Day 1 Defensive Standouts- 4A State Tournament

<p>The defensive dynamos were on display at the Sundome on the first day of the 4A State Tournament. It's not all liberos- mighty middles and sizzling setters hustled all day long, digging up hard swings and racking up monster blocks when it counted most. </p>   <p>Here are six 4A defenders who delivered for their squads on day one!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lake Stevens- [player_tooltip player_id='708645' first='Audrey' last='Iseminger']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Iseminger is advanced for a class of 2028 prospect. She looked terrific in both of Lake Stevens' day one matches, playing clean in serve receive and showing off strong hands and hustle on every play. Iseminger also hits a tough-to-handle lefty serve, and that helps the Vikings rack up easy kills out of out-of-system attacks from opposing teams. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Skyline- [player_tooltip player_id='243691' first='Emma' last='Gutke']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The future Auburn Tiger is playing all the way around for Skyline, and at 6'3" has excellent mobility and length. Her bread and butter is at the net, and she is a shutdown blocker no matter who is attacking on the other side. She will have another chance to pile up points facing Mead tomorrow in a loser-out match. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gonzaga Prep- [player_tooltip player_id='890666' first='Cienna' last='Pierpoint']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Gonzaga Prep had a hole to fill at libero headed into the season, and Pierpoint grabbed the jersey and has helped keep the Bullpup backline steady. She was reading the game with precision on day one, and did an excellent job delivering hittable balls when she stepped in and handled the second contact. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mount Si- [player_tooltip player_id='249333' first='Taylor' last='Showalter']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Senior lefty Showalter will play beach at the University of Washington next year; she makes all the little plays that help a team win. At 5'11" with great timing, she was tough on opposing attackers at the net and made dynamic plays as an off-blocker when Mt. Si needed it. The Wilcats bowed out of the tournament after challenging matches against Curtis and Skyline. Showalter hustled throughout- playing with grit and determination all day. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mt. Rainier- [player_tooltip player_id='541919' first='Abigayle' last='Taliloa']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Taliloa has a high volleyball IQ and the ability to see the tips and rolls seemingly before they happen. She plays excellent defense from the setter spot, reading the opposing team's tendencies and positioning herself to make plays. Her hustle to reach the second ball or a shot is outstanding, and she delivers well-located sets from challenging positions when needed. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wenatchee- [player_tooltip player_id='480831' first='Rylee' last='Jones']</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Jones will head to Central Washington in the fall. She has strong hands and makes dynamic moves to close the block. Jones was dominant in the win over Kamiak and battled hard against the tall, talented Camas front line. When she delivered a monster block, Wenatchee's energy level soared, pushing the Panthers </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">THREE MORE THAT SHINED:</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='290227' first='Shaylee' last='Stephen']- CAMAS. Tips and roll shots have found their match in Stephen. When attackers don't go strong and find an angle against the senior middle, she dominates play at the net. </p>   <p></p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='333217' first='Kinley' last='Smith']- TIMBERLINE. A six-rotation outside, Smith showed why she was selected as the League Defensive Player of the Year. She roams corner to corner and </p>   <p></p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='499403' first='Samantha' last='Pirillis']- PUYALLUP. Pirillis was all over the floor against Kamiakin and Gonzaga Prep. In the quarter-finals against Prep, she was in the pocket- putting up terrific digs for the Vikigs to run transition attacks. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"></h2>   <p></p>   <p></p>

The defensive dynamos were on display at the Sundome on the first day of the 4A State Tournament. It's not all liberos- mighty middles and sizzling setters hustled all day long, digging up hard swings and racking up monster blocks when it counted most.