Spike Sport #6: The Dynamic Outside Hitters
Last weekend ranked high up there among the busiest in the current club season with a handful of hugely important tournaments going on around the country, including National Qualifiers in Indiana and Washington. These events drew several top teams from…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend ranked high up there among the busiest in the current club season with a handful of hugely important tournaments going on around the country, including National Qualifiers in Indiana and Washington.
These events drew several top teams from Texas away from the Lone Star State for the weekend, which gave us to watch some teams that normally fly under-the-radar in action in the tournaments that were going on in the Houston area.
Our choice was the Spike Sport #6, which reunited 11 teams from the 17s age group for a single day of competition in Missouri City. We’re highlighting the players that stood out over the course of the week and in today’s article we’ll present some of the most interesting outside hitters that were in action.
Sophie Harlan – H Skyline 17 White – HS: Memorial – 2023
Sophie Harlan’s all-around game makes of her an excellent two-way player for her Houston Skyline 17 White team, but her main duties with them are related to offense. The 5’11” Harlan is very explosive and long and has excellent reach on her offense. She has tremendous power but does an excellent job in changing rhythms and scores a lot of points with tips and roll shots too. She’s easily the most used player on offense and responds well, even when hitting from the backcourt. She cracked the rotation of a solid Memorial team during the last high school season and contributed with 76 kills, 112 digs and 140 passes.
Aniyah Castor – AVA TX 17 Adidas – HS: Manvel – 2023
Aniyah Castor was one of the most important pieces in an AVA TX 17 Power team that won the tournament. Despite standing at just 5’7”, she was extremely productive on offense because of her tremendous jumping ability and the enormous power she has on her right arm. Castor is also very skilled and knows when and how to score using finesse. Castor is very influential on the backcourt as well with her impressive ability to control hard-driven hits.
Taylor Brick – TX Legacy 17 National – HS: Klein Collins – 2023
There’s probably a case for Taylor Brick being the best offensive player in the entire tournament. She’s big, athletic and extremely powerful when set at the pin. Brick has the ability to hit in different directions and is very active at the net when blocking or turning overpasses into easy points. Originally a middle blocker, she’s still adjusting to the new position and doesn’t play the backcourt rotations, but doesn’t lose her rhythm when she returns at the net.
Elyssia Matthews – Texas Diamonds 17 Black – 2024
Elyssia Matthews is another outside hitter that stood out mostly because of her production at the net. She was the go-to scoring option for her Texas Diamonds 17 Black team and was set at the left, right and even the backcourt. Matthews has great size and a very high contact point, being difficult to stop when in rhythm. Although she’s not an elite player on the backcourt, she’s good enough to hold her own against good teams.
Grace Ramberansingh – Houston Force 17-1 – 2023
Grace Ramberansingh explosive game paid dividends to her Houston Force 17-1 team. The dynamic outside hitter had one of the heaviest arms in the entire tournament and used it very well to score points at the net. Ramberansingh’s power is so impressive that she gets to tool blocks just by hitting hard against them. She can also score with intelligent tips and roll shots and is an excellent server.
Mallory Lamport – Texas Twisters 17 Royal – HS: Morton Ranch – 2022
Mallory Lamport brings a lot of value to her Texas Twisters 17 Royal team with all the things she can do on the court. The 5’7” outside hitter has a prominent role in the team’s offensive and defensive system and delivers excellent production on both sides of the ball, as well as from the service line. On top of that, Lamport is also the kind of player every coach loves because of her positivity and initiative on the court. She tallied 271 kills, 208 digs, 139 passes and 53 aces as a senior for Morton Ranch.