2021 Standouts Across the State

<p>I decided to spread myself around the state in this installment of the 2021 series.  We would still like to cover a few more athletes in the 2021 class that are so much fun to watch.  These young ladies will be off to college in a year, but we have one more season to watch them leave a great legacy on the court.  If you haven’t seen them play, you should stop by a court and you will definitely be entertained.  Here are a couple more you may not know yet.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87436" first="Kylee" last="Fitzsimmons"] [2021] 5-11 Outside (HS: Lovejoy/Club: Madfrog/ Verbal: Arizona {Beach})</strong></p> <p>Kylee is one of the recent indoor players to make the transition to the outdoor circuit.  She has committed to playing beach at Arizona University.  It takes a special player to transition to the beach game from the indoor game. They are two totally different beasts. Kylee has shown some very impressive ball control skills both in attacking and in the back row that will translate very well to the collegiate beach scene.  She has done very well during last year’s Texas Beach Volleyball Tour and earned a lot of points to be ranked very high in the standings. Watching her during indoor, you can see that her ability to dig hard driven balls in middle back with such ease will help her against the great competition that the college game will put her up against.  She has the soft touch on her digs that is necessary on the sand.  The one aspect that stands out in the backrow is her ability to change direction with the snap of a finger during out of system or with balls that are deflected by others.  She has great dexterity and will absolutely excel in the sand. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87439" first="Julia" last="Lopez"] [2021] 5-5 Libero (HS: Churchill/Club: SA Magic/Verbal: UNLV)</strong></p> <p>Julia is a sight to see. Every now and then you find a libero who has no regard for the personal safety and will break ribs and lose limbs just to get a touch on the ball and try to keep it in play.  Julia is the epitome of this type of player.  She never gives up on a play and will chase a ball down and fly into her own bench or a crowd to save a ball.  Her high school and club teammates love her for this and the crowd is thoroughly entertained by it.  This is the type of player that every coach loves to have on a court.  Inside your head you will know that your team always has a chance to be in the play with a libero like this.  She is committed to UNLV and will start almost immediately.  A player with this kind of heart and hustle will not be denied. She covers every hit so well and picks up so many stuff blocks before they hit the floor.  Setter dumps are not an issue when she is on the court.  This kid is so much fun to watch and you find yourself always rooting for her.  I expect big things from her during her senior season both in school and club. We will be watching closely. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87442" first="Tiana" last="Davis"] [2021] 5-10 Outside/Right Side (HS: Ridge Point/Club: Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas/Verbal: University of Texas at San Antonio)</strong></p> <p>Tiana can FLY.  She is part of the famed 10 foot club meaning she can approach touch ten feet in the air.  Technically she touches 10’2”.  Blessed with fantastic quick footwork and explosive fast twitch muscles, she uses that to shut opponents down on the block.  She times well and presses over the net in textbook fashion.  Her hang time allows her to scan the court and change up her shot at a moments notice.  This definitely keeps her hitting efficiency very high.  She is just an explosive kid all the way around and is also so much fun to watch.  While she might not be the prototypical size for a right side, don’t sleep on her because she will surprise you.  This is why UTSA scooped her up and they absolutely know what they are getting. She will help their program and will only get better and more explosive with a great strength and conditioning program at the collegiate level.  We are excited to watch her during her senior season at  Ridge Point.   </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There are many more amazing 2021 players to be aware of.  Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.  If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com.  Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.  Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.  Thanks for following Texas Family!</p>