Setters and Liberos Climbing in the 2027 Rankings

Not a wave of setters or liberos climbing in the rankings but there exists some potential high quality prospects. Five setters and two liberos made significant jumps in our 2027 rankings. They are identified below.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setters</h2>    Sometimes I have conversations with club coaches who are watching a match. One club coach watching Danka set was impressed with her volleyball IQ. For a setter she brings good awareness of the court around her and the hitters available to her.   For the most part I have seen her set a 5/1. At one match I watched American was setting a 6/2 and using Danika to hit right side. She showed she can put some pop on the ball when given the opportunity to take a swing.   For Patriot they finished second last year in the Cedar Run conference. They made an appearance in the state bracket but lost in the first round to Chantilly. Danika actually finished third on the team in blocks, first in service aces and based on the number of assists set a 5/1. The team roster carries a number of returning starters. With her running the offense another state championship run exists.   Danika moved from 22 to 17 in the 2027 rankings. Only [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum'] sits ahead of her among the setters in the rankings.     My first exposure to her was at the Prep Dig showcase. She won a top performer award for her efforts. At 5'10 she has nice height for a setter and strong yet soft hands. She also brings a left handed swing to the right side.   She appeared on our watch list after creating a profile. After appearing at a Prep Dig showcase she jumped to 71 in the rankings. While I have not seen her set in an actual match Jeremy Strain has and he is very high on her. Probably should be ranked higher but a little improvement on her hitting and she could easily see that rise in our next ranking process.     Rhea made an impression at the Prep Dig showcase earning a top performer award. That bumped her up from 110 to 99 for our class of 2027 rankings. A further rise could occur if she can change the three year Cedar Run conference losing streak for South Lakes.   At 5'6" she will share the setting responsibilities with the even smaller [player_tooltip player_id='521323' first='Ilana' last='Collingham']. She brings intelligence to the court while also developing consistency with her location. Her serve also speeds across the net like a bullet, accumulating aces.     At 6'0" Senah brings good height to the setting position. If not setting a 5/1 she can stay in the front row and hit right side. Her approach jump reaches 9'6".   From a technical standpoint her setting could still use some work to improve her consistency in location. From a practical standpoint she brings the soft hands required to develop as a setter.   She spun together over 200 assists for Jamestown last year. Unfortunately, from a hitting aspect she created more errors than kills. After a year playing for [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave'] she has improved significantly. This coming season Senah should make more of an impact for Jamestown.    [player_tooltip player_id='735315' first='Zaire' last='Hewlett'] setter (Northwest/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - In the previous 2027 ranking Zaire made her ranking debut. In this latest version she has climber up from 143 to 126. She plays a year down for a Paramount 15 team which qualified for Open play in Junior Nationals in Dallas this past season. While her left handed swing is ideal for the right side she has some impressive teammates who stand much taller than her and will for the most part deny her the opportunity to play right side. At 5'9" she does bring decent height for the setting position so at the high school level you may see her play more front row.   Others who moved up from watch list to ranking:   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/07/215-Meg-Ronayne.jpg?w=932" alt="" class="wp-image-571329" style="width:321px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='735304' first='Meg' last='Ronayne']</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='735304' first='Meg' last='Ronayne'] setter (Anapolis/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - moved to 134. Meg shares the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='735315' first='Zaire' last='Hewlett'].   [player_tooltip player_id='800356' first='Ella' last='Strain'] setter (Crofton/Maryland Juniors) - moved to 154. Ella has the versatility to play libero or setter. With the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='529251' first='Jessica' last='Li'] Maryland Jrs 16 needed a setter. Ella took on that second setter role.   [player_tooltip player_id='731029' first='Abigail' last='Bell'] setter (Urbana/Metro) - moved to 158. [player_tooltip player_id='321677' first='Charis' last='Burge'] was the primary setter for Urbana but Abigail came in to set in a 6/2 to allow Charis to hit right side. Abigail plays for Metro North.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Libero/Defensive Specialist</h2>    Rankings can be very subjective. Only three liberos rank higher than Ryann in the 2027 rankings. Her commitment to Ole Miss bumped her up a notch as she jumps from 49 to 25 in the rankings. She made my club U16 all tournament team with Kaniyah Bell, who plays a year up and [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] who has committed to Virginia.   Love her energy and enthusiasm as well as her hustle on the court. Those are attributes the top liberos possess. Last year for Grassfield she finished third on her team in digs. The Grizzlies had a good season, however in the state playoffs they lost in the first round to Alexandria City in five sets, after winning the first two sets.     [player_tooltip player_id='520868' first='Caroline' last='Semko'] brushed up on her libero skills this season with Virginia Elite. She is the favorite to play that position for Bishop O'Connell this year. Last year at Flint Hill she was forced to play right side because of a shortage of pin hitters. She did not receive a lot of sets hitting right side.   With her libero play at Virginia Elite Caroline bumped up in the rankings from 127 to 109. At an August showcase she made an impression with a dolphin dive when hitting the floor and strong hands for taking the serve. If she wins the libero position at Bishop O'Connell the ranking could rise again.    moving from watch list to rankings:   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/25-Ela-Yilmaz.jpg?w=906" alt="" class="wp-image-729633" style="width:291px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='706453' first='Ela' last='Yilmaz'] [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='706453' first='Ela' last='Yilmaz'] libero/ds (Potomac Falls/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) - Ela played libero for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony which finished 9th in the American Division of the Northeast Qualifiers this past club season. She moved up from the watch list to 177 in the rankings.   [player_tooltip player_id='719026' first='Ella' last='Jaques'] libero/ds (Wakefield/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) - Ella filled the back row responsibility for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] 16 Josi, which earned a bid to junior nationals. Ella moved from the watch list to 193 in the rankings.

Not a wave of setters or liberos climbing in the rankings but there exists some potential high quality prospects. Five setters and two liberos made significant jumps in our 2027 rankings. They are identified below.