Top East Side Defensive Players

[player_tooltip player_id='800177' first='Naomi' last='Ross']   Naomi played the defensive specialist position this past season for Class 4A powerhouse Victory Christian School.  She's learned under one of the best at the position, Lanee Helfin, the last two seasons for the Conquerors.  With Lanee graduating, Naomi is poised to take over the libero position and help lead her team on another title run.  Naomi will be returning to Charge 17 UA Tulsa, arguably the best club team on the East side of the state.  With her team playing a schedule packed full of national qualifiers and other high level tournaments- she will be sharpening her skills against the highest levels of competition.  Naomi really excels in serve receive, often taking 60% of the court.  She also has one of the toughest jump-serves around- generating an incredible amount of speed on the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='756452' first='Hailey' last='Robl']   A teammate of Naomi on last year's Charge 16 UA Tulsa, [player_tooltip player_id='756452' first='Hailey' last='Robl'] has developed into an excellent defensive player in her own right.  Hailey's ascension over the last 2 years has been amazing, going from [program_tooltip program_id='776295' first='Tulsa' last='Power'], to Charge, to being the libero for Broken Arrow- and a huge reason why they made it all the way to the 6A State Finals.  Hailey reads incredibly well, and has a ton of range defensively- which is likely one of the reasons Broken Arrow deployed her in middle back, whereas most programs place their libero in the left back position.  One of the things that really stands out when you watch Hailey is her demeanor on the court- she's always calm and collected, never getting too high or too low.  She was a steadying presence for the Tigers through many pressure packed situations this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='740633' first='Olivia' last='Shanahan']   The thread connecting these defensive players continues as we take a look at Hailey's Broken Arrow teammate [player_tooltip player_id='740633' first='Olivia' last='Shanahan'].  Despite playing libero for the Tigers as a sophomore in 2024, Olivia was not able to join the Tigers on the court until midway through this season, after coming off a major knee injury.  Understandably, it took a little time for her to return to form- but towards the end of the season you could start to see why she wore the libero jersey for BA previously.  As a defensive specialist, she came up with several key digs, and contributed as a server in the state tournament.  It will be interesting to see how Broken Arrow utilizes its two defensive stars, as they battle for the libero position in 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='736675' first='Madison' last='Godding']   Another player who's had a meteoric rise over the past 2 seasons is Claremore's libero, [player_tooltip player_id='736675' first='Madison' last='Godding']. Madison started her high school career in Oologah- but was never able to find the right opportunity, prompting a transfer to Claremore for her junior season. In just one short season she has become one of the best liberos in Class 5A, helping lead the Zebras back to the state tournament, and earning her Metro Lakes Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Madison has played for [program_tooltip program_id='750137' first='Virago' last='Volleyball Club']'s 15 Elite and 16 Elite teams the past two years- earning a trip to USAV Nationals her 15's year. The experience of playing for a high level club against high level competition has certainly played a huge role in her rapid ascension- and she will continue that this year for Charge 17 National Tulsa.   [player_tooltip player_id='297124' first='Kennedy' last='Welsh']   Our last defensive player is not only the libero, but also the heart and soul of the Cascia Hall Commandos, [player_tooltip player_id='297124' first='Kennedy' last='Welsh'].  I had the opportunity to watch a few Cascia matches this season- and anytime you watch them it's hard not to focus on their defensive captain.  Even in pre-game warmups you will see Welsh's defensive mentality- flying all around the court and diving for balls- all before the game has even started.  That energy carries over to the match, where you can see her teammates follow her lead and meet her level of intensity.  Many sports throw around the phrase that defense is ‘10% technique and 90% effort' – Kennedy takes this to heart, completely willing to sacrifice her body to save a rally, and displaying the toughness required to be great at this position.

Naomi Ross Naomi Ross DS OK