Class of 2022 All-State Nominees – Right Sides - Vol 1

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 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 Right Sides 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:   [player_tooltip player_id="99504" first="Ava" last="Roberts"] [2022] 6-0 Right Side/Middle (HS: Mansfield/Club: Dallas Skyline/ Verbal: Dartmouth College) Ava is currently ranked as the 28th top overall prospect and the 5th best right side in the wonderful State of Texas according to our State Rankings. We have written about Miss Roberts quite a few times and here is a refresher about what we have written, “She is versatile enough to hit quick sets and high tempo on the pins. She is gifted with a super strong frame that is built for the college game. She will transition very well to the workouts at the next level. She can jump extremely well and rises up with the best of them. What truly stands out is her power on her attack. Her upper body is so strong that the ball comes off of her hand contact so quickly. When she presses on the block, there is no hitter who can break that seal. This is a great weapon for a team to have. She has played against some of the best teams in the nation and she still shines. She sometimes steps inside and runs a slide in transition and also runs quicks from the right.She is only a Junior but she is a Stud for Mansfield High School. This young lady has power for days and plays with so much passion. I love to watch her celebrate a kill or a block with her teammates. It is so infectious. She is a blocking machine on the right side and middle. Once college coaches see how she can play at all three positions at the net, they will fall in love with that athleticism. This past high school season Ava was able to accumulate 247 kills mostly on the right pin, she hit a .290 hitting percentage, had 50 blocks, 84 digs, and 22 aces. She was a dominating force that helped her Mansfield team to a 21-3 overall record and an unblemished 14-0 district record. Her play also earned her 11-6A Co-Hitter of the Year So far in the club season she has helped her TAV 17 Black squad to winning the President’s Day Invitational Championship, and going undefeated in the Tour Stop for pre-qualified teams. Coaches this kid needs to be offered now! Don’t miss out on the talent. We will keep watching as she continues to wow the crowd around her court this club season. It didn’t take long as we are proud to announce that she has recently made her college choice and will be taking her talents to star on the court for Ivy League member Dartmouth College. She will be a STUD for them and will wow them like she continues to wow us. We loved watching her in person and she was worth the price of admission. The power and the athleticism from Ava is all from the hard work that she has put in both inside and outside the court. We will be watching her senior season closely to see even more fireworks.” And boy were there fireworks. She helped Mansfield to a wonderful 35-16 overall record and an impressive undefeated 14-0 district record. She recorded 650 kills which is the most kills amongst all right side attackers in the 2022 class. Ava also had a .302 hitting percentage, 436 digs, 69 blocks, and 53 aces. Her awesome play just culminated in her earning the district 11-6A Most Valuable Player award. We are proud to announce her as nominated for an All-State award with our publication. Please help us congratulate her on the achievement.   [player_tooltip player_id="99511" first="Kaila" last="Garnett"] [2022] 5-10 Right Side/Outside (HS: Plano West/Club: Attack/Verbal: Uncommitted) Miss Garnett is currently ranked as the 82nd best overall prospect in the 2022 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. We wrote an article previously last spring and here is a little what we wrote, “She has burst onto the scene quickly and has caught my eye. This powerful lefty is so smooth when she attacks. She might not be the prototypical height for a right side, but she makes up for that with her vertical. She can rise up easily and challenges all attacks. She is blessed with a left arm that is golden. I talk about power a lot but this one is the real deal. But the one aspect that makes me keep watching her film is her silky smooth and very deceptive off-speed game. When you are constantly banging away and then add in a soft roll shot, it is almost unstoppable. She uses both power and finesse so well against her opponents. She hits very well for her club team out of serve receive on both pins and scores at will. If there is a small school looking for a six rotation pin hitter and needs a point scorer, look no further than Miss Garnett. We were following her Plano West squad closely and she helped them to a great season with a record of 19-4 overall and a district record of 12-2. This year she stepped it up and had 165 kills, while hitting an amazing .291 hitting percentage. She also had 23 blocks to go along with the awesome attacking. She helped lead them to the UIL State playoffs and they barely lost a tough five setter to Guyer. She is now in her club season with Attack Volleyball out of Lewisville. She has just the right power, finesse and hang time to continue to be a force at the net for any team. We truly believe that coaches should give her a look now. You will not be disappointed in her capabilities.” We have watched her this season and she has helped her varsity squad to a very impressive 31-8 overall record and also a district record of 12-2. Kaila also had 321 kills and one of the most efficient hitting percentages in the state at .344. She also had 61 blocks on the year. Her production in her position has earned her the right to be nominated for an All-State award. Please help us congratulate her.   [player_tooltip player_id="87514" first="Samantha" last="Wunsch"] [2022] 6-1 Right Side (HS: Vandergrift/Club: Roots/Verbal: Texas State) Samantha is currently ranked as the 33rd best overall prospect in our State Rankings for the 2022 class. We wrote a highlight article on her last May and here is a little from the article, “She is part of the famed ten foot club as a sophomore and that is something in itself. This means that her approach touch is at or over ten feet in height. This tall left handed setter/attacker is a prototypical opposite side player. She is a very active blocker who stays with her hitter very well in her zone. She is always watching the other side and tries to anticipate where the set will go. I really like her transition footwork as she is pretty fast for her size and is always ready to attack. She is able to hit both line and angle very well and scores at a high rate. She is definitely someone to take note of if you need a lengthy right side player. Her blocking at the net is superb as she really uses her core to make sure that her upper body seals the net well. We are extremely proud to announce that she has just committed to play volleyball at the next level. She won’t have to travel very far as she has chosen to stay close to home and play at Texas State University. They are getting a great one in Sam. This past year on Varsity at Vandergrift she helped them to a 14-6 overall record and an 11-3 district record. Last season, the lengthy right side had 201 kills with a hitting percentage of .279 and added 54 blocks and 14 digs. We are very happy for her and will be watching her senior season.” We watched her this season and she has done amazing. She has recorded the second most kills amongst all senior right sides in the state. Those 497 kills came on an impressive .335 hitting percentage. She also had 75 blocks and 77 digs on the year. Her stats helped her squad to a 39-10 overall record and a district record of 13-1. We are proud to announce that she has earned a nomination for an All-State award due to her play on the court this season. 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!