Top Liberos Across Texas Volume 3

Defense is the key to winning volleyball. If you can’t stop the other team from scoring, it is impossible to win. In this series of articles we have been highlighting Liberos who stand out. There are tons of them across the state that have put in so much time and effort into their craft. The position itself has so many small nuances that most people don’t know about. Most spectators just see the ball not hit the floor and think it is fun to watch. So much more goes into the actual play from every position and the Libero position is no exception.   Liberos must be a master at two different spots on the court depending on what their team’s defense needs. Middle back and left back both have their issues to deal with. In left back, you have to worry about being the teams primary defender against all off-speed tips, roll shots, setter dumps, overpasses, hard angle shots, line shots, being the second setter if the setter digs the first ball…I could go on and on. That is just left back. You have middle back, serving, rules about where to substitute, rules about hitting from the back row, rules about where you can hand-set hitters. I’m exhausted writing about all of the nuances. Can you imagine actually playing the position and playing it well to try to get some college exposure? The amount of training that goes into playing this position should be commended. Most accolades always go to hitters but as a coach at heart for the past twenty years, Liberos will always have my respect. Here are a few for Volume 3 of top Liberos across the wonderful state of Texas.   [player_tooltip player_id="87417" first="Brooke" last="Hirsch"] [2021] 5-7 Libero (HS: Cinco Ranch/Club: Houston Juniors/Verbal: University of Texas at San Antonio) Brooke comes in ranked as our 29th best prospect in the state according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is verbally committed to the UTSA Road Runner program. She is a stud in the back row for her high school and club programs. What stands out when you watch her play is her complete disregard for her body as she lays out for every single touch of the ball. I’m sure she stopped counting the number of bruises a long time ago. She’s one of the most tenacious defenders in the class. Very little falls near her zone. Everyone might see the end result of her on the ground and the ball in the air, but very few will actually see what she does so well. Her ability to read and then her ability to react so quickly has made her flourish in this position. She is so much fun to watch and if you haven’t seen her play, I suggest you go by her court if you can. You won’t be disappointed.   [player_tooltip player_id="87403" first="Lauren" last="Briseno"] [2021] 5-6 Libero (HS: Cornerstone Christian/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Baylor) Lauren comes in as the 15th ranked prospect in her 2021 class according to our State Rankings. Her main weapon is her consistent serve receive. She passes nails for her great Alamo club program. The way she holds her form after contact is amazing but what truly stands out to me is her upper body posture and controlled balance with her base (footwork). Her shoulders stay forward from before the serve until after contact. This is a big reason that she will help her Baylor volleyball team stay one of the best in the country for years to come. Her touch on the ball defensively has to be commended. Hard driven balls just seem to rebound so naturally off of her soft platform. You see her body control in the way she serves, the way she moves on the court before the attack, and of course, on contact of the ball. All young players should study the way she moves. Very excited to cover her for the next few years.   Ava Terry [2022] 5-6 Libero (HS: Grand Oaks/Club: TAV Houston/Verbal: Uncommitted) Ava plays the game the way a Libero should. She is always watching her opponent and keeps her feet balanced and spaced very well. She transitions very well to her adjusted defensive spot and is eager for the attack to come her way. She’s very quick to react to any offensive threat. I think she has a good future in the sport. What truly makes her stand out to me while I watch her play is her extremely soft touch on hard driven balls. She does it so effortlessly. With her soft touch, she always has such a great angle to rebound the ball to her setter. She has the speed and agility to play the position at the next level. Under the expert tutelage of a great high school coach in Morgan Rogers and a great club director Joe Lind, she will get the training necessary to do so. We are looking forward to covering her as the years progress.   Izzy Denton [2022] 5-3 Libero (HS: Katy/Club: Texas Tornados/ Verbal: Uncommitted) Izzy plays at a powerhouse volleyball school, Katy. She is constantly moving herself in serve receive prior to the contact to put herself in the best position to pass the serve. Reading the server prior to contact is a skill that not very many young players possess. It is very refreshing to watch a player do this on a consistent basis. This shows that Izzy has a very high volleyball IQ at a young age. I like the way she holds her platform out away from her body. This is going to translate very well to the college and higher level game as it will allow her to cushion the contact well. She shows a lot of promise with her defensive ability by having a strong solid base. She shows a relentless pursuit of the ball when her team is out of system. At only five foot three she covers so much ground. I love watching small players exceed expectations like this. Players like Izzy are why I love to coach. They never give up and they have a heart of a champion.   Here were just a few Liberos we wanted to mention. Stay tuned for our next volume of awesome defenders in all classes because the State has quite a few. If you have any other defensive dynamos we should be covering, please feel free to drop me a note with their information at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us. I love hearing from our readers. Also do not hesitate to help us grow the recruiting game and share our stories with everyone. It will only help these wonderful athletes we cover.