High School Showcase – Prosper Eagles 5-6A

Over the next few months I will be rolling out some articles that will recognize teams who have been playing exceptionally well this volleyball season. I will still be doing our regular highlight articles on multiple athletes for exposure, however I wanted to do some special articles on a few teams that we are getting to know quite well with Prep Dig TX. We would like to preview the Prosper Eagle Volleyball Team and their hot start to the season.   Prosper High School is located in the north Texas area and has grown from a population of around 9,000 people in 2010 to around 24,000 now. They have reached the Regional Semifinals in each of the last three years. They last won the State Championship in 2017. This year they are loaded with senior talent and have been a wrecking ball in the first half of the season. They are currently ranked as the 16thbest 6A team in the state according to the TGCA polls. They sit at 11-2 overall and 9-1 in district so far. They have had some dog fights with big guns Boyd and Guyer in the same district. They are just coming off of a big five set thrilling win against Allen. And earlier in the week they lost another five set thriller against Guyer. We expect to see them make a deep run in the playoffs again this year, especially after the grueling district schedule that should make them battle tested. Senior leadership like the players we are about to mention is something that is an integral part of championship caliber teams. We have written about these players before but here is a refresher on who they have on their team:   [player_tooltip player_id="87408" first="Samantha" last="Jacobs"] [2021] 6-0 Outside (HS: Prosper/Club: Dallas Skyline/Verbal: Alabama) Samantha is currently ranked as the 20th best prospect in the 2021 class according to our State Rankings. I previously wrote about Sam in the article titled Dominant Dallas Area Attackers. “Having a 29 inch vertical, this young lady can soar and score and will. She has been gifted with a golden arm that she will take to the University of Alabama in a few years and will definitely help the Tide Roll. She is one of many on the star studded Prosper High School volleyball team that has one state championship and two other deep runs at State. I think they are due for one more historic run this coming season. Keep your eyes on Miss Jacobs and her crew as they look to continue their dominance on the court in high school for her senior season. As for club, in 2019 her amazing Skyline team medaled in the Open division of USA Nationals. She is a very talented player who is a “go-to” player in crunch time for any team she plays for. When your team needs a kill, Sam is the one who wants the ball and every coach will give her the Green Light to swing away. You will see her and her Prosper High School team in the State playoffs this year.” Nothing has changed here except for more experience.   [player_tooltip player_id="87424" first="Nikki" last="Steinheiser"] [2021] 6-0 Outside (HS: Prosper/Club: Dallas Skyline/Verbal: Boston College) Nikki is currently ranked as the 36thbest player in the 2021 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. In a previous article, I wrote, “She plays the game the way it was supposed to be played. HARD. There is not a skill that she doesn’t possess. She is a formidable blocker at the net, she can pass nails in serve receive, she can dig hard driven balls at will, and hustles all over the court. Oh yeah, she can attack with the best in the country too. This young lady is no stranger to accolades. As a youngster she was named to the USAV Open division’s all tournament team. She is verbally committed to Boston College and will dominate at the collegiate level once she gets there. I like her approach as it looks as if she is punishing the ground with her feet. She jumps hard and utilizes her core very well to add power into her swing. She is definitely someone I will use to teach how hard of an approach a young player should take. We are looking forward to covering her senior season at Prosper.” This young lady is steadily bringing the heat for Prosper on the left side. Watching her play makes me want to jump on the court…that is how infectious it is. She just loves the game of volleyball and it shows through her play.   Bailey Birmingham [2021] 5-11 Right Side (HS: Prosper/Club: Dallas Skyline/Verbal: Tulsa) Bailey is currently unranked but that will change once I update the rankings next month. She is an extreme high flier on the right side and is also a shut down blocker against opposing outsides. This super fast lefty is very difficult to slow down on offensively. Not many players are quick enough to time her back one attacks on the right side. She covers so much ground so quickly and loves to use that speed as she takes a very deep touch point while in transition. She is committed to Tulsa University and will be a game changer for them. There is no doubt that she will be an immediate impact player for their program. This season she has been on fire and is a joy to watch on the court. Get your popcorn and watch the show just as we are.   [player_tooltip player_id="87554" first="Ella" last="Chaney"] [2023] 6-1 Middle (HS: Prosper/Club: Dallas Skyline/ Verbal: Uncommitted) Ella is the 32nd ranked prospect in the 2023 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. In a previous article we stated, “She has a lot of potential to be a fantastic middle for the foreseeable future. She will undoubtedly keep growing and has a great frame for the position. She has a very strong lower and upper body. Ella has a great reach, which helps her pound overpasses to her opponents with ease. Dallas Skyline uses her to run all tempos and locations along the net, which will help her blossom into a fantastic player for them. She plays for one of the best high school programs around right now in Prosper high school. She is able to run 31s, slides, and of course 51 quick sets. We ranked her this high due to her versatility. She also plays some right side for them and is able to hit high tempos on the pin as well. Take note of her name now as she will make some waves in the future. We are looking forward to watching her grow her game.” Ella is getting some great experience from these senior leaders that she is studying under. After this season, the team will be hers. But for now she is playing like a veteran as they run through district foes. We are expecting some great things from this great middle in the future.   We will continue to cover the Lady Eagles as they dominate their district on the way to another deep run in the state playoffs. If their district battles they have been in so far, doesn’t show that they are ready for this year’s state tourney, nothing will. We cannot wait to see what else they can do on the court. They have a great coach in Erin Kauffman and she will have them ready with a good game-plan. It has to be said that one of the real reasons why this team has so much chemistry is due to the fact that these seniors have been playing club together all year round for a long time at their Skyline club program. That kind of continuity only comes from time spent together.   We will be publishing more articles weekly to give recognition to those teams and athletes who are playing great in their matches. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone that you think deserves to be recognized as a player of the week, feel free to send me a message with their information. Or if you have anyone that you think have what it takes to be added to our database, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. As always, thanks for following our publication.