The 20 most underrated high school girls volleyball setters in the nation

These 20 setters have big-time production and are hoping to boost their recruiting stock this season

The craziness surrounding high school football and basketball recruiting has yet to fully seep into other sports, but recruiting rankings and star systems are becoming more commonplace in the volleyball world.

As the hype around top prospects grows, high school volleyball players who don’t get flooded with Division I offers continue to grind away.

SBLive Sports is featuring high school girls volleyball players from across the country who are rising up recruiting boards with their play on the court. To kick things off, we’ll start with the distributors.

Here are 20 setters who are boosting their recruiting stock this season.

Note: All stats are current through Sept. 20. 

Ava Ainsworth, jr., Marshfield (Oregon)

Ainsworth had 797 assists as a sophomore and received second-team all-state honors while setting for Class 4A state champion Marshfield. She also recorded 146 digs, 59 aces and 16 total blocks. 

Reagan Aponte, sr., Rudder (Texas)

Aponte, a four-year varsity standout, recorded her 3,000th high school assist earlier this season. She is averaging a career-best 9.2 assists per set as a senior to go along with 270 digs, 98 kills and 38 aces. 

Nina Atkins, jr., Sandy Creek (Georgia)

Atkins has been a valuable contributor for Class 3A power Sandy Creek since her freshman season. The setter is averaging 9.4 assists per set this fall. 

Hailey Cole, sr., Bellmont (Indiana)

Cole is having a big senior season for Bellmont, averaging 10.1 assists per set while also recording 219 digs, 86 kills, 42 total blocks and 19 aces. A multi-sport athlete, Cole will play basketball in college for Division III Trine University. 

Katelyn Eichert, sr., Lake Stevens (Washington)

Eichert dished out 917 assists as a junior, a new Lake Stevens school record. Her sister, Laura, is also a star player for Class 4A contender Lake Stevens. 

Peyton Ensign, jr., Curtis (Washington)

Ensign topped the 1,000-assist mark during her freshman and sophomore seasons for Curtis. She is averaging 10 assists per set this fall as Curtis looks to battle Lake Stevens, Puyallup and others for the Class 4A title. 

Amelia Eubanks, sr., Nelson (Oregon)

Eubanks averaged 10.2 assists per set a season ago and finished the year with 1,006. She also had 158 digs and 27 aces en route to first-team all-Mt. Hood Conference honors. 

Hannah Finn, jr., Franklin (Texas)

One of the most prolific setters in West Texas, Finn is averaging 10.3 assists per set as a junior. She also has 299 digs, 23 total blocks and 18 aces for Franklin. 

Morgan Guardado, jr., Saugus (California)

Guardado was an all-around player for Saugus as a sophomore, putting up 252 digs, 192 kills, 139 assists, 74 aces and 31 total blocks for a team that finished 35-3 overall. She has become Saugus’s main setter this fall and is averaging nine assists per set.  

Alayna Howard, jr., Royse City (Texas)

A first-team Class 6A Region II selection as a sophomore, Howard tallied 1,039 assists a season ago and averaged 9.5 per set. She has upped it to 10.3 this fall.  

Jada Knight, sr., Warren East (Kentucky)

A four-year varsity player, Knight is closing in on 3,000 career assists. She is averaging 10.2 assists per set as a senior for Warren East. 

Jess Maier, jr., Caledonia (Michigan)

Maier is having a breakthrough junior season for Caledonia with 594 assists, averaging 10.4 per set. She also has 94 digs, 30 aces and 12 total blocks. 

Gabby Marcello, sr., St. Mary’s Dominican (Louisiana)

Marcello had 1,285 assists, 268 digs and 56 aces as a junior for a St. Mary’s Dominican team that captured its third straight Division I state title. Marcello is averaging 10.5 assists per set this season. 

Allison McCoy, sr., West Lauderdale (Mississippi)

McCoy has 687 assists this season, averaging 7.7 per set. She is also shining in other areas with 178 digs, 51 aces and 16 total blocks. 

Maggie Miller, jr., Marion (Arkansas)

Miller isn’t the biggest setter at 5-foot-4, but the junior is a strong all-around player for Marion. She had 826 assists as a sophomore and is averaging 8.6 per set this year. 

Kaitlyn Moran, sr., Mount Paran Christian (Georgia)

Moran is another four-year varsity player who surpassed the 3,000 career kills mark earlier this season. She is averaging 10.3 assists per set as a senior to go along with 146 digs, 62 aces, 41 kills and 25 total blocks. 

Ella Neal, jr., Science Hill (Tennessee)

Neal had 693 assists a season ago and has already blown by that total this fall with 789 (9.9 per set). She also has 151 digs, 45 aces, 52 kills and 18 total blocks. 

Sarah O’Connor, so., Briarcrest Christian (Tennessee)

Only a sophomore, O’Connor is averaging 10.3 assists per set for Briarcrest Christian this season. She is an all-around standout who also has 122 digs, 35 aces and 32 total blocks.

Payton Rowell, sr., Pitman (California)

Rowell leads the state of California in assists per set at 11. The senior has 704 total assists, 148 digs and 47 aces this season.

Addi Vinson, jr., Montgomery Academy (Alabama)

Vinson topped the 1,000-assist mark in each of her first two seasons with Montgomery Academy, one of the top teams in Class 5A. She is averaging 10.1 assists per set this fall.

(Ava Ainsworth photo by Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports