Tour of Texas Finals – 17s – The Impressive Liberos
One of the most anticipated and competitive tournaments annually held in the Lone Star State, the Tour of Texas brought its Finals for the 15s, 16s and 17s divisions to the city of Houston this past weekend. It was exciting…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most anticipated and competitive tournaments annually held in the Lone Star State, the Tour of Texas brought its Finals for the 15s, 16s and 17s divisions to the city of Houston this past weekend.
It was exciting to see some of the most talented volleyball prospects from several different regions of the state competing across four different venues in H-Town under the watchful view of several college coaches.
We paid close attention to the 17s, who played at the FAST Complex, and will feature the ones that stood out the most in a series of positional articles during the week. The amazing liberos we saw in action this past weekend are the ones we’ll list in today’s article.
Alyssa Manitzas Alyssa Manitzas 5'2" | DS/L Cornerstone | 2023 State #85 Nation TX – Alamo 17 Premier – HS: Cornerstone Christian – 2023
The best libero and the fourth-best overall player in the state of Texas according to our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings, Alyssa Manitzas Alyssa Manitzas 5'2" | DS/L Cornerstone | 2023 State #85 Nation TX played up to that level in the tournament. She’s electric on the court and plays the game with a lot of determination and confidence. One of the keys to her success as a defensive player is her ability to move quickly and smartly on the backcourt. She knows how to cut corners to get to the ball and, once she’s there, her excellent technical skills get the job done in great fashion. Maniztas is a centerpiece in Alamo 17 Premier’s serve-receiving system, taking nearly half of the court to herself, and can also cause damage on opponents with her floater. A Notre Dame commit, she’s coming from a monster high school season in which she tallied 585 digs and 607 passes with Cornerstone Christian.
Kea Whillock Kea Whillock 5'8" | DS/L Keller | 2023 State TX – Drive Nation 17 Red – HS: Keller – 2023
Liberos can sometimes go unnoticed when they’re part of a volleyball team that has tremendous firepower on offense, but Kea Whillock Kea Whillock 5'8" | DS/L Keller | 2023 State TX didn’t escape our eyes on the Tour of Texas Finals. The 5’8” defensive stud was in top form for Drive Nation 17 Red and impressed with her ability to control hard-driven hits. She’s very fast when moving on the backcourt and her great technique becomes evident every time she touches on the ball. Also a good server, Whillock took her high school team Keller to the State Championship match by producing 581 digs, 626 passes and 37 aces last season.
Emma Carro – Houston Stellar 17 Elite – HS: Pasadena Memorial – 2023
Emma Carro’s excellent positioning on the court makes her get on the ball more often than most other players. The 5’7” defender is always where she’s supposed to be and that ability earns her a handful of ‘easy digs’ every match. She’s also really good when she needs to use her great ball control to keep things going for her Houston Stellar team. Carro, who plays as an outside hitter for her high school team Pasadena Memorial, also shows to be entirely focused during matches as she’s always in a position to cover her hitters at the net.
Vivian Chaney Vivian Chaney 5'5" | DS/L Lamar | 2023 State TX – HJV 17 Premier – HS: Lamar – 2023
After splitting time between libero and setter duties during the last high school season with Lamar, Vivian Chaney Vivian Chaney 5'5" | DS/L Lamar | 2023 State TX is playing full-time on the backcourt with HJV 17 Premier. The 5’5” prospect excels when tasked with focusing on the defensive duties and one reason for it is her excellent reading of the game. Even when the ball hits the floor on her side of the court, rare are the occasions in which didn’t anticipate the play and made a move for it. She puts as many balls up as anyone in any tournament and is also an excellent passer and efficient server.
Brenna Heffron Brenna Heffron 5'4" | DS/L SA Reagan | 2023 State TX – SA Juniors 17 Adidas – HS: Reagan – 2023
Brenna Heffron Brenna Heffron 5'4" | DS/L SA Reagan | 2023 State TX was one of a few interesting players in her SA Juniors 17 Adidas team. The 5’4” defender showed a wide array of impressive backcourt skills, starting with her outstanding ball control, which allowed her to have tremendous efficiency when digging hard-driven hits. Heffron also does a great job in tracking plays and recovered quite a few balls that were going directly into the court with her excellent positioning. She’s also a very good passer.
Reagan Biavaschi – Drive Nation 17 Black – HS: Frisco Memorial – 2023
Reagan Biavaschi is a libero that understands really well what her role on the court is. An excellent passer, she would step in front of teammates to take up serve-receiving responsibilities and free them up to hit every time she felt she could do so. The 5’7” defender has excellent positioning and is always where she’s supposed to, be it on defense on when covering her hitters.