As the director of the offense for a highly competitive club team here in central Indiana, Ava’s quick athleticism allows her teammates ample opportunity to score points at will. Miss Jones gets to each and every pass—-regardless of WHERE the ball is passed—-and makes the resulting set hittable. Yes, that’s a basic function of being a setter, but Ava’s consistency and reliability in that skill alone makes her one of the top ten setting recruits in the state.

Stealing a win over PHP’s 16U squad was a BIG early win for Ava’s 16-2 squad this season, and I think the girls will look back on that match and see that the transformation from ok to great started yesterday. Ava was at the center of it all, running an offense with some newer parts and iffy passing. Her athleticism and foot speed really helped her get to a lot of passes that some other setters would have given up on, and she plays bigger than her frame because of her jumping ability, which I think is a little better than when I saw her last fall. The next time I see this squad, it will be at MEQ. If things keep changing for the positive until then, I might not even recognize her and the positive improvements she’s made.

The second of three setters in the same class at Center Grove, Ava is lithe, but doesn’t act like it when running an offense. Strong-handed and quick, Ava gets to a ton of passes that aren’t perfect, all while making the next ball better for her hitters. Constantly positive and fully coachable, Miss Jones made solid decisions in the full-team play that some setters in attendance couldn’t. She does appear a bit undersized when blocking, so her projection for me is as a 6-2 setter with solid defensive and serving capabilities.

What struck me first about Ava was her ability to run down the ball almost anywhere on the court, which as a setter is such a great skill to have, especially at a young age. She is fast and a HUSTLER – you know a kid is competitive and a go-getter if they try to get to everything! Jones spreads the ball around really well, getting everyone involved. I especially liked how she worked hard to establish her middles early and often – it opened up the outside effectively as the match went on. Her sets to the outside are consistent and quick, again allowing her OHs to hit efficiently against opposing defenses. Similar to Weber, Jones is clearly a GAMER who loves to compete. She has that fiery personality that can get her teammates going when need be but also gives positive feedback when it’s warranted.