Pins and Setters Climbing the 2026 rankings

Everyone knows that a setter's favorite target is the left side. Below are five setters and seven pins who provided the biggest climb in our 2026 rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Left sides and Right Sides</h2>    She led her [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] team to the 17/18 gold in the East Coast championship. This was the first time I have actually seen her play since Capitol Hill Classic a couple years ago. No player in the state of Virginia exceeded her 742 kills for the year with a hitting percentage at .370. She certainly earns this top billing.   While all this offense occurred in Class 1 her [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] team competed in the Triple Crown . When I watch her play I say to myself would she fit on the Metro 17 team that took third place in the Open at Junior Nationals. My response is without a doubt. Because of that she rises from 16 to 7 in our class of 2026 rankings .   Sophie plays a solid six rotations. Her 6'1 height and long arm extension make her difficult to stop when hitting outside. Truely a complete player.   She has committed to Ole Miss. I ran into an Ole Miss coach scouting at junior nationals in Dallas and commented to her that she got a good one in [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'].     Her club season ranked as a success. Her offensive output from the left side was a big reason for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] earning their first ever bid to Junior Nationals. She has decent height for an outside at 510" with a good jump. All she neds is to Establish more consistency with her swing. A jump from 192 to 165 fits for her now. Next would be making an impact for her high school team this coming season with her improved play.   She has the athleticism to play six rotations. Now she just needs the repetitions to achieve that consistency needed in her game.    [player_tooltip player_id='519343' first='Dylan' last='Cline'] (Midlothian/River City) - Her 5'9" height is a bit undersized for a left side. However, Dylan is the straw that stirs the Midlothian offense as well as River City. She can create offense from the back or front row. River City benefited from this offense, finishing 21st out of 151 teams in the Aspire Division at AAUs in Orlando. This success earned her a jump in the class of 2026 rankings from 68 to 58. Another successful high school season could further result in a rise in the rankings. This past season they were swept by Independence in the first round of the Virginia state playoffs. Reaching further in the playoffs stands out as the goal for 2025.    When you watch [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] play your focus tends to square on [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] hitting left side. Opposite her is the 5'7 [player_tooltip player_id='525340' first='Olivia' last='Smith']. Not a lot of top teams can survive with a 5'7" left side. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] makes it work. When you watch the fast arm swing whip through the ball depositing spike after spike to the opponent's floor it is difficult to ignore. She really loves to use the blocker's hands to finish a kill.   Clear Spring also found success in the class 1 Maryland playoffs before being swept in the finals by Boonsboro. Olivia led the team in kills and aces while also finishing second in digs. She brought along teammates Addison Ziegler and Callie Hose to make [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] a powerhouse, winning the USA Division in the Northeast Qualifier and finishing third in the Mideast. Both times they turned down the bids.   That kind of team success for Olivia brought about the climb from 119 to 80 in the class of 2026 ranking. If she carried greater height that ranking would be much higher.     Another [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] left side capitalizing on their team's success as well as middle [player_tooltip player_id='734897' first='Amara' last='Pope'] , setter [player_tooltip player_id='535101' first='Kamora' last='Mack'], libero [player_tooltip player_id='754929' first='Keira' last='McManus'] and left side [player_tooltip player_id='839956' first='Jaylen' last='Burgess']. Amaya is another 5'7" left side that fires off rockets with her right arm. She also impressed at the Prep Dig national showcase in Dallas as she showed off her athleticism and her deep "toolbox". Amaya climbed from 128 to 108 in the class of 2026 rankings.   Last year Amaya finished fourth in kills for Dominion. With the top three hitters graduating she should contribute more to the team, however, she needs to improve on her .189 hitting percentage.    [player_tooltip player_id='710426' first='Emerson' last='Combs'] (Midlothian/River City) - The opposite of Dylan Clines both with Midlothian and River City. At 5'9 as well she stands a bit undersized as a hitter. She plays the position with aggression and passion, not afraid to tool balls around the bigger blocks. She rises from the watch list to 149 in the class of 2026 rankings.    Imani was voted a top performer at the DMV Expo last year. She is extremely explosive but she lacks consistency. Last year for McNamara she finished third on the team in kills. Unfortunately, she had more errors than kills for a negative hitting percentage.   She appears to have acquired that consistency with Maryland Juniors over the club season, one reason for rising in the rankings from 177 to 155. Her younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'] will be one of the top prospects in the class of 2029.   The athleticism and explosiveness are there. Now she just has to put it together. If that happens I foresee a bigger jump in the rankings.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setters</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/DSC02861-Enhanced-NRcover_websize.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-847825" style="width:325px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Kojo Assasie, charis burge</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='321677' first='Charis' last='Burge'] (Urbana/Metro) - She sets a 6/2 for Metro. At 5'10" she has good height for a setter. Unfortunately, when playing for Metro they have two right sides who stand around 6'4". I have seen her set a little 5/1 for Metro when the coach wants to switch things up. Charis and [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] did most of the setting for Metro as they finished in third place in the Open Division in Junior Nationals. That accomplishment is enough to have your rankings rise from 22 to 10. For her high school she sets in the back row and hits right side when in the front row. Charis has committed to Syracuse.   [player_tooltip player_id='495264' first='Ela' last='Shepherd'] (Christianburg/River Vally Juniors) - Another player to shine for [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors']. At 5'10 she also has good size for a setter. She also swings left handed with an extremely fast arm swing. Like [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] this was only my second time physically watching her play since I first saw her at Capitol Hill Classic. She brings more savvy to the game and is much more physical, the reason for her rise from 38 to 15. For her high school she finished second in kills (252) and first in assists (481). She also finished second in digs and first in service aces. An excellent prospect that has yet to commit, though she has many offers to consider.    Avery went to set for [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 17, one of the top clubs in the area after setting for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] the previous year. They already had an established setter who set a 5/1 for the team last year. Avery proved her ability to set for a top club by earning more playing time with her consistent setting. As the team tried to get more offense on the right side her setting opportunities increased. Avery greatly contributed to [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] finishing as one of the top 100 clubs at the 17U age group, allowing her to rise in the rankings from 79 to 46.   At 5'6" Avery lacks the height to stay in the front row for setting. She will share the setting duties for Heritage with [player_tooltip player_id='325403' first='Annabelle' last='Kim'] this year. Perhaps one of the most improved setters in this class.    [player_tooltip player_id='693827' first='Simone' last='Lawson'] (Patrick Henry/[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] - At 5'11" Simone has good height for a setter. When watching her play she sets only in the back row while [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] used her lefthanded swing for the right side. [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] finished third in the Northeast Qualifier in the USA Division but declined the bid. Based on her play for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] Simone moves from 108 to 97 in our class of 2026 rankings.    A nice setter for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] 17 leading them to their first bid in a junior national championship. When I first saw her play last year she set for the 16 team when they played in the Patriot Division. She seemed a bit shorter with a heavy appearance. This year she has grown and has a sleeker physique which enhances her speed as she moves around the court. She definitely put in a lot of work to enhance her game resulting in a move up from 146 to 120 in our class of 2026 rankings. Kamora shares the setting duties with class of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='778213' first='Ellie' last='Nguyen']   She also set for Holton Arms as they won the championship in the Independent School League (ISL) "A" Division. Despite winning the championship Holton Arms did not get bumped up to the AA Division.

Everyone knows that a setter's favorite target is the left side. Below are five setters and seven pins who provided the biggest climb in our 2026 rankings.