Top 250 Expo 2025 Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are the five athletes setting from the California Top 250 Expo in Gardena:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='393712' first='Helen' last='Beary'] </strong>| 6'1" | 2025 | S | JSerra Catholic High School<br>The personality that [player_tooltip player_id='393712' first='Helen' last='Beary'] has includes an attribute of directing an offense. Specifically, when it is time to play the game there is clear, concise communication. This happens directly to her hitters in telling them what they will hit. Additionally, as a rally is happening, look for a directional point to confirm that the hitter is ready. When she contacts the ball as a setter, the ball is about in the middle of her arm flexion and extension. In other words, she contacts well above her forehead but not to a point where her elbows are fully extended. Her feet are slightly wider than shoulder width apart with the weight going towards the inside of her lower body upon contact. When Beary backsets the ball, she will slightly lean in the direction the ball is going. She is great as chasing down a pass and getting in a posture that aligns with her target to set. This is done with a spin set move pivoting on her right leg. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='482013' first='Abbey' last='Gleason']</strong> | 5'5" | 2025 | S | St. Lucy's High School <br>[player_tooltip player_id='482013' first='Abbey' last='Gleason'] can be described in three words. Accurate, demanding, and eager. Each of those words should be explained to further understand her game. Accuracy likely needs no explanation but yet it important to understand the value of her consistency to each hitter. A post player may receive a pass from a point guard, but the impact of the accuracy of that received ball is different. For a hitter, it is exponentially significant to what will happen next. When the outside knows where the ball will be, as observed at this showcase, then that outside is in no need of far sided glasses. Puns aside, she will then only need to see the court through the lense of what is 10 - 30 feet in front of her. She is a demanding setter not through her words but through continued effort to get back at it again. The eagerness of Gleason comes in two forms. She has no fear at the net making a one handed set and she does let the pass come to her waiting in a almost cat like pounce (not by how it looks). After she contacts the ball, her thumbs come through the ball perhaps similar to the aforementioned pass to a post player in basketball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Annais Rodriquez </strong>| 5'8" | 2025 | S | Sacred Heart High School<br>With her weight forward, [player_tooltip player_id='482015' first='Annais' last='Rodriguez'] is always making more happen. Her regular hard work shows in how she plays as her body just shows let's keep going. Even when she backsets, the ball is about the only thing that goes backward. Her always lean forward way about herself can only help especially in times when her team will look for leadership to get out of a run of points. Additionally, she listens great and executes skills explained to her. Starting with her footwork, she takes a big first step. Along with a big first step, Rodriguez embodies excellent spatial awareness. Specifically, as the trajectory of a pass goes up to the net, she has a great read of where that pass goes. This positions her to utilize her entire body to set. When her footwork is complete, look for her to lead each set with her left leg slightly in front of the other. Her contact point is between middle distance from her forehead and full extension of her arms. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='482021' first='Daylin' last='Saiki']</strong> | 5'9" | 2025 | S | Grace High School<br>The softness with which [player_tooltip player_id='482021' first='Daylin' last='Saiki'] sets the ball makes a person focus their observing eyes on that skill. When she contacts the ball, is it usually at a low point that is close to her forehead. Additionally, her contact point is slightly out in front of her body. This is impressive because it requires a little bit more shoulder strength from that point in the air. Some of her softness of setting the ball must have derived from the length of time she is in contact with the ball. However, when she is on the move she will get that ball out of her hands just as quickly as she has to realize the pass was not going to target. Before ball contact, Saiki takes many small adjustment steps and stays balanced going into her set. This balance stays quite well even when the ball is closer to the net. Specifically, she sets from one foot when the ball is within three to four feet of the net. She does make great effort to set against the flow as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->