Stat It Up- The Series: #11-15 Assist Leaders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Averaging around 8-9 assists per set, these five setters have major skills for the second contact yet also initiate the drive for their team. Like I said, your setters are your quarterbacks, and these ladies do a great job of leading their squads. Here are the #11-15 ranked assist leaders in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#11, [player_tooltip player_id='207258' first='Taylor' last='Johnson']</strong> <em>(Berea)</em>- In 61 sets, senior setter, [player_tooltip player_id='207258' first='Taylor' last='Johnson'], tallied 570 assists which averaged her at 9.34 assists per game. All five of Berea's hitters had over 100 kills which shows her consistency to setting the pins and the middles. In her last district game ever against Madison Southern, Johnson finished with a double-double where she totaled 22 assists and 11 digs. Johnson may have not been flashy or super offensive, but she got the job done and always led by example. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#12, [player_tooltip player_id='260878' first='Lucy' last='Rankin']</strong><em> (North Oldham)</em>- A junior captain for North Oldham, [player_tooltip player_id='260878' first='Lucy' last='Rankin'] really put herself in the charts with 1017 assists in 112 sets. Averaging 9.08 assists per set, this 5'11 setter looks so smooth in transition and off the first contact in serve receive. Rankin is great about planting her feet and always getting underneath the ball square to the pin. As a natural jump setter, she keeps the other team's defense on their toes, and the opponent never knows who she's going to set. Plus, this kid is offensive where she gathered 130 kills on the year. Rankin is so talented and still has a whole year left to impress us more! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#13, [player_tooltip player_id='207260' first='Makenzie' last='Peters']</strong> <em>(Scott County)</em>- When you think of the best setters in the state, you might automatically think tall and offensive weapons. However, don't take out those fun-sized players, and senior setter, [player_tooltip player_id='207260' first='Makenzie' last='Peters'], shows a prime example that littles can still make a big difference. Averaging 8.93 assists per set, Peters gained 893 assists this year in 102 sets. Peters does a great job of getting the ball out of her hands fast but also delivering to the right person. She found ways to feed star middle hitter, Grace Ginding, even off the net which is really hard to do with certain angles. Peters was a defensive monster with 242 digs and helped the team to a district championship! What a great year it was for [player_tooltip player_id='207260' first='Makenzie' last='Peters']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#14, [player_tooltip player_id='212350' first='Olivia' last='Atwood']</strong> <em>(Somerset Christian)</em>- The first freshman to be named to the assists rankings, [player_tooltip player_id='212350' first='Olivia' last='Atwood'] of Somerset Christian made some waves for her first high school year with 883 assists in 99 sets. Coming into a varsity game as a freshman is hard enough but being their quarterback and someone that the team leads is completely different. Atwood handled this feat with class where she performed her job every game. She needed to set their star hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='260886' first='Addison' last='Cunnagin'], as much as possible, and she definitely performed well where Cunnagin had 6.82 kills per game. Sometimes, as a setter, it's more important to listen to the needs of the team, not be selfish, and do your job which is exactly what Atwood accomplished this year. Can't wait to see what Atwood shows us these next three years! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#15, [player_tooltip player_id='107421' first='Sadie' last='Smith']</strong><em> (Cooper)</em>- To finish up our #11-15 ranked list, we have junior setter, [player_tooltip player_id='107421' first='Sadie' last='Smith'], who totaled 798 assists in 90 sets. Averaging 8.87 assists per set, Smith was smart with her setting choices and knew when to get the ball to the hot hand. Against Highlands in Cooper's last regular season game, Smith had a double-double with 10 digs and a season-high 52 assists. Smith is a very smart setter which is why she deserves to make the top 15 assists leaderboard! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->