Defensive Dandies Worth The Watch In The Class Of ‘29

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And follow @KypPDIN on X for all of your Indiana high school and club news!   We're to the last part of our rankings release, the final positional breakdown. There are so many DS/L types in the state of Indiana that it's impossible to see them all. That being said, five have stood out since the last update. Here are five defensive dandies from five different clubs that have made waves and turned recruiting heads this fall.    Already familiar with high-level training and play, Evie is a quick and smart defender that can play any of the back row positions with an equal amount of anticipatory acuity. Her athleticism allows her to get to nearly every ball within ten feet of her, her arms stay quiet while her feet do the work, and most of the movements she makes on defense look second-nature.     From northern Indiana, Miss Beyer makes up for the apparent lack of height with lightning-fast footwork and brilliant anticipation. It also helps that she's relentless—-on more than one occasion at our showcases, she's crashed into chairs and covered a ton of ground just to get a second contact on a ball. Seemingly in the right position at all times, she does best when around similarly-minded defenders; relentless, vocal and quick.     Yet another defender more than familiar with high-end, open-level training, Isabella plays bigger than her size might otherwise indicate. She appears to cover more ground in serve receive than on defense, and for good reason—-at HSE, there aren't too many pass-to-attack pin players on their rosters, and she's learned over the years to “take over” in serve receive. She's more than capable to pass half the court, leaving the rest of the serve receive pattern relaxed and ready to do their jobs. Not too many DS's in this state have the “greedy passing” gene, but the good ones always do. Miss Hancock is one of them.     Like there needed to be ANOTHER amazing passer at two-time defending champ Carroll, Jocelyn is the next one up when it comes to serve receive and defense. Longer than most defenders in Indiana, Jocelyn covers a bunch of ground in both serve receive and defense because of her long strides she takes to get to where the ball is. I mention length as Jocelyn's main positive trait because there are so few in Indiana that have that ability to cover the amount of space she's responsible for. And even the ones that have length that are defenders, they don't use it like Miss Walborn does. Being placed up an age group with PHP's 16s should be an excellent challenge for her—-making her that much more marketable for the next level by already being accustomed to high-end ball and pressure.     Part of a 1A championship-winning program at Trinity Lutheran, Kennedi is part of a cadre of defenders that have solid consistency for days. Written in her volleyball DNA are active feet, a calm platform, and solid anticipatory skills. She can read and react with the best of them, which is a good thing considering her size. If she's anything like the last libero that passed through the halls at TL (who is now the starting libero at D1 IU Indy), she'll be more than prepared for the bigger stage and brighter lights that college ball presents.

Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription! And follow @KypPDIN on X for all of your Indiana high school and club news!