Houston Grand Prix – 15s – The Setters
Most of the top club volleyball teams from the state of Texas were elsewhere this past weekend, competing in the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City and other tournaments around the country. That made of the AAU Houston Grand Prix…
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Continue ReadingMost of the top club volleyball teams from the state of Texas were elsewhere this past weekend, competing in the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City and other tournaments around the country.
That made of the AAU Houston Grand Prix an excellent place to watch and spot some of the most talented, under-the-radar prospects in the region. The two-day event featured seven age divisions and nearly 170 teams competing in three different venues in the area.
We decided to focus on the 15s and spent Saturday afternoon at the Texas Tornados club, in Cypress, where 22 of the 30 teams in the division were in action. We’ll highlight the most impressive players we spotted during the day over the week, starting today with the setters.
Isabella Orton Isabella Orton 6'0" | S Hutto | 2025 State TX – Texas Fury 15 Legacy – HS: Hutto – 2025
Isabella Orton Isabella Orton 6'0" | S Hutto | 2025 State TX has excellent physical tools and a well-developed game for a player of her age. She stands at 5’11” and has enough strength in her body to set the ball exactly where she wants from anywhere on the court. Her distribution is also excellent as, although she tries to keep as many hitters involved as possible, she’s also intelligent enough to identify which of them are in better rhythm during matches. One of the keys to Orton’s excellent production is the fact she makes contact with the ball at a very high point when setting. She had a tremendous freshman high school season with Hutto, producing 413 assists, 318 digs, 161 kills, 34 aces and 18 blocks, making it to the American Coaches Volleyball Association (AVCA) Phenom List.
Aileen Liang – Texas Tornados 15 National – HS: Tompkins – 2025
Consistency and reliability are probably the two words that best define Aileen Liang’s game as a setter. The 5’6” prospect has great hands and is extremely accurate with her locations. Liang’s technique is truly impressive as she’s capable of repeating the same technical gesture when setting regardless of the situation. She’s very intelligent with her distribution and is an excellent defender as well.
Alayna Francis – Woodlands Revolution 15 Adidas – HS: Richards – 2025
Alayna Francis is a player capable of helping her teams in a variety of ways. She excelled as a setter for Woodlands Revolution 15 Adidas in the tournament, but is mostly used as a right sider in her school team Richards, with relevant hitting duties as well. Francis has good size at 5’9” and does a great job in changing the pace of the game while maintaining all of her hitters involved. She’s also an excellent server and is capable of impacting the game with her defensive skill too. A four-year captain in her club teams, Francis has natural leadership skills and communicates well with her teammates at all times.