Class of 2022 All-State Nominees – Middles – Vol 2
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The 2021 High School season has been amazing so far! Along with our readers, we have been on pins and needles watching teams battle all season long. There have been some amazing tournaments and great district battles. We have been…
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Continue ReadingThe 2021 High School season has been amazing so far! Along with our readers, we have been on pins and needles watching teams battle all season long. There have been some amazing tournaments and great district battles. We have been talking to coaches, reading tons of stats, and getting lots of video submissions from parents and players regarding how everyone has fared over the course of the season. As we are funneling into the end of district play and about to head into the playoffs, we will be discussing some players who are being nominated for our inaugural Prep Dig Texas All-State Awards. Our end-of-season awards are going to be different because we are going to consider all divisions/conferences/classes together and pick the best of the best. The middles we will be discussing have been tearing it up and proving themselves all season long with some amazing statistics. Let’s meet some of the nominees:
Alexis Roberson Alexis Roberson 6'4" | MB Ridge Point | 2022 State #163 Nation TX [2022] 6-3 Middle (HS: Ridge Point/Club: Houston Juniors/Verbal: LSU)
Alexis is currently the 15th ranked prospect according to the Prep Dig State Rankings list. We wrote an article on her earlier in the spring and here is a little from it, “As an absolute force in the middle for her very talented Houston Juniors squad, College coaches should definitely take notice of this young lady. She reaches very well to score on quick attacks. Driving her legs into every attack, she unloads a very healthy swing that scores at a great clip. Her club coach Tara Cross-Battle runs her on a variety of sets that include a very potent slide. Her size alone is something to marvel at, but don’t let it fool you. She is exceptionally quick on her feet and this helps her close out on the pin blocks very well. We are happy to report that she has just recently committed to Louisiana State University. There is not a doubt in my mind that Alexis will be a force that will make an immediate impact on their program. Fran is getting a fantastic young player to keep their winning tradition alive in the SEC.” We have watched as Miss Roberson has been a monster defensive stud out of the middle. She has stifled opponents with 131 total blocks and 112 of those coming as solo blocks. Alexis also has 278 kills on the season to help her Ridge Point team stay dominant. They went 14-0 in district and are looking at a solid run in the playoffs as they are set to battle in the Regional Quarter Finals this week. Please congratulate her on achieving the honor of an All-State award nomination.
Kyra Gaston [2022] 5-10 Middle (HS: Copperas Cove/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Kyra is currently an unranked prospect in the 2022 class in the State of Texas., but that will change as soon as we update the rankings. This young lady has played lights out during her senior season at Copperas Cove. She has 414 kills on a very impressive .349 hitting percentage out of the middle position. Miss Gaston also has 277 blocks with 199 of them coming as solo blocks. She also has 42 aces on the season. She is super explosive on the court in every aspect of the game. She led her varsity squad to a 28-19 overall record and a 10-4 district record. The two-sport athlete also stars in basketball as well. CCHS is smart as they utilize Miss Gaston all over the court offensively. She runs quick attacks out of the middle and also run both second tempo and high tempo routes from the pin areas. College coaches should definitely give this kid a solid look as she can give some much needed firepower to a next level roster. Please congratulate her on being named a candidate for our All-Star awards.
Jordan Gamble Jordan Gamble 6'2" | MB Katy | 2022 State TX [2022] 6-2 Middle (HS: Katy/Club: Houston Skyline/Verbal: Northwestern State)
Jordan is currently ranked as the 37th best overall prospect and the 9th top middle for the 2022 class in the state of Texas according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. In our previous article we wrote the following, “The Katy High School middle is a force to be reckoned with. Standing at six foot two, she is a gamer. She excels at all levels and tempos regularly hitting a high tempo out of serve receive on the left and she scores at will there. She runs all quick tempos out of the middles as well and she does a great job with the timing. She hits with a lot of power right out of the setter’s hands. She is a true prototypical middle for a college program. I’m excited to cover her for the next couple of years. She has a bright future ahead of her. “ Jordan did not disappoint this past high school season as she helped her varsity Katy team to a wonderful 19-4 overall record and a 10-2 district record. In only two years on varsity, she has amassed 474 kills, hit a whopping .324 hitting percentage, and had 181 blocks. She is a true stopper at the net and takes up so much space against her opponents. She will truly help a college program in the future if someone takes notice now. She also plays for Skyline and they are one of the top teams in their age group. We have been following them closely and Jordan is doing great. We are watching her growth on the court and couldn’t be more proud of her. Stay tuned to see what she does next. We definitely stayed tuned and were able to watch her team in person in the Open Division of USA Junior Nationals in Vegas this summer. She did not disappoint as we watched her amazing blocking abilities. One of the best aspects is how she patrols the net and even if she doesn’t get the block, she is able to scare the opposing attacker into hitting around her. We as coaches call this funneling the attack exactly where we are setting up our digger in the back row. Her transition game is one aspect that we know attracted NCAA division one college Northwestern State to come calling for her, as she is able to stop on a dime and drive hard toward her setter. She recently committed to their program and will be a great asset to their squad next year. In the meantime, her Katy team has a solid chance to be a contender this season and we will be watching closely. Please congratulate her on achieving her dream of playing at the next level.” We have watched closely and Jordan has been stellar yet again. What is super impressive is her hitting percentage this year. So far she is hitting at a .410 clip which is one of the best percentages amongst all seniors across the entire state. Miss Gamble also has 317 kills, 108 blocks and 32 aces on the year. Her Katy team is rolling in the playoffs and she is a big reason why. They have just reached the Regional Quarter Finals and will battle this week. Please congratulate her on being named as a candidate for All-State consideration.
There are many more amazing players that will be nominated. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes to see who ends up with a chance at one of the prestigious awards. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Texas Family!