2023 Rankings Update: Top 8 Liberos

Drew Ellis May 15, 2021 @ 09:22 AM

We have reached the final breakdown of our latest <a href="https://prepdig.com/michigan/rankings/2023-rankings/">Class of 2023 rankings</a>. We've taken a look at the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2021/05/2023-rankings-update-top-10-outside-hitters/">outside hitters</a>, the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2021/05/2023-rankings-update-top-4-right-side-hitters/">right side hitters</a>, the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2021/05/2023-rankings-update-top-10-middle-hitters/">middle hitters</a> and the <a href="https://prepdig.com/2021/05/2023-rankings-update-top-10-setters/">setters</a>. It's time to focus on the defensive specialists that highlight this class. There's a lot of athleticism and poise in this group of eight that cracked the rankings. 1. [player_tooltip player_id="66308" first="Kaitlyn" last="Hoffman"], Clarkston/Legacy: Hoffman is a skilled defender that really moves to her spots well and is athletic enough to make all the difficult digs. She also has faced some of the best hitters in the Class of 2023 nationally over and over again in competitions and in practice. Hoffman is going to continue to flourish. She has all the confidence and all the skills to be elite. 2. [player_tooltip player_id="66305" first="Lauren" last="Heming"], Marian/Team Detroit: Heming has really stepped up her game in the last year and helped guide Marian to a state championship with her standout play in the back row. Heming has a lot of determination and plays with a lot of fire. If she isn't able to make a play, she dusts herself off quickly and comes back even stronger. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="66295" first="Allison" last="Berent"], Notre Dame Prep/Legacy: Berent is another talented defender in Notre Dame Prep's legacy of great defenders. Her athleticism is quite noticeable right away, as she has proven she can shift to the front row when needed. However, her primary skills are in the back row. She's got great footwork and instincts to make all the plays in the back. 4. Kendall White, St. Johns/Five:1: White is just a dig machine. She is able to get herself all over the court and come through for her team. Consistently, White keeps rallies going when they seem to be over. She reads her opposing hitters well and puts herself in position to make fundamentally sound passes. White's serving game is improving a great deal as well. <img class="size-medium wp-image-130403 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/53_Kalliann-Cook2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />5. Kalliann Cook, Birch Run/Michigan Elite: Cook has a real nose for the ball and a real competitive fire. She's helped the Birch Run program elevate itself in recent years and has continued to refine her skills in the back row. Cook wants to prove that she can be the best in this class and is going to continue to put in the time and effort to move up the rankings. 6. [player_tooltip player_id="108714" first="Taryn" last="Rice"], Northville/Michigan Elite: Rice comes from another program with a lot of great defenders coming through in Northville. Rice shows that in her play. She's very well coached and keeps a very level head on the court. In pressure situations, you can count on her to stay focused and make the important digs. 7. [player_tooltip player_id="66333" first="Ella" last="Shields"], Mercy/Legacy: Shields is another player that is very well coached through her time with Mercy and Legacy. She's got the fundamentals down and is going to see her game continue to improve with more experience and more confidence. 8. [player_tooltip player_id="140477" first="Madi" last="Derby"], Allendale/FaR Out: Derby is one of the top defenders on the west side of the state. She always keeps herself positive and her play is infectious to her teammates. Effort never has to be questioned with Derby. Now it is just a matter of continuing to log in the reps and learn from each play.