We were going to include Natalie Hobson Natalie Hobson 5'9" | S Bishop O'Connell | 2028 State VA in last week’s article when discussing setter milestones but the coach wanted to keep things quiet until she achieved 1,000 assists. She did that against Ireton in the third set of a sweep on Monday of this week. Ironically, the player who put the ball away was Macie Murray Macie Murray 5'11" | OH Bishop O'Connell | 2027 State VA , who achieved her own 1,000 kills mark a couple weeks ago for the Knights.

Natalie is the top ranked setter in the class of 2028 ranked at number 18 in the DMV. Fifteen of the 18 players ranked higher than her have already committed to top level Division I volleyball programs.

Natalie shares the setting duties with Carolyn Maria Carolyn Maria 6'1" | S/RS Bishop O'Connell | 2029 State VA . Together the two have set the O’Connell Knights to a number one Prep Dig Ranking of all high schools in the DMV area and number 62 nationally as ranked by MaxPreps.

The last setter to reach 1,000 assists for the Knights is Erin Debiec, who now sets for Colorado State, leading them atop the PAC 12. She is now more than halfway to achieving 1,000 assists in her college career. Erin finished her high school career ranked number 2 in the class of 2024.

Natalie was voted to the All Tournament team at the Fredericksburg Christian tournament. A very under appreciated player who stands 5’9″ but when standing next to her 6’0″ or taller teammates she appears shorter. She is the player who keeps the team loose, performing pushups when a server deals an ace. She also can serve an ace with a tough line drive serve. She allows others to do the push ups when she scores an ace.

Metro 16 picked her up last year to set for them. After going against higher levels of competition her setting has vastly improved. Last year, during the playoffs when Carolyn Maria Carolyn Maria 6'1" | S/RS Bishop O'Connell | 2029 State VA was injured she set a 5/1. She has a 9’5″ approach jump which allows her to put up a good block. If playing for another school she could set a 5/1.

An excellent team player. She is one of the first players to grab a pole to set up the nets.

When she first told me she was going to play for Metro I assumed it was for the National team. When I first watched Metro travel play there she was, setting for Metro travel. Details! Details!

For the most part they appear to consist of the same players they carried last year, with the exception of Natalie as a setter. In their first qualifier they earned an Open bid. They could not do that all of last year.

As a coach you love having more givers on your team. The more givers the greater the quality of your team. Natalie is without a doubt a giver, always willing to help set up the net or any other task you might need down. Her personality also appears to make her one of the more well liked players on the team. A good trait to have when you are a setter.

Natalie moved up in the rankings from 28 to 22 making her the top ranked setter in the class of 2028.