Sophomore DS/Ls On the Rise at Iowa Top 250 Expo Vol.2

<p>Defensive players are some of the most athletic performers on the court. They determine the outcome of matches by being great or getting beat. They are responsible for saving points made against their team. They are the last line of defense. Let's look at the second group of sophomore defensive specialists from the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo in Iowa.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jordan Van Wechel</h2>   <p>Van Wechel is a 5'7" defensive specialist from Grundy Center High School. Van Wechel has a long reach and is not afraid to slide under the ball to get it up for a rally. She is fast on her feet and thinks as fast as she moves. She has a great platform and a great vision of the court to determine where to move to next. She was an asset to the team that she played with at the expo.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/137A1749.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-719909" style="width:173px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mount Vernon '27 [player_tooltip player_id='730474' first='Mavrik' last='Schweer'] (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig)</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730474' first='Mavrik' last='Schweer']</h2>   <p>Schweer is a 5'3" DS/L from Mount Vernon High School. Schweer is a force on the court. She can dig, serve, set, and attack from the back row.. She has a very high vertical and uses that to hit lasers at her opponents. She has so much speed and agility that she looks like she is dancing out there. She has all of the skills needed to play at the next level and still has two more high school seasons to work on her skills to be even more impressive.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730420' first='Halle' last='Gardner']</h2>   <p>Gardner is a 5'6" defensive specialist from Ballard High School. Gardner was one of the more flexible DS/Ls that I saw at the expo. She could go straight down under the ball super fast and get it back up to her setter without breaking a sweat. She was an accomplished hitter in the back row when she was needed and accurate as well. She is a great server and has some power to fuel the ball over the net.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730488' first='Sheyanne' last='Culp'] </h2>   <p>Culp is a 5'4" defensive specialist from ADM High School. Culp is always on the tips of her toes and ready to move. She has a great platform, is very athletic, and can hit really well. She hit multiple times from the back row middle position and killed it. She was down on the ground, popped straight back up, and then approached and hit the ball with a great vertical. She is a great athlete with a high volleyball IQ.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730442' first='Kenadee' last='Amsden']</h2>   <p>Amsden is a 5'3" DS/L from Indianola High School. Amsden makes it look so easy. She can hit the ball backward and still get it perfectly to her setter. She has great flexibility on the court and a great platform to use with that flexibility. She takes speed off the ball and puts it up high enough that anyone she is playing with has time to move under it for a perfect set to the hitters. She and her skills are a consistent presence on the court.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730463' first='Logan' last='Ramstack']</h2>   <p>Ramstack is a 5'4" defensive specialist from Bettendorf High School. Ramstack is a beast! She is a great defensive specialist and has the most amazing serves. She hits it so hard it is like a bullet coming at you. She has a great jump serve and knows right where to put the ball so it is difficult to get to for the return. She is athletic, and smart, and can see the holes on the other side of the court where she aggressively aims at them. She was going to catch the other side of the court unaware of her power from the back row if she could and when she hits the ball it is going to a corner or an edge to drop barely in bounds. Ramstack was a fun athlete to watch and an impressive one as well.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730414' first='Emmy' last='Burkhart']</h2>   <p>Burkhart is a 5'6" DS/L from Davenport Assumption High School. Burkhart is good at playing the ball on the sides of her. She can twist her body to get the ball and still get it to where it is supposed to go and be ready for the next ball immediately. She does not lose time worrying about the last ball, which has always been one of my favorite things to tell athletes I knew while watching them learn, that you have to get on to the next play, there is no holding on to the last ball. It either goes good or it goes bad but you have to be ready for the next one, so this is a skill I wish I could teach all of the athletes I see play. Burkhart has a good platform, good footwork, and is a great server. She is a consistent athlete during serve/receive and can be counted on to get the ball where it needs to go. Her ability to move on to the next play is partly due to her maturity and high volleyball IQ. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/07/Rachel-Allen-e1690350853392.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-438062" style="width:246px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='730479' first='Rachel' last='Allen'], DS/L from Pleasant Valley High School, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730479' first='Rachel' last='Allen']</h2>   <p>Allen is a 5'3" DS/L from Pleasant Valley High School. Allen was the first athlete who had to adjust her feet after the ball made an unexpected slow down after hitting the tape and she moved so fast and gracefully, right under the ball, and successfully got it to the setter. She is good at making decisions on the fly and completing her job in the most difficult circumstances. She is always ready to move and that is the sign of a successful defensive athlete. She is suspicious of her opponents and does not let her guard down during a match. She knows their goal is to catch her unaware so she makes sure that never happens. She can get down fast and use her body to keep the ball from hitting the floor and getting it to its next target.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/10/137A5508-2.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-707378" style="width:175px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Iowa City Liberty '27 [player_tooltip player_id='730405' first='Edie' last='Miller'] (Photo: Rob Howe/Prep Dig) </figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='730405' first='Edie' last='Miller']</h2>   <p>Miller is a 5'7" defensive specialist from Iowa City Liberty High School. Miller is fast on her feet and slides under the ball like a dream. She has a great platform, can set as well as serve well, and she can hit from the back row too. She is not afraid to get under the bigs to dig balls off of the ten-foot line and is always where she is supposed to be when playing. I know these skills sound basic but she is a very skilled and consistent athlete and you can really see it when you watch her play. I would check her out for a team at the next level if I were coaching. </p>   <p>[</p>

Defensive players are some of the most athletic performers on the court. They determine the outcome of matches by being great or getting beat. They are responsible for saving points made against their team. They are the last line of defense. Let's look at the second group of sophomore defensive specialists from the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo in Iowa.