team.</p>

A good defense is vital to the success of any volleyball team. The skills needed to master the position of defensive specialist include exceptional ball control and outstanding digging skills. Defensive players need to excel in serve/receive, passing, and defensive plays. Let's look at these sophomores who stood out at the expo today.