Sensational Setters At The Ohio Exposure Tour

Looking for a last-minute gift? Use code Kyp30 for 30% off of your annual subscription to PrepDig!   In my day, a LONG time ago, I was a setter. When I first coached, I coached the setters. Now that I'm here for PrepDig, I gravitate to the setters, as they are the unsung heroines in these showcases, as they're paired with random passers and random hitters. Each and every setter has to be the catalyst for each and every drill. No errors, no breaks. Here are nine setters from around the state of Ohio that caught my eye at the Exposure Tour at [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last=''].    If there's a kid that had the most fun while setting one of the more consistent offenses during the showcase, it was Miss Slater. Although undersized, her footwork and hand placement easily set her apart from the great majority of setters in attendance in Columbus. With high, strong hands and great location, Maribeth has a future with a smaller school looking for either a 5-1 setter or a 6-2 setter to add to the setting cadre.     One of (if not THE) biggest setters at the Exposure Tour on Saturday, Adelynn has a strong upper body and even stronger hands to go get a ball that's passed tight and can get sent to a pin. Although her connection with the middles was a bit off, that can be trained, without having to train the size part of blocking on the right side. The bare bones of the work ethic, footwork and repetitive motion are there for a next-level setter. Now, Adelynn needs a ton of real-time reps and consistent play in the setting position to perfect her craft.     Emily is a Dayton Juniors kid that has lightning-fast feet and a sense of the game. On more than one occasion, she had a choice of making the easy decision on an out-of-system pass or the “right” decision. Turns out that Miss Lehmann is REALLY good at picking the “right” decision so that her hitters can do their jobs at a high level. Unassuming and undersized, Emily should fit very nicely as a 6-2 setter at a large school or a smaller school looking for a fast and athletic 5-1 setter.     From the profile photo, you can already tell that Miss Hunt uses every bit of her 5'11” frame to go get tough passes and make them hittable. What you DON'T see from the photo is everything else she can do. She's long and lean, making everything a bit easier on defense. Her block is solid, and not just “for a setter”. Her high hands are deceptive, and she kept blocks honest on multiple occasions just by being “handsy”. I like this kid, as she has all of the tools and the talent to be a Division I setter without the fanfare of being at a large club.     One of my favorite setters at the Exposure Tour in Columbus, Maddie plays much bigger than her frame might otherwise indicate. For starters, her block is solid, smart and useful (unlike other setters her size and smaller). As a setter, her location is excellent, she picks the right hitter in the right situation, and is always ready to get her hands on the ball on each and every second contact. You can find Miss Jirele on [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last='']'s m.62 squad, as she would be a steal for a team looking for a full-time setter for the class of ‘28.     Miss Helton, on first glance, looked like a ton of other setters I've evaluated in Indiana—-small, good, fast footed and smart. However, when Madison took her position, every part of that “basic” skill set I saw disappeared, and multiple traits stood out. For one, those feet aren't just fast, they're well-trained to the point of perfection. Rarely was she out of balance when setting. She set a slower tempo than most at the Exposure Tour, but every ball was hyper accurate, making her indispensable as a setter. On defense, she's more than capable of holding her own and taking the first ball for herself, making the second contact easier for whomever takes it. In short, Madison is a 6-2 setter in the waiting for the next level, and still has a few years of development to go before she REALLY gets good.     Coming from Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and [program_tooltip program_id='431659' first='Buckeyefire' last=''] VBC, Leah is a small but mighty setter that had a better connection with her middles than most at the Exposure Tour in Columbus. A set that she especially connected well on was her “B”; any set for her middles that was AWAY from her was a better connection than a lot of setters had on Saturday, and that's saying a lot. Some training has to be made to make the back setting a bit more consistent, but every ball in front of her was well-timed, well-placed and consistent.     Of the setters in attendance on Saturday, Roxy was the only one that made me say, “WOW”. I'm looking at my notes and, sure enough, that's the first word written. Roxy's length, strength and set choice makes her a prime D1 candidate for recruitment, and does everything well that a setter should do, including taking the ball over on the second contact. Her defense is exceptional—-both for her position and for her age. Her length, on more than one occasion, helped to keep a play alive; tight passes, out-of-system play, blocking and floor defense all saw an uptick in skill when Roxy was on the floor. I liked this kid a lot, which is why I picked her as one of the Top Performers for the entire Exposure Tour in Columbus.     A solid all-around player, Stella did everything well, and was an exceptional addition to her court for all of her reps. She has quick, deceptive hands and even quicker feet, and located each and every ball in the exact tempo and location it required for each individual hitter. It was as if her “teammates” at the showcase were her actual teammates in club or high school—-everything looked that much more fluid when Miss Welch was setting. I look forward to seeing Stella play more, as both a ref and a scout for PD.

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