Dakota teamed with Brie Mouton Brie Mouton 5'7" | S Annapolis Area Christian | 2029 State VA to set Annapolis Area Christian to the IAAM championship. She set back row while Brie set front in a modified 5/1. Dakota provided the steady leadership for the group since as a junior she stood out as the oldest starter on a team composed of eight frosh. She led the team in assists falling 35 shy of 500.

This club season Dakota is setting for Maryland Juniors 16. She has not quite achieved the same success with them. They missed qualifying for a bid in the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championships finishing 9th out of 12 teams.

The biggest upside with Dakota is the consistency in the location of her sets. She can execute the quick tempo sets in the middle as well as spread the sets accurately to various locations. The down side is her height of 5’6″ will restrict her to the back row. She can handle her position on defense.

This 17 team used to have Annika Dandridge Annika Dandridge 6'1" | OH TCHS Of Baltimore | 2027 State VA , Jessica Li Jessica Li 5'8" | S/DS/L Glenelg | 2027 State VA , Haile Ma Haile Ma 5'11" | OH Wootton | 2027 State VA and Dylann Loggins Dylann Loggins 6'2" | MB Howard | 2026 State VA on the their roster, all departing for a different club but ranked in the top 50. Dakota is a quality setter that may have benefitted from these departures. She also sets for Annapolis Area Christian, leading them to an IAAM title. She sets from the back row while Brie Mouton Brie Mouton 5'7" | S Annapolis Area Christian | 2029 State VA sets from the front row.

If you are looking for a quality setter that hits her spots consistently Dakota can do all that. Her height will restrict her to setting to the back row. Her older sister Daisey was a little taller at 5’8″ but was also restricted to the back row. She earned a scholarship to Verginia State. No reason why Dakota can’t perform at that same level.

Dakota is one of a group of setters in the 2027 class that I don’t think gets nearly enough respect in the rankings. Plenty of coaches want to write of shorter players and say there isn’t a place in this evolving game. Others say rules are changed and put in place to get more money from shorter players. I like to let them play and show you if they can do the job or not. There’s more than one way to play the game, and having a hitting, blocking RS that also sets is only one of them. Dakota plays a great game, shes got good footwork, good hands, and plays solid defense. She made a move in HS and got onto a team with great opportunity and ran one of the best offenses in the entire state. She’s earned her attention, and it’s about time we gave it to her.