PD Madness in Miltown: 15u Setters that Ran the Court in Style

Madness in Miltown was filled with some high level volleyball competition and intense emotions. Running the court as a setter comes with huge responsibility and pressure. Not only do you have to worry about your own mechanics, but you have to read the defense, understand who you should set and why, track down out of system passes, etc. It is an exhausting and often thankless job. These setters rose to the challenge, led their team, and are emerging as the best of the best in the area.   Remember to follow me on Instagram @Prepdigamy and Facebook @PrepDig Amy for up to date event coverage, stories, and more.    Warthesen has some of the best setting hands that I have ever seen as the ball always leaves her hands cleanly. I do not think that I have ever seen her double a set or deliver one with weird spin on it. Iris also does a great job setting her middles and right side. She has a really good tempo and a solid connection with her attackers allowing her to put the ball in the right location for them to terminate successfully. I do believe that Warthesen has the capacity to go far in the volleyball world due to her athleticism, commitment, and sheer will to dominate in the sport.     Larson is a new setter to jump on my radar. While she isn't the tallest kid on the court, she makes up for it with speed, agility, and sheer grit. I loved her hustle… which is probably one of the most important characteristics you need in a setter. Due to her speed and footwork, Larson does a great job getting to the ball which allows her to deliver, clean consistent sets to her attackers. Larson will be one to watch as she continues to grow and develop her setting game over the next year or so.     I swear I think Sampson has grown like 2 inches since I last saw her play earlier in the club season. Regardless of that observation, her game was off the charts this weekend. I was really impressed with her on several fronts. First, Sampson is an aggressive setter that uses her speed to track down balls all over the court. She has great hands that assist with her delivering clean balls to the pins, middle, and backcourt. She did a great job getting all of her hitters involved which spread out the offense and left many defenses in shambles. With her height, speed, aggressiveness, and sharp game IQ, Sampson has the capacity to be a big time recruit in the next couple of years…and I can't wait to see it all unfold.     Meacham is one of the those players that I know can play just about every position on the court. I have seen her in the libero jersey, swinging from the pins as both an outside and rightside attacker, and this past weekend, I watched her deliver great sets as she ran the offense for her FEVA team. One of the great things about being skilled in so many positions, is that Meacham has a great game IQ. She knows not only what needs to be done, but also why it needs to be a done and done in a precise way. The other thing that I love about Meacham's game is that she is a great leader on the court. She is constantly communicating with her teammates and maintains a positive attitude. Simply put, she is great player to have on your team for every reason imaginable.     Stelse is another player that contributed to her team in more than one way. Swinging from the right pin, Stelse was successful terminating several balls this past weekend and racking up points. However, I was most impressed with her setting skills. She did an excellent job finding her middles in transition and feeding the hot hand in her outside attackers. Stelse also played good defense. Her right back defense was solid in that she dug several balls and was able to pick up numerous tips and pushes.     I think in tense moments, the truly great players are separated from the weak. Leighty proved to be of those great players on Sunday. When college coaches watch games, they are not only looking at a players skills but also their attitudes, communication, and body language. The athletes with poor attitudes will quickly be dismissed (coaches do not want to deal with that) while those that persevere will be the only ones remembered and sought after. Leighty is one that they will not only remember, but will want on their team.   Leighty deserves so much credit and recognition for maintaining her composure and keeping a positive attitude all weekend. She not only did a solid job running the offense for her Xtreme team, but showcased leadership and what a great volleyball player and teammate is.

Madness in Miltown was filled with some high level volleyball competition and intense emotions. Running the court as a setter comes with huge responsibility and pressure. Not only do you have to worry about your own mechanics, but you have to read the defense, understand who you should set and why, track down out of system passes, etc. It is an exhausting and often thankless job. These setters rose to the challenge, led their team, and are emerging as the best of the best in the area.