Setters I Liked At The Top 250 Expo Indiana

On the positional breakdowns after every event, I'm always drawn to the setters because I used to be a setter WAY back in the day. The unsung athletes that have to (1) clean up mediocre passing, to then (2) make a perfect ball for an attacker that has no idea that what you just did was tough, while also (3) taking the blame for an attacker not finding the court. Here are seven setters that caught my eye this past Saturday, and what their futures might hold.    They say that small school setters are hardest to evaluate because they may not see the toughest competition during the fall. Not so with Bethany, as she receives training from Boiler Juniors and will have a greater understanding of running an offense than other setters in her class because of her club schedule alone. Her location on Saturday was highly consistent, she has soft hands to minimize ball handling issues, and always seemed to find the right hitter in the right situation in 6-on-6 drills. Her future might be running a 5-1 for a smaller school or even being part of a 6-2 for a larger school that needs a mobile setter that can easily get to bad to average passing.     I've practically watched Miss Crabtree grow up on a volleyball court the last two years, and a lot of that maturity has to do with her control and high volleyball IQ she's learned at Munciana. Of the setters I evaluated, none got to more balls (and then made them hittable) than Reagan. This might be due to the inexperienced passers she plays with in the fall, but it almost looked natural when she took a bad pass and made an in-system set. She's projecting to be part of a 6-2 at the next level, especially as part of an offense that can afford the substitutions in match (read: NAIA). Her defense at her position is also above average and controlled.     One of the bigger setters in this graduating class, Marlee has turned her physicality into a solid all-around 5-1 setter. She plays bigger than she looks, as her net defense is some of the best at her position in any class. I look forward to her club seasons regularly, as she plays in a currently tougher-than-average sectional in high school. On either squad, she's a quiet, no-nonsense floor general who's more than capable of running an offense at any level once she graduates. Her personality screams "captain by example", and is easily coachable. The question is: how good can she get? Only time and training will tell.     From a family of volleyball folks, Nicole is a hybrid setter that is more than capable of running a modified 6-2-----she can set for three rotations in the back row while hammering away at teams when she's in the front row. Her family background in a volleyball gym allows Nicole to "get it" quicker than most, and her smooth athleticism more than proves it. Playing for Ignite Elite, she'll have more than enough ball touches and a high-level playing schedule that should really allow her talents to show through. And she's a freshman? She certainly doesn't play like one.     I got a chance to watch Caitlyn play on the JV squad at Fishers this past fall, and she did a little of everything---she set, she attacked, blocked, defended her position---she looked the part of a well-rounded, high IQ player. That acuity, as she gets older, will lead to more and more refinement of her actual position of setter, where she thrives in running a faster-than-average offense. She fit in nicely at the Expo with the bigger attackers that also wanted to go fast, but also adjusted well when the passes were not the greatest. With her continued work ethic, it would not surprise me if Caitlyn starts receiving recruiting interest THIS spring, her freshman club season.     I'm going to have to add this young lady to our class of '28 watch list for the sole reason that she's worth the price of admission to watch her play. With soft hands and exceptional placement of each and every set, regardless of where the ball was passed, Ella made nearly every ball better for her hitters. The sign of a true setter is doing just that, every time, without excuses. Miss Weist will fit in nicely in a 6-2 at the next level.     Another kid that I had never seen prior to Saturday that caught my eye was Miss Britney from the Fort Wayne area. With quick and high hands, she located every ball right where it needed to be. You could almost see her setter brain's gears turning when setting the attacker that had the best matchup across the net, leading to more and more kills for her hitters as the Expo went on. She defended her position quite well, and much better than some of her fellow classmates at the setting position. Finally, her serve could be classified as a "drill killer"---on more than one occasion, the drill could not be completed because Miss Briney had already bombed an ace on her opponent. Imagine what the future brings for this young lady once she gets stronger and more experienced.

On the positional breakdowns after every event, I'm always drawn to the setters because I used to be a setter WAY back in the day. The unsung athletes that have to (1) clean up mediocre passing, to then (2) make a perfect ball for an attacker that has no idea that what you just did was tough, while also (3) taking the blame for an attacker not finding the court. Here are seven setters that caught my eye this past Saturday, and what their futures might hold.