2029 Setters Making a Statement for the Future

Setting is not an easy craft. It mimics the quarterback in football. Whoever sets dictates the offense. A setter should not have the hitter dictate the type of sets she wants, otherwise the team suffers. However, a setter should be cognizant of what hitters like and set to their strengths. Good setters distribute their sets to all hitters early then focus on the better hitters later in the game. You don't want to tire out your top hitter too early in a match.   Most clubs like to run a 6/2. It creates more opportunities for players to see court time. Some of the top high school teams run a 5/1. It is ideal for the best setter to run the offense for six rotations. In order for that to happen a setter has to have the height to put up a decent block in the front row. Almost all the Division I colleges run a 5/1. The reason is consistency of setting and the need to win. This limits the scholarship offers at many of the top Division I colleges.   Below are some of the class of 2029 setters who made an impact this club season. Some of them are best suited for a 6/2 because of height concerns while others bring the height to set in a 5/1.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">New to the Class of 2029 Rankings</h2>    Finley is listed as a DS/Libero but her alternate position shows setter. Her 5'8" height needs to elevate an inch or two to reach the height for a 5/1 setter at a Division I college. Having the versatility to do both is also a good thing. Liberos become secondary setters in out of system situations so a setter who can use their hands when beyond the 10 foot line is an advantage to the offense.   Finley won a top performer award at our Prep Dig showcase in Indianapolis, outperforming many players in the country at the libero slot. For [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] black she played libero. East Coast also carried a quality 2030 back row player [player_tooltip player_id='1004626' first='Preslirose' last='Hanks'].   Finley reads well, communicates on the court and is a good teammate overall. She will make the varsity at First Colonial since they do not carry junior varsity or frosh teams. Finley should get significant playing time. She debuts at 131 in the class of 2029 rankings.   Last year First Colonial lost to Ocean Lakes in the first round of the Regional playoffs.     At 6'0" Katherine is a taller setter that ran a 5/1 for Charlottesville Area Volleyball Club ([program_tooltip program_id='504434' first='CAVC' last='']). Her hands could use some more refinement but they have the strength to set the ball outside. That refinement should come with more experience. She blocks a strong right side.   Last year Katherine played on the Junior Varsity for Western Albermarle. They lost to Alleghany in the Quarterfinals of the Class 3c Regionals. No rosters are yet available for the Warriors.   Katherine debuts at 149 in the class of 2029 rankings.     Sophia won the top setter award at the Capital Hill Classic playing for [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 14. Prep Dig named [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] as the second best club at the 14 level. At 5'5" her height would restrict her to a 6/2.   As a frosh she did not make the varsity roster for James Wood. She did make the roster this year, but James Wood has their two varsity setters from last year, [player_tooltip player_id='621440' first='Kylee' last='Plumb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='720415' first='Bella' last='Middleton'], returning. All three setters list at 5'5" or 5'6' so neither carries a height advantage. With her talent at setter James Wood will find a role for Sophia.   Sophia debuts at number 158 in the class of 2029 rankings.     Caroline moved from the watch list to 170 in the rankings. In matches I have watched [player_tooltip player_id='763132' first='Raegan' last='Giuliani'] sets a 5/1 for Virginia Elite. When she does not set a 5/1 Caroline acts as the second setter. In the Northeast Qualifier she fired off a tenacious serve in a four point service run.   Caroline is one of three setters who has made the roster this year for Wakefield. This gives her an opportunity to set the number one prospect in the Class of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington']. Last year Wakefield lost in the first round of the Class 6D Regionals. Caroline made the Wakefield roster as a frosh.     Tiffany submitted a video with her profile. While she showed a good touch with her setting she also showed a powerful lefthanded swing from the right side. Always good to see those left handed power hitters turn to setting. At 5'7" she is a bit undersized for the front row, but there is still room to grow.   She set for Libero in the American Division at Junior Nationals. They won one of their nine matches. She also plays for Stone Bridge, who finished 0-13 last season. The 2026 season does not appear to have her on the varsity roster. However, they do carry [player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers'] who set for them as a frosh last season.     Norah played left side for Charlottesville Area Volleyball Club. She appears to be the alternate setter if something happens to [player_tooltip player_id='986886' first='Katherine' last='Barth'] (see above). When Katherine sets a 5/1 Norah hits left side.   Norah plays for Fluvanna, which made it to the Class 3C Regional semi-finals last year before losing to Liberty Christian.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setter Rising in the 2029 Rankings</h2>    Adelena moved up from 106 to 55 in the class of 2029 rankings, a little more than a 50 point jump. She almost nestles into the top 50 ranking as the 11th best setter in the class of 2029. Normally, at Prep Dig showcases it is difficult for setters to hit on the quick tempo sets with hitters they have never worked with before. Adelena seemed to experience little problems finding them with her sets.   For [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] 15 she set a 5/1. Because she jump sets well her 5'8" height makes her play in the front row a threat. Blockers have to be aware of her position on the court.   Expect some improvement from Stone Bridge this year after their 0-13 finish last year. They are vastly different than the Stonebridge in Chesapeake that went 38-0.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Four Setters From the Class of 2029</h2>   The one commonality of all the seters below is they have the potential to set their teams to state championships.    Carolyn is the top prospect in the class of 2029. She set a 5/1 for Metro this year getting them to a gold bracket in and a fifth place finish in the Open Division at Junior Nationals. Her effort earned her a spot on the All Tournament team.   She also earned a spot on the first team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). O'Connell missed her presence in the playoffs due to injury in both the WCAC and the VISAA state playoffs. Without her in the lineup they failed to win a championship in either event.   While she set a 5/1 for Metro she hits right side for Bishop O'Connel. At 6'1" she may also be one of the top hitters in the DMV. When hitting an overset there is quite the bounce in the ball after it hits the floor.     The previous year Brie set a 5/1 for BAVA. For me, she was the player that put BAVA on the map, setting them to a qualification in Junior Nationals. This past season almost all the BAVA younger age groups qualified for Junior Nationals.   Last year Brie moved up to set for Metro 15 National. At the higher levels her 5'7" height makes her more of a liability in the blocking area. Her jump touch is 9'4". As a hitter she can put the ball away. Blocking is always the challenge for undersized players.   Brie sets in a modified 5/1 for Annapolis Area Christian acting as the front row setter. This allows one of their right side hitters to play six rotations. The latest national polls have Annapolis Area Christian as one of the top 30 high schools in the country. Prep Dig will come out with their top 25 DMV high schools in a couple weeks. It would not surprise me if Annapolis falls in the top five.     Neely replaced [player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton'] setting a 5/1 for BAVA. At 6/1 she has good height to play in the front row. She only started setting this past club season. Prior to that she played middle. She also is used to running a fast offense for BAVA where all the sets, including the outsides are quick. She will have to make an adjustment when playing with other teams moving to a slower tempo. The biggest challenge for a setter is playing to the hitter's strength.   Neely plays for Broadneck. As a middle last year she did not get a lot of playing time. She loves setting but Broadneck has a number of talented setters, including Metro setters [player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='750053' first='Alexis' last='Luscomb']. Last year Alexis played libero.     Last high school season Woodbridge was one of the surprise teams in the area. They went from 12-10 last year to 15-8 this past season. Unfortunately, in both years they lost in the first round of the Regionals. This year they expect more as their frosh gain another year of experience.   Two of those frosh, Braylin and [player_tooltip player_id='747560' first='Elliot' last='Dorgan'] play for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. Braylin set a 5/1 for Woodbridge earning a first team honors as a frosh. She also snagged a top performer award at a Prep Dig showcase. She sets a 6/2 for Paramount.   Woodbridge made my list as one of eight teams to make the Class 6 playoffs this year.

Setting is not an easy craft. It mimics the quarterback in football. Whoever sets dictates the offense. A setter should not have the hitter dictate the type of sets she wants, otherwise the team suffers. However, a setter should be cognizant of what hitters like and set to their strengths. Good setters distribute their sets to all hitters early then focus on the better hitters later in the game. You don't want to tire out your top hitter too early in a match.