Alex really played well at NIT and I was able to see a setter who has grown a lot this season and is really going to show out next season if her play continues as it was. Alex has really strong hands and consistent locations with her sets, and always seemed to set a ball that was excellent for her hitters to terminate. What really separated Alex in my eyes from some other setters is how athletic she is. She moves very well laterally and covers a lot of ground on the court in a way to always get her hands on the ball. That also helps with her defense and ability to transition from setting back to base. She moves and flows effortlessly around the floor to get great touches on the ball whether as a setter or a defender. She brings that high level energy to the table as well, she seems to be a big hype person for her hitters and communicates super well during/before plays. Her level of play throughout the weekend was excellent, and made it easy to pick her as a Summer NIT standout.

Alex is what we would call a well-rounded setter. Overall she is a setter who is beginning to separate herself with her defensive presence and impact from the service line, which is rare to see as she brings a complete skill set that extends beyond just running the offense. Defensively, she is active, engaged, and reads the game well for her age. She positions herself with purpose, shows quick reactions off the attack, and has a dependable platform that allows her to control first contact when targeted. She tracks hitters, anticipates angles, and keeps balls alive that many setters at this level don’t reach.

Her offensive game as a setter also stands out as she has the ability to consistently deliver accurate sets from multiple places on the floor and doesn’t need a perfect pass to do it. This allows her team to stay in system far more often than expected. She also shows strong chemistry with hitters, understands how to establish rhythm early in matches (super high court IQ), and does an excellent job recognizing favorable matchups throughout rotations.

A high IQ setter who can play defense like a libero? Alex is for sure one of the setters you need to know from this class!