Super Sophomore DS/Ls at San Antonio Top 250 Expo

<p>Defensive specialists are amazing athletes who can turn a match that is on the line into a win by making great plays when it matters most. They spend hours in the gym just touching the ball and learning how it moves when it is handled in a certain way by a defensive specialist's hands. Let's consider these athletes from the sophomore class individually and discuss what makes them special.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722101' first='Kenadie' last='Pina']</h2>   <p>Pina is a 5'7" defensive specialist from Churchill High School. Pina does not hesitate to go to the ground to dig up a ball. She is very consistent and has a great platform. She still gets it to the setter even if she is on the move and has nice, powerful serves. She is also good with attacks out of the back row and appears to be a proficient hitter.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_5492_8bcb20.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-722702" style="width:160px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='722063' first='Breanna' last='Benavides'], DS/L from Saint Mary's Hall, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722063' first='Breanna' last='Benavides']</h2>   <p>Benavides is a 5'4" DS/L from Saint Mary's Hall High School. Benavides has great hands and a soft touch. She has good serve/receive skills and no matter how hard the serve is she takes the heat off of it before sending it to her setter. She is an effective tool against hard-hitting opponents.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722058' first='Ava' last='Varela']</h2>   <p>Varela is a 5'2" defensive specialist from Saint Gertrudis Academy. Varela is calm, cool, and collected. She is so fast and slides under the ball with amazing speed and skill. She is low to the ground and not afraid to sacrifice her body for the ball. She has a good platform and can twist her body to make the ball go where she wants it to so the setter can make a play on the ball.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722137' first='Savy' last='Cook']</h2>   <p>Cook is a 5'5" DS/L from St. Andrew's Episcopal School. Cook is fast and athletic. She is very mobile and always on her toes trying to anticipate the next move needed. She has a high volleyball IQ and covers a lot of ground on the court. She also has good stamina so does not slow down as the match progresses.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722072' first='Carina' last='Garcia']</h2>   <p>Garcia is a 5'2" defensive specialist from Antonian College Preparatory. Garcia is comfortable playing at a fast pace and seems likely to adjust well to an upper level of play. She has great hands, quick feet, and is anticipatory of where the ball is going to go next.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722099' first='Kate' last='Sweeney']</h2>   <p>Sweeney is a 5'5" defensive specialist from Basis Shavano High School. Sweeney is smart and athletic. She has a great jump serve. She makes good connections with her setters and seems to know where the ball is going so she can head it off and get it back into play.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_5493_b5d864.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-722704" style="width:164px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='722067' first='Cadence' last='Negron'], DS/L from Troy High School, class of 2027.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722067' first='Cadence' last='Negron']</h2>   <p>Negron is a 5'2" DS/L from Troy High School. Negron is on the tip of her toes at all times and appears ready to move and adjust quickly to the changing events on the court. She is really fast to the ball and covers the tips and dinks by the net with ease. She is very flexible and appears lucky (that means practiced) with her attempts to bring the ball back onto the court for her setters and hitters. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/11/IMG_5490_0c1003.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1" alt="" class="wp-image-722701" style="width:157px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='722038' first='Addison' last='Moncada'], DS/L from Cibolo Steele High School, class of 2207.</figcaption></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722038' first='Addison' last='Moncada']</h2>   <p>Moncada is a 5'5" defensive specialist from Cibolo Steele High School. Moncada is down low, with a good platform, and is very focused on the play taking place. She is not easily distracted and is single-minded in her pursuit of the ball. She is dedicated and does not give up until she has successfully moved the ball over the net. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='722054' first='Aryanna' last='Ozuna']</h2>   <p>Ozuna is a 5'3" defensive specialist from McAllen High School. Ozuna handles hard-hit serves very well. She has a great platform and knows how to move and use her body to do her job on the court. She appears to me to be a multisport athlete or to have studied speed, agility, and quickness drills with the ease with which she moves her body into position for those hard-hit attacks to block the kills. </p>

Defensive specialists are amazing athletes who can turn a match that is on the line into a win by making great plays when it matters most. They spend hours in the gym just touching the ball and learning how it moves when it is handled in a certain way by a defensive specialist's hands. Let's consider these athletes from the sophomore class individually and discuss what makes them special.