Season in Review – UIL 2A: The Special Defenders
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. Defense wins championships and now it’s time we honor some of the most brilliant defenders in the league.
Brooke Smithey – Libero – Iola – 2021
Iola’s 2020 team was great top to bottom, but Bulldogs’ defensive system deserves a special nod here. With Brookey Smithey at the lead, the team was one of the hardest to score at in the entire state and that wouldn’t be the case without the diminutive 5’1” libero. Very consistent and vocal, Smithey was always there when her team most needed her and that was also the case at the State Championship final, when she registered 16 digs. Smithey ended her high school volleyball career as part of the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State first team.
Addi Goldenberg – Libero – Crawford – 2023
If someone got to outshine Smithey in last year’s State Championship final from a defensive standpoint, it was certainly Addi Goldenberg. Playing across the net, the Crawford libero was on fire and swept the backcourt with impressive 35 digs. That was Goldenberg’s best match in the season, but the second-year prospect has a number of other great ones, which helped her ending the season with 513 digs, to an average of 4.3 per set. She’s also a very good passer, having led the Lady Pirates’ efforts in that area with 500 successful actions.
Julie Guentert – Libero – Schulenburg – 2021
Julie Guentert was a reassuring presence for a Schulenburg team that had a solid 2020 season. The senior libero was as reliable as it gets for the Shorthorns and led the team’s defensive efforts masterfully, tallying as many as 620 digs, going over the 600-line for the third time in her high school volleyball career. Also a basketball and softball student-athlete for Schulenburg, Guentert was nominated to the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State second team.