Class of 2027 Rankings: Five underrated setters

It has been said many times that setters are the quarterbacks on the courts. They have to set balls to the right hitters and put them where hitters can hit above and around blocks. These five do good jobs with them.    Travis (pictured) should benefit from another year of experience and hopes to step into a leadership role after the Maroons endured heavy graduation from last year's team. She took over as starting setter as a freshman and has continuously improved. Travis consistently puts her teammates in position to put balls down. That includes a tough serve toward the net. She is a sound passer and server and has some deceptive setovers and setter dumps. She is not afraid to push second balls to corners. Travis had 572 assists, 356 digs and 90 aces last fall, helping the Maroons go 24-12, win another 47th District crown and drive to the 12th Region semifinals.     Duncan does a good job setting the tone defensively for the 16 Black team. Duncan has great size and uses it well to set up sound blocks and take sharp angles around sound defenders. Duncan also puts set on target. Duncan could add to the depth of the Jaguars this fall.     Barnsten defines the word versatile for the Spartans. She contributes in every single statistical category. It does not matter where she has to go on the floor. Barnsten does a good job putting great arc into her sets. She can do the back set in addition to jump sets. Sayre is able to run tandems with her abilities. Barntsen hits balls hard from the middle and the pins and is a sound passer and blocker. Barntsen has shown she can make strong passes on hard-hit balls. Barntsen had 421 kills, 487 assists, 315 digs and 58 aces, helping Sayre go 28-8 on the season.     Nichols did a good job stepping in to the main setter role for the Titans after the main setter went down in the offseason with an injury. Nichols got a number of hitters involved throughout the season. Nichols also did a good job making sound first touches. Nichols had 434 assists and 154 digs for the Titans in the fall.     Mason played a big role in taking the Hounds to new heights in their third season as a program. Mason set up teammates well for success running the offense, served hard and made clean first passes. She also took some swings when needed. Mason had 422 assists, 202 digs, 44 aces and 99 kills helping Paris win 13 games this past fall after winning just three games the previous season.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and a half and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.

It has been said many times that setters are the quarterbacks on the courts. They have to set balls to the right hitters and put them where hitters can hit above and around blocks. These five do good jobs with them.