Playoff Match to Watch: Highland Park vs Hallsville

<p>It’s time! The high school volleyball season enters a pivotal moment in the state of Texas with the playoffs going at full pace and the State Championship quickly approaching and us, at Prep Dig, will be following all the action just like you.</p> <p>After nearly three months of regular season, only the best teams of each district remain in contention and from now on, there’s no more room for errors as a setback will mean the end of the season and, for the many seniors, spread across the Lone Star state, the ending point of their high school careers.</p> <p>This week started with the bi-district matches and now it’s time for the area matchups. As we’ve done the entire season, we’ll use this space to recommend a match to watch every day of action.</p> <p>Our suggestion is the Dallas-area for Thursday, November 4, is meeting the Highland Park Scots and the Hallsville Bobcats:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Highland Park vs Hallsville</strong></p> <p>This meeting will reunite two of the most solid teams from the Region II of the Class 5A. The Highland Park Scots have dropped just six of the 43 matches they played in the season and were perfect in league play, winning all their 14 matches on District 13. They fell to V.R. Eaton in their warm up match, but bounced back in straight sets against Clerburn in the bi-district. The Hallsville Bobcats had a more dramatic qualification, needing all five sets to prevail over Whitehouse in their first playoff match. The team ranked third in District 15 with nine win and three losses and has a 24-11 win record so far in the season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Highland Park</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="151759" first="Emily" last="Hellmuth"] – Outside Hitter/Opposite – Club: Dallas Skyline – 2022</strong></p> <p>A long, athletic and very technical outside hitter, [player_tooltip player_id="151759" first="Emily" last="Hellmuth"] has the entire package to succeed in the position. Standing at 6’3”, she has a clear advantage at the net but her ball control also makes of her a really impactful player on the backcourt. Ranked 55^th our on 2022 Prep Dig State Rankings, she’s going to Pepperdine University next summer. Hellmuth is making sure her final season of high school volleyball is a remarkable one as her production for the Scots is currently at 455 kills, 68 blocks, 221 digs and 435 passes.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11318674/618216f2d2251304c86ee6a0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141131" first="Cecily" last="Gooch"] – Middle Blocker – Club: Drive Nation - 2023</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="141131" first="Cecily" last="Gooch"]’s physical and intelligent game at the net is one of the strengths of this strong Highland Park team. The 6’3” middle blocker has been a stud for the Scots with her solid two-way play. Gooch has tremendous power on offense and is very skilled and aggressive with her blocking, a combination that typically results in success for players in her position. Ranked 34^th in our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings, she triumphed at Girls Juniors National Championship at the 16 Open Division with her former club TAV this past summer.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EqgQFeyYQM4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Players to Watch – Hallsville</strong></p> <p><strong>Ayden McDermott – Outside Hitter – Club: East Texas Alliance - 2022</strong></p> <p>Hallsville’s leading scorer this season, Ayden McDermott is an explosive, 5’10” outside hitter who uses her length to score at will. McDermott is also very good with her shot selection, a skill that helps her tremendously when in transition. She’s also a great server, leading the Bobcats in that department with 50 aces, and a capable defender, ranking third in the entire roster with 422 digs.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11314033/6181c2f6bd74ae0cc099b9bb" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lauren Pyle – Setter - 2024 </strong></p> <p>A sophomore, Lauren Pyle has quickly become a key player for Hallsville with her highly-efficient game. Her smart distribution and fast-paced offense have massively strengthened the Bobcats’ offense and led her to register impressive 805 assists (8.1 per set) already. The 5’8” Pyle is also an excellent server, having scored from the service line 46 times so far, and a good defender, having dug 236 balls this season.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15489988/6158dd935b3ca701140346dc" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>