Despite Roncalli’s run to winning the last TWO state championships, moving up to 4A this fall required an upgrade at the setting position. Insert Emilie, who is a plug-and-play setter that can run the show with a faster-than-average offensive mindset. The Center Grove transfer should solidify the offense after graduating a ton of swings, and to compete in 4A for her final two years, Miss Zapp is going to have to shoulder the load (and high expectations) that Roncalli carries on a day-in day-out basis.

From the same high school as Ava above, Emilie is a different setter altogether. Taller and smoother, Miss Zapp travels over two hours one-way to club practice, finding training in the Fort Wayne area. Long strides to the ball solidify Emilie’s base when setting, and her hands are soft and accurate. I liked her location at our showcase a couple of weeks ago, and she did well in multiple different groups of hitters throughout our evaluation.

Traveling all the way to Fort Wayne to play her club ball (about two hours one-way), Emilie is a nice-sized setter that can go get bad passes as well as she can take up space on the block. At current, she’s developing her back set, but anything in front of her has good tempo and good location. Her hands are also soft enough that control won’t be an issue, but I’d like to see her hands a little more on top of her head when setting. Her upper body is quite strong, which makes her setting more from the shoulders than her hands. Not a problem, though, her consistency is what got our attention.