Spike Sport #6: The Impactful Defensive Specialists
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…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
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 our final positional breakdown, we’ll list some of the defensive specialists who played big roles for their teams.
Mikaela Kissinger – TX Legacy 17 National – HS: Klein Cain – 2023
Mikaela Kissinger proved to be one of the best defensive players in the tournament. An excellent defender, she generated several transition opportunities for her TX Legacy 17 National team. The 5’5” Kissinger has excellent ball control and is very accurate with her digs even when she has to dive to get to the ball. Also very consistent with her serve receiving, she was an important player to her high school team Klein Cain in the last season, producing 230 digs, 212 passes and 20 aces.
Grace Janak – TX Vision 17 – HS: St. Joseph – 2023
Grace Janak was basically TX Vision 17’s eighth starter in last weekend’s tournament as she spent a lot of time on the court coming in for the team’s outside hitters when they were at the backcourt. Her presence has significantly improved her team’s consistency on passing and defense as she got the job done with tremendous efficiency and very few mistakes.
Kalista Huynh – A1 Elite 17 Royal – 2024
Kalista Huynh came off the bench to her A1 Elite 17 Royal team to provide better defense. She replaced the team’s right side and proved to be a better defensive option with her quickness and great ball control. She also helped the team with efficient serve.
Alondra Guardado – Houston Force 17-1 – HS: Mayde Creek – 2023
Also capable of playing as an outside hitter, Alondra Guardado is probably more productive as a defensive specialist. The 5’8” prospect is very comfortable on the ball and consistently delivers excellent production with her passing and defense. Guardado is also a very good server and had made a few good runs in the tournament.
Rylie Richardson – TX Legacy 17 Black – HS: Concordia Lutheran – 2024
Even when she played as an outside hitter or right side, Rylie Richardson used to stand out for her defensive skills. Moving to defensive specialist has placed her in a position in which she can make the most of her main asset as a player and Richardson has become a valuable piece to her TX Legacy 17 Black team. Her presence on the court made the team’s passing significantly better and also improved the defense.