H-Town Showdown #4 – 16s – The Defensive Specialists
One of the most comprehensive and interesting events in the Houston club volleyball scene, the H-Town Showdown held its fourth stop in 2022 this past weekend, with competition taking place in two different venues across the city. The fourth weekend…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most comprehensive and interesting events in the Houston club volleyball scene, the H-Town Showdown held its fourth stop in 2022 this past weekend, with competition taking place in two different venues across the city.
The fourth weekend of the event reunited 40 teams in the 16s division and another 19 in the 18’s division. Competition took place in two different venues and we headed to the Texas Tornados club on Saturday, where 24 teams of the 16s division competed in the morning.
As usual, we’re presenting our positional breakdowns during the week and in our final article about specific positions, we’ll honor the defensive specialists who played central roles for their teams.
Averi Frazier – TAV Houston 16 Molten – HS: Brenham – 2024
Second libero is probably the best way to describe Averi Frazier’s role with her team TAV Houston 16 Molten. The 5’5” defender replaces one of the team’s middles on the backcourt while the ‘official libero’ does the same with the other. Frazier is an excellent server and very consistent and reliable with her passing. She also showed an interesting ability to hit from the backcourt when the ball was set to her.
Marimar Mendiburu – HJV 16 National – HS: St. Agnes Academy – 2024
Marimar Mendiburu significantly improves HJV 16 National’s defense when she’s on the court. The 5’3” defensive specialist has an interesting skill combo for a player in her position combining excellent positioning, great reaction speed and outstanding ball control. Mendiburu is also a very reliable passer and splits the court in two with her team’s libero when she’s in the game.
Kaitlyn Navarre – Woodlands Revolution 16 Black – HS: Montgomery – 2024
Kaitlyn Navarre’s main contributions to her Woodlands Revolution 16 Black team come with her excellent passing. The 5’5” defensive specialist provides her team with great stability on the backcourt and splits the defensive duties well with the team’s starting libero.
Julia Ultis – HJV 16 Molten – HS: Jersey Village – 2024
Julia Ultis impacts the game with her dynamic and active play. The 5’3” defensive specialist is clearly 100% focused when gets on the court and does an excellent job in tracking plays and recovering important balls. Ultis is very confident with her passing and splits the court well with the libero.
Sarah Haggerty – AVA TX 16 Adidas – HS: Glenda Dawson – 2024
Very technical and quick, Sarah Haggerty has great positioning on the backcourt and gets to touch a lot of ball on defense. With her excellent ball control, she’s typically able to up several of them, giving her another opportunity to score. The 5’3” Haggerty also has a prominent role in the team’s passing system and is very precise and consistent with her first touch.
Kinley Epperson – Texas United 16 Red – HS: Glenda Dawson – 2024
A teammate of Haggerty in their Glenda Dawson high school team, Kinley Epperson also helps her team Texas United 16 Red with her backcourt skills. The 5’5” Epperson typically replaces one of the team’s outside hitters in the back and does an excellent job in defending the middle for her team. She also positively impacts their serve-receiving system with her accurate and reliable passing.