Lone Star Regional Champ: Teams to Watch – Asics Willowbrook Gold

<p>Several of the best 18’s club teams from Texas will head to the Houston area this weekend to compete at the Lone Star Regional Championship, which will take place at the FAST Complex and the Houston Skyline Volleyball facilities.</p> <p>Between Saturday and Sunday, 55 teams of the entire state will compete in the tournament, bringing some high-level volleyball to the area and there are some teams and players that are definitely worth a closer look.</p> <p><strong>Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold</strong></p> <p>The Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold team has had a good start of the season in 2021 with 12 victories in 21 matches and a victory at last week’s Houston Shootout #2. These results have propelled head coach Gabriela Carbone’s team to the sixth spot at the regional ranking and to the 168^th position nationally according to AES rankings.</p> <p>Here are some of their key players:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118707" first="Camy" last="Kling"] – Setter – HS: Klein – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="118707" first="Camy" last="Kling"] is a versatile setter who’s able to bring a lot to the table. On the offensive side of things, she has great ball distribution and above-average consistency, repeatedly setting the ball at the exact same spot. Kling, who surpassed the 1,000-assist mark during her high school career at Klein, is also very aggressive, scoring quite a few points on her own, either from the service line or at the next. One skill in which she’s absolute elite level is defense. Not only the 5’11” Kling has a great reading of the game and superior positioning and she’s also very capable of keeping the ball up in the air. The sum of those skills secured her a D1 career at the collegiate level with the University of North Alabama. Kling ranks 67^th at the 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10174919/5d93d181176d0613f44ff7e1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118713" first="Logan" last="LeRoux"] – Setter/Right Sider – HS: Memorial – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="118713" first="Logan" last="LeRoux"] is another player who brings versatility and power for Willowbrook’s right side of the court. At 6’1”, she’s a force to reckon at the net but also has the talent and the mindset to play as a setter, a role in which she excelled during her high school career, leaving Memorial with north of 2,000 assists after her four years there. When she’s asked to hit, LeRoux isn’t shy about unleashing her heavy right arm and combines power with smart plays every once in a while, a strategy that efficiently keeps blockers and defenders guessing. Prospects her size, such quality and a high level of versatility don’t go unnoticed and that certainly wasn’t the case with LeRoux, who will play for Texas State at the collegiate level after ranking 101^st on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11182236/5e4cb5e019a5701448ad27a5" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Makayla Villarreal – Libero/Defensive Specialist – HS: Tomball - 2021</strong></p> <p>Makayla Villarreal’s main asset as a defensive player might be her consistency. She’s one of those players coaches always know they’re going to get and in her case are steady production and full commitment and dedication to helping her team. Those are two nice things to have from a player in such a central position as a libero and that’s why Villarreal has been so important for her club and high school teams over the years – she registered a four-digit production in both digs and passes for Tomball during the last two seasons. That level of reliability will be really important at the next stage of her career as she’s ready to join Arkansas State in the summer.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/05luG43TYH4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>