Setters and Liberos Added to the 2026 Rankings

The last report includes the new additions to the rankings for setters and liberos. There have been seven setters and five liberos added to the 2026 rankings. These positions are sometimes tough to judge, especially for setters who only play three rotations. Liberos are players who usually make the first contact. When you watch volleyball you normally remember the player who makes the last contact.   68. [player_tooltip player_id='664960' first='Carmela' last='Mendoza'] setter (Ocean Lakes) - Carmela impressed with the way she ran the offense for Ocean Lakes at the Virginia Volleyball Showcase. She sets a 5/1 leading Ocean Lakes into the semi-finals of the Class 5A Regionals where they eventually lost to Kellam. Based on her contribution Carmella earned a spot on the 5A regional first team. No club footprint found for her yet.   92. [player_tooltip player_id='696415' first='Jenna' last='Swale'] libero/DS (Madison/American) - Jenna took over the libero position for Madison this year. During the playoffs [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'] played libero, but that could have been because of an injury to Jenna. She did a good job in the libero role, finishing second in digs and second in service aces. Overall, Laila might be the better libero, but Madison also needs her offense in the front row. Jenna will play for American this year in hopes to improve her libero play. American will play in the Charm City Challenge in Baltimore during the first weekend in February.   108. [player_tooltip player_id='721762' first='Sydney' last='Lawrence'] setter (Broadneck/Bay Area Volleyball Academy) Sydney set for Broadneck as well as played right side when she rotated into the front row. She also plays one year up for Bay Area Volleyball Academy 18 team. Her left side teammate [player_tooltip player_id='721753' first='Kennedy' last='Smith'] also plays for that team. When I watched her set in the quarter finals of the Maryland state championship against Perry Hall I could not make a fair assessment about her setting. Perry Hall was not a strong opponent so rallies were short. The Washington Post named her an honorable mention for their All Metro team. Bay Area will also be playing in the Charm City Challenge tournament in Baltimore as well as the Northeast and Mideast Qualifiers.   109. [player_tooltip player_id='693827' first='Simone' last='Lawson'] setter/right side (Patrick Henry/[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] - Simone earned a spot on the Virginia Volleyball Showcase all tournament team. At 5'11" with a left handed swing she brings some good height for a setter. She also earned a spot on the first team All region. Not a player I have seen play yet but only seen a couple videos. She does show a quick arm swing with a good vertical jump for attacking. When setting she shows soft hands and runs the quick tempo sets well. [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] will next play at the Charm City Challenge in Baltimore.    153. Alayna shows good hands for setting. She also played some solid defense when playing in the Colgan Jamboree.. At 5'7" she may be a little exposed when playing the front row while blocking.   Her setting seems to be varied along many locations of the net. The tempo with the hitters is spot on. With nine years of experience the repetitions appear automatic.   East Coast next plays in the Mid Atlantic Power League (MAPL) in late January. Later they will play the Sunshine Classic as well as the Northeast Qualifier.     154. Ella has come a long way since I coached her at the 13 level. At that time she shared the libero position. It appears she will do the same with [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'].   One thing you get from her is hustle and enthusiasm. For Independence she was their main libero. An athletic player with quick movements that can cover a lot of court on defense. At one time she was a gymnast. Like many young liberos she still needs more consistency with her passing, especially when playing the stronger teams.   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] will next play in Volley by the James in Richmond. They will also play in a number of Qualifiers as well as National Harbor and Capitol Hill Classic.     165. Makenzie earned a spot on our Prep Dig Expo 250 all tournament team. She also garnered a top performer award. She was one of those players who just seemed to stand out the more I watched her play in six person.   There were times when she played right side and she put good velocity on her hits. It also appears she has another inch or two of growth left in her. For South Carroll she appears to have been the second setter. They lost only one match all season, in a Regional match to Boonsboro that knocked them out of the playoffs.   Metro North will next play in the Charm City Classic in Baltimore.    169. [player_tooltip player_id='722276' first='Kenstin' last='Phelps'] setter/right side) (Liberty Christian/[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] - Kenstin impressed me with her play at the Capitol Hill Classic in 2023. She shows a fast arm swing as well as a knack for playing defense. In the state semi-final playoffs, she set for Liberty Christian in a match against Hidden Valley. Although Liberty Christian lost Kenstin achieved a triple double with 16 kills, 15 digs and 13 assists. She stands 5'9" so she has some height for a setter. Overall, she finished first on her team in kills, service aces and assists, while also finishing third in digs. Kenstin plays for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']. Like [player_tooltip player_id='693827' first='Simone' last='Lawson'] above they both set for RVC, which will next play at the Charm City Classic in Baltimore.    170. Gabriella plays with [player_tooltip player_id='735037' first='Makenzie' last='Kutzler'] above, both for high school and club. Like Makenzie I first saw her play at the Prep Dig 250 Expo in Baltimore. Gabriella also earned a spot as a top performer at the Expo.   She impressed with her quickness in the back row and her hustle when going after the ball. For South Carroll she played mostly as a defensive specialist.   Like Makenzie above Metro North will next play in the Charm City Classic in Baltimore.    191 [player_tooltip player_id='693833' first='Elinor' last='Suh'] libero/DS (Fairfax) -Elinor won a spot on the Flint Hill Invitational all tournament team. On video she does a good job of staying in base and then moving to her defensive spot based on the set location. That shows good anticipation. However, the indoor game is not her main interest. Her focus is on the sand. She is listed as a defender for beach with Grit volleyball club.    192. Cassidy was on the watch list. Normally, you stay on that watch list for a year. After that you either move to the bench or find a spot on the rankings. For Cassidy her setting on the video was too good to move her to the bench so I have ranked her at 192.   She set for Midlothian, earning a spot as honorable mention on the All Metro team.   Cassidy plays for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']. They will play in the Charm City Challenge in Baltimore.     194. Mojo won their first tournament of the club season. Valen shared the libero role with [player_tooltip player_id='470565' first='Gabriela' last='Cid']. During play she impressed with her quick reactions on the floor, sliding along the floor to make a couple incredible one handed digs to keep rallies alive.   Prior to that tournament she earned a top performer award at the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo. She made some sparkling digs during the six person play that caught my attention. She shows quick reactions while in the back row.   MOJO will next play in Volley by the James in Richmond as well as the National Harbor tournament and Capitol Hill Classic in the DC area. There are also a couple qualifiers thrown in such as Sunshine and the Lone Star Classic.    Three 18 Qualifiers to be Played this Weekend   The 18 Qualifiers will begin this weekend. No local teams are playing in the Lone Star Classic and the ASICS MLK in Kansas City. Three teams are registered to play in the Windy City in Chicago. Metro, [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Go Volley will all play in the Open Division.   I will be at Richmond at the Volley by the James this weekend. During the AM I will be coaching. During the PM I will try to watch as many games as I can.

The last report includes the new additions to the rankings for setters and liberos. There have been seven setters and five liberos added to the 2026 rankings. These positions are sometimes tough to judge, especially for setters who only play three rotations. Liberos are players who usually make the first contact. When you watch volleyball you normally remember the player who makes the last contact.