Season in Review – UIL 2A: The Elite Scorers
The high school volleyball season in Texas ended just a couple of months ago and if you followed PrepDig.com’s coverage, you certainly didn’t miss anything that happened when the best teams of the Lone Star state clashed in their State…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season in Texas ended just a couple of months ago and if you followed PrepDig.com’s coverage, you certainly didn’t miss anything that happened when the best teams of the Lone Star state clashed in their State Championships in Garland.
The champions have all been deservedly recognized, so now we’ll take some time to highlight the most intriguing prospects that stood out during the season with consistent and efficient play for their high schools.
During the next few days, we’ll analyze the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 2A Division, which saw Iola lift the State Championship trophy. In our first article, we’ll present three players who were prolific scorers during the season.
Cadence Hoyle – Outside Hitter – Iola – 2021
Cadence Hoyle was the main name of Iola’s team that took home the State Championship title and a big part of her role with the Bulldogs revolved around her scoring ability. At 5’8”, Hoyle is not the tallest hitter out there, but man, she can jump. Add to it a heavy arm and a mind that seems programmed to make the right decision every single time and you got a lethal scorer right there. That’s Hoyle, who topped all scorers in the State Championship Final with 26 kills to be awarded as the Championship match MVP and be included at the All-Tournament team. The outside hitter was also the Player of the Year and an All-State first team member according to the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA).
Katie Warden – Outside Hitter – Crawford – 2022
Katie Warden’s scoring ability was an instrumental piece in Crawford’s State Championship final run in 2020. It’s hard to imagine the Lady Pirates would have gotten as far without the 511 kills their 5’10” outside hitter tallied during the season. Warden is not only a technical and powerful hitter, but she also has the ability to score from anywhere in the court, a skill that helped her producing 18 kills at the net during the State Championship final. She also had her best serving season so far with 51 aces, many of them due to her lethal top spin serve. Such a solid game took her to both the All-Tournament team and the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State first team.
Dropping the hammer!!! @TexasTechVB @BaylorVBall @MizzouVB @lsuvolleyball @GatorsVB @ClemsonVB @TarletonVB @AggieVolleyball @RiceVolleyball @OU_Volleyball @TexasLonghorns pic.twitter.com/h7HKdOpIwx
— Katie Warden (@KatieWarden06) September 13, 2020
Erica Otto – Opposite – Schulenburg – 2021
Erica Otto’s natural tendency to succeed in sports is undeniable. Besides being Schulenburg’s top player in her last year of high school volleyball, she also starred in the school’s basketball and tennis side. A 5’9”, lefty and physical player, she found the perfect spot for her at the opposite position and thrived there last season with as many as 440 kills registered for the Shorthorns. Her offensive game has a lot of power, but also a high level of speed and dynamism, making it hard for opponents to anticipate her moves at the net. A very efficient player, Otto made it to the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State second team in 2020.