Class of 2022 Standouts Across the State

Now we turn our attention to the Rising Juniors of the State. The talent level in the 2022 class in the State of Texas is one of the best I have seen in my 21 years of coaching volleyball. Every position is loaded and I foresee well over a hundred players in the state being on a college roster in a few years. Texas is big and has thousands of players playing the wonderful sport of volleyball. I will be covering many athletes in every class and spending hours analyzing their skills. This seems like a daunting task, but to me it is so much fun to watch. Players like the ones I am about to mention are what fuel my energy to cover the sport. Without further ado, here are a few players in the 2022 class who standout.   [player_tooltip player_id="87468" first="Ana" last="Heath"] [2022] 5-11 Setter (HS: Wylie/Club: Madfrog/Verbal: Uncommitted) Ana comes in as the number 3 ranked prospect in the State according to our class of 2022 rankings. She sets and hits for one of the most talented 16’s teams in the country, Madfrog. While most analysts/coaches want to see the big hitters, any true volleyball enthusiast will fall in love with the form/technique of Miss Heath. It’s like her hands were made just for setting a volleyball. The way the ball comes out of her hands is breathtaking. You can tell that she has spent thousands of hours in the gym with the repeatability of her location. Then when you think wow she is a pretty great setter, she rotates to the front row and they set her on serve receive. She takes a hard approach and then throttles the ball with her left hand. She has so much power on her swing. That is where the wow factor is. She can do it all. She plays amazing defense and her platform contact is so natural. She was born to play the game of volleyball. Whichever college scoops her up will be in good “hands”.   [player_tooltip player_id="87470" first="Maddie" last="Waak"] [2022] 5-10 Setter (HS: Katy/Club: Houston Skyline/Verbal: LSU) Miss Waak sets for a very talented Houston Skyline team. Her team won the Open division of USA Volleyball Nationals last year and she is huge reason why. She is one of the most decorated setters in the country by almost every volleyball publication there is. Maddie comes in ranked as the number 5 ranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. It is almost unfair to have a setter of her caliber on a sophomore team. When I say she is college ready at this time of her career, trust me she is college ready. The way the ball comes out of her hands is simply amazing. She sets a quick tempo with ease and her location is pinpoint accurate each time. There is no question why she is so decorated as a player. She makes her teammates that much better. Maddie is the real deal and if you haven’t seen her, make your way to her court when you can. LSU is getting one of the best setters in the nation with [player_tooltip player_id="87470" first="Maddie" last="Waak"]. She will be dominant for Katy High school again for the next two years.   [player_tooltip player_id="87488" first="Lexi" last="Guinn"] [2023] 6-0 Outside (HS: Frisco/Club: Dallas Skyline/Verbal: Texas A&M) Lexi is the 23rdranked prospect in the State according to our rankings. She is a very long armed pin hitter from North Texas who can hit with the best attackers in the State. She hits at a very high clip on both pins but in my opinion is almost unstoppable on the right where it seems more natural to her. She is a very talented right side for her Dallas Skyline team and she is very rarely stopped when attacking there. Her arms are long and she hits at the peak of her touch which makes it very difficult for blockers to slow her down. She is able to play on both pins which makes her pretty lethal and I’m sure that is why Texas A&M offered her. We are looking forward to covering Miss Guinn for the next few years and seeing her progress on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id="87498" first="Arden" last="Besecker"] [2022] 5-10 Outside (HS: Lake Travis/Club: Austin Skyline/Verbal: Florida State {beach}) Arden comes in as the 33rdranked prospect in the class of 2022. She is a little different from her peers as she LOVES to play sand volleyball. She stars in both as she earned 1stteam all district honors as a sophomore last year for her Lake Travis School team. She plays indoor for Austin Skyline but also plays in the sand circuit as well. She has racked up the points to be one of the best sand players in the nation and that is why nationally ranked beach program FSU wanted her. She has all of the skills necessary to compete at a high level in both sand and indoor. She has great court vision and amazing ball control in every aspect. She will do great things for FSU in a few years. We will continue to see her improve in the indoor circuit as well which will keep her skills sharp.   Stay tuned to my next highlight article of more 2022 amazing players who are ready for the big stage. We have many players that we are adding to our raking system daily, so If you know of any good prospects I should know, please send me an email at nov8vb@yahoo.com.