2023 Phenoms Updates Vol 8

We have written about all athletes on our ranking list at least once from the 2023 class and up. We are going back and giving more updates on each of the athletes on our list from the past high school season and current club season. This next installment of our series on the 2023 class has a little of everything. I tried to balance it out across the entire state. So without further ado, here are the updates of a few of the standouts from the 2023 class.     [player_tooltip player_id="87565" first="Courtney" last="O’Brien"] [2023] 5-10 Outside (HS: Cinco Ranch/Club: Houston Skyline/ Verbal: Uncommitted) Courtney is currently the 55th top ranked prospect in the 2023 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. We previously wrote about her in an article last year where we introduced her in the State Rankings. In the article we wrote, “Miss O’Brien is a six rotation left side pin hitter from the west side of the Houston/Katy Area. She is also very skilled as a right side attacker as well. It doesn’t matter where you place her, as she is deadly with her offense. She understands how to attack off of a block for a deflection and with her raw power, it is almost always a kill. She plays for a fantastic club in Houston Skyline. Her arm length is what stands out and she attacks the ball at the very peak of that reach which helps her offensive efficiency as her opponents have a hard time stopping it from scoring. She is part of the 15 Open National Champion club team at Skyline and has also been named as one of the AVCA Phenom Watch List members. We will keep her on our radar moving forward.” Last high school season at Cinco Ranch she blossomed into a team leader. Court improved in every statistical category possible from her freshman campaign. She tallied 243 kills on 780 attempts as Cinco handed her the keys to the offense. She also had 31 aces and 179 digs. She will be looking to get Cinco back on the road to stardom in the district during her junior year. We at Prep Dig will be right there watching as she becomes a star on the rise. Stay tuned to see how she writes the rest of the chapters of her high school volleyball career.     [player_tooltip player_id="99562" first="Mackenzie" last="Behl"] [2023] 5-11 Middle (HS: Buda Johnson/Club: Austin Performance/Verbal: Uncommitted) Miss Behl is currently ranked as the 81st best overall prospect in the 2023 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. In a previous article we stated the following about Mack, “She is a middle from the central Texas area who has an upper body that is built for volleyball. Her strength is in her arms/upper body as she is a very formidable blocker out of the middle position. She is an excellent attacker of the ball also. I love how she is able to score in a variety of ways from all locations on the court. The way she cocks her arm back to hit the ball is scary because it give her so much power on her attack. She is a starter on her high school varsity team and watching her raw power out of the middle is something that everyone loves to watch. This young lady has power on a quick in front of the setter, shoot set in the thirty-one position and also during her slide approach. This young lady has the potential to move up the rankings very quickly as I think she is going to be a star for her HS team for the next few years.” Mack burst onto the scene this past season as a sophomore on her high school varsity team. In her first varsity season she was able to tally 138 kills, 42 blocks and 25 aces. She is just getting started in our eyes as she is a driven hard worker who has been killing it once again this club season with her Austin Performance club team. She will be a huge part of the Johnson Varsity squad as they look to become dominant in their district. Keep you eye on her as she is primed for a great junior season.     [player_tooltip player_id="87568" first="Nia" last="Cummings"] [2023] 5-11 Middle (HS: Cedar Park/Club: Roots/Verbal: Uncommitted) Miss Cummings is currently ranked as the 93rd top prospect in the 2023 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. We previously introduced Nia in an article last year that stated the following, “This middle from the Austin area is extremely talented and is part of one of the best teams in her age group. She is a high leaper out of the middle and has such potential to breakout in the coming years. You can’t teach her wingspan and it will likely shut down opposing attackers for years to come. She gets off of the ground really well while attacking quick sets and also when blocking. Her reach and big hands are what will help her excel in the middle position as she continues to train. This young lady has such a high ceiling to grow into a great player. She plays for a great club in Roots who will no doubt have her college ready in a few years. If a coach is looking for a diamond in the rough who will develop into a great middle/right side, please give this player a look.” She had a phenomenal sophomore season in which she helped her varsity squad go 14-7 overall and 12-2 in district. She had a very small role during her freshman campaign, but rose to the occasion to be a force as a sophomore. She tallied 69 kills on 187 attempts and also racked up 48 blocks to help solidify the defense. Her Roots club team has been stellar again this club season and is showing that they are a force to be reckoned with amongst all of the great teams in the state. We are excited to see what she does this coming junior season. Stay tuned for more updates.     If you know of any other players or clubs that we need to cover, please email me at nov8vb@yahoo.com. We would also love if you can spread the word about our program here at Prep Dig Texas. 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