Setters That Shined At the Salt Lake City Showcase

Utah brought out a ton of talent for this showcase. From some of the most experienced scouts we have, some great coaches, and a ton of talent from a different area than I usually cover, this one was a wild event. So many high-level players, and players you aren't used to seeing a lot, make for a lot to watch in two hours. Everywhere you looked, there was something else to catch your eye. We broke up and covered different positions with different scouts during positional drills, and I got the setters, which works for me, because I watch a lot of those, and this group didn't disappoint. Here are a few of the ones that stood out for me in my two hours with them:    Bailey had one of the top sets of hands I saw at the whole event. Smooth, accurate, good at controlling momentum on the move, she got the ball to the right spot near every time. She showed good range covering, and very high IQ, making the right call in multiple quick paced scenarios. For me the most important two traits in a setter are the hands, which can salvage a non-ideal situation by keeping a ball on target that others may have a hard time keeping from drifting, and their IQ, with finding the right person to go to on the right play against the right team. Bailey showed she's got ton of both which makes her a top setting prospect for me. Looking forward to getting another look at her during game play at Nationals.     For Kaycie, she caught my attention with her range in drills. She was extremely quick and was covering much more ground than you see other setters cover, almost like having an extra lib out there on defense. I'm a big defense first guy, so that is a quick way to get on my radar, and her defense did not disappoint. Coaches I've talked to recently have said they've been looking for Setters with DS experience and DS with Setter experience because of the number of out of system balls, and teams targeting the Setter with the first ball, and Kaycie checks that box for me. Texas is a deep area for talent, and she's exactly the kind of under the radar talent that will be a steal for teams at the next level. I'm hoping to get another look at her during tournament play and get to see some other aspects of her game, but she's got my attention.     Katelyn showed me a good solid set of hands and great composure during scrimmage play and caught my eye. She did a great job distributing the ball, and keeping calm in a flurry, keeping rallies going when things started getting intense. She's got good size for a setter at 5'10, but in these controlled environments in small batches sometimes it's hard to get a look at things like blocking, attacking or serving, especially when setter was the one of the deepest groups at the showcase and they have to rotate so often. She plays for a Nevada based Tstreet which is a top club, so I'm hoping I get another peek at her to see those other parts of her game, but her poise and IQ are a great start for a setter.     I've seen Isabella a few times, as she's from my home turf, but glad to see she brought it out west for this event. She's a smaller setter, but for me, if you can do the job, I'm not worried about how tall you are setting. She's got good hands and sets the middle and right side with some finesse. She plays great defense acting like an extra lib out there. Getting tips to drop is a tough ask when she's on the court, and taking those away from a team makes a game very different. She's quick and always gets to the right spot with plenty of time, and for me is a fantastic 6-2 setter, even though I've seen her poke a kill over the net with a one handed jab a few times.     Finley was probably my most intriguing find of the event. A 6'2 freshman setter with smooth hands, good body control, and the ability to attack. She's still so young, so she's going to develop rapidly, and I think she's going to be an absolute monster when all is said and done. She showed me the ability to get up and smack a hit down, or get a kill on an overpass, but her more impressive ability was being able to control the ball while on the move. For a taller player, she showed good agility, and maybe more impressively the ability to control the momentum of the ball while on the move. Many setters when running towards a pin will let the ball drift on them because of their additional momentum, but she showed the ability to counter and keep the ball from drifting pass the pins on the move. Watching her develop is going to be fun over time, I can see her being a major game changer in the future.    Overall, it was a fun event. Nice to get out and meet new people, see different kids, and see some good competition. Anytime you get out to that side of the country the game just elevates and it's fun to see some of the big dogs in person. Looking forward to our own events here this summer, and hopefully getting to cover another out of town event before the season is over.

Utah brought out a ton of talent for this showcase. From some of the most experienced scouts we have, some great coaches, and a ton of talent from a different area than I usually cover, this one was a wild event. So many high-level players, and players you aren't used to seeing a lot, make for a lot to watch in two hours. Everywhere you looked, there was something else to catch your eye. We broke up and covered different positions with different scouts during positional drills, and I got the setters, which works for me, because I watch a lot of those, and this group didn't disappoint. Here are a few of the ones that stood out for me in my two hours with them: