Club Team Spotlight – Top Gun 16 Adidas
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We are coming to the end of the volleyball season soon and we wanted to write a few articles on certain club teams who we think deserve some recognition for their season. Qualifier season is now coming to an end and…
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Continue ReadingWe are coming to the end of the volleyball season soon and we wanted to write a few articles on certain club teams who we think deserve some recognition for their season. Qualifier season is now coming to an end and some teams have punched their ticket to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals, which will be held in Indianapolis later on this summer. Let’s take a look at a team who has had a great season so far and who we will be seeing at Nationals. Take a bow Top Gun 16 Adidas…you have earned it.
Head Coach April Fricke’s squad has been on a tear this year. They are currently 48-4 on the year and are sitting as the 5th ranked team in the Lone Star Region based on AES results. They ventured into the Salt Lake City Qualifier in the American division and took 3rd place out of 84 teams. To prove this was no fluke, they traveled to Orlando to compete in the Sunshine Classic National Qualifier a few weeks later. After some traveling trouble with flights, it was up in the air if they would even have a full team to compete. Some key pieces ended up renting a car and driving all the way to Orlando making the start time of their first match by the skin of their teeth. It was apparent that this tourney was going to be different for them. They ended up winning the championship out of 128 teams in the American division and earning a bid to Nationals this summer in the American division. They then traveled to Dallas to compete in the toughest national qualifier in the nation, Lone Star Classic. I was proud to see them move up to the Liberty division and they had another great showing placing 5th out of 64 teams. To say they are having a great season is an understatement. We are proud of their success and look forward to seeing them again in Indy. Even though we can write about each and every athlete that contributed to their success, I am only going to cover a few players that stood out while I was watching. Let’s meet a few of them.
Taryn Garcia [2024] 5-10 Middle/Outside (HS: Poteet/Club: Top Gun/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Tayrn is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings, but is on our watch list based off of her performance this season. She plays at Poteet High School and for the Top Gun club program. She is a slash player, meaning that she can play multiple positions. She is a middle/outside/right side/setter. This young lady can literally do it all on the court. What I love about her the most is that she is not done growing physically nor as a player. I think her ceiling is extremely high when it comes to her potential as a player. She already has the power in her swing and is touching extremely high with her long extremities. It will be very difficult for anyone to stop her as she gains more experience and gets physically stronger. The moment she learns how to use the block or move the ball around more effectively, she will be very dangerous. Keep her name on your radar if you are looking for a lengthy attacker who can affect change.
Kiana Souza Kiana Souza 5'7" | DS/L Harlan | 2024 State TX [2024] 5-6 Libero (HS: Harlan/Club: Top Gun/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Kiana is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings, but she has been on our radar for a few years and we think she has a ton of potential. She plays at Harlan High School and for the Top Gun club program. This electric libero is what we like to call a gym rat. She is someone who loves to be in the gym and working with many different coaches to gain as many tools as possible. All of her hard work over the years is beginning to pay off, as she has been stellar in the back row during the three times I have watched her this season. You can see her volleyball IQ in how she covers her hitters and moves to set the second ball during out of system plays. She is no stranger to effort, as I love how she sacrifices her body when laying out for errant balls to keep her team in the rally. Very little hits the floor near her zone. If you are looking for a libero who has tons of range defensively, look no further than Miss Souza. We will be following her career very closely so stay tuned for more on her.
Natalia Rodriguez Natalia Rodriguez 5'9" | MB Earl Warren | 2024 TX [2024] 5-9 Middle/Outside (HS: Warren/Club: Top Gun/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Natalia is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She plays at Warren High School and for the Top Gun club program. This young lady has tons of heart and it shows when she plays. She is a middle for Top Gun, but can also play on the pins as she has done in the past. I love how violent she swings her right arm when she approaches to attack. Natalia has tons of power in that compact frame and unleashes it with authority. She creates a lot of momentum in her approach to the setter for quicks and runs it at a pretty quick tempo. I love how hungry she is on the offensive side. Some middles take plays off when it comes to transition and being tired, but Miss Rodriguez never gives up and fires toward her setter at all times. This is key for a well-balanced offense and she understands her role very well. I will be watching her very closely moving forward.
Karrington Crawford [2024] 5-9 Middle/Outside (HS: Harlan/Club: Top Gun/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Karrington is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She plays at Harlan High School and for the Top Gun club program. I have been fortunate to work closely with Karrington as she attended our Recruiting Showcase at the Sunshine Classic in Orlando. Miss Crawford has solid fundamentals and is very bouncy on the court, which helps her stay very aggressive at the net. She is listed as a middle but also can play both left and right side on the net. Her blocking timing is one thing I have really loved when I watch her compete. She has an uncanny ability to jump after the hitter and be at the peak of her jump as the hitter is making contact. She is super fast on the court and slides over very well in serve receive if the pass is a little out of system to still be available for her setter. That foot-speed is very apparent when she covers pin to pin during blocking. She has a lot of potential for the future and is one huge reason for her squad’s success this season.
Other notable players who have been starring for this legit squad are defensive specialist Megan Moreno, who has been stellar in serve receive. Setters Azalea DeLeon and Victoria Sanchez Victoria Sanchez 5'5" | S Brennan | 2024 TX have been superb in running the offense for this awesome team. Right Side Anna Kasper has been making some noise on the offensive end also. We will be highlighting others from this team in another article soon as they gear up for Nationals. Stay tuned for more from this wonderful team.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. 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 us, Prep Dig Texas Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!