WSC Classic #9 – The Liberos
The 2022 club season is starting to wind down in the state of Texas as most teams will see limited playing time in the next weeks as they finalize their preparations for next month’s 2022 USAV Girls Junior National Championship…
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Continue ReadingThe 2022 club season is starting to wind down in the state of Texas as most teams will see limited playing time in the next weeks as they finalize their preparations for next month’s 2022 USAV Girls Junior National Championship in Indianapolis.
A lot has been shown over the last six months as familiar names confirmed our positive impressions about them and new names were added to our rankings and watchlists in every corner of the Lone Star State.
Some tournaments are still going on, though, and we, at Prep Dig, are determined to not waste any opportunity of spotting a new prospect and giving visibility to those who stand out and deserve our recognition.
This past weekend I was at the WSC Classic #9, which was held at the popular Willowbrook Sports Complex in the Houston area, and reunited 12 teams in its hybrid 17s/18s division. We’ve identified some names that deserve to be in the spotlight and will use this week to do it. This time, we’ll focus on the outstanding liberos who were in action last week.
Kylie Bray – TX Legacy 17 Elite – HS: Concordia Lutheran – 2023
Extremely competent in serve receive, Kylie Bray played an important role in her TX Legacy 17 Elite team. The 5’7” Bray would take up half of the court and pass the ball with extreme accuracy to her hitter, initiating the team’s offense in the best possible way. She also has an excellent reading of the game and seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else on the court on defense most of the time.
Cooper Rhodes – Texas Diamonds 17 Black – HS: Willis – 2023
Cooper Rhodes brought an interesting level of stability to her Texas Diamonds 17 Black team. Very consistent with her actions, she was extremely reliable the entire time, giving her team some reassurance on the backcourt. Rhodes stood out for her quickness and her ability to move towards the ball and impressed with several overhead digs.
Isabella Dujka – Texas Triumph 18s – 2024
A class of 2024 prospect, Isabella Dujka looked tiny playing against taller and stronger opponents this past weekend, but her production left nothing to be desired. On contrary, the 5’3” Dujka was one of the top players in her Texas Triumph 18s team, controlling the team’s backcourt masterfully. Dujka is very clean every time she makes contact with the ball and her quickness and great reading of the game made sure she was exactly where she needed to be more often than not.
Anahi Alvarado Anahi Alvarado 5'5" | DS/L Tomball Memorial | 2024 TX – TX Legacy 16 Elite – HS: Tomball Memorial – 2024
It was the third time I saw Anahi Alvarado Anahi Alvarado 5'5" | DS/L Tomball Memorial | 2024 TX in action over the last two months or so and her level of dedication and commitment hasn’t dropped a bit. The 5’4” libero plays with a lot of energy and is very intentional in every move she makes on the court. Alvarado has excellent ball control and that translates very well in her passing and defensive game. She does a great job with her positioning, but, on the rare occasions she’s caught off-guard, she has the quickness to react and deliver.
Rose Matlock – Texas Synergy 171 National – HS: Hutto – 2023
Rose Matlock was one of the best passers in the entire tournament. Besides being extremely technical, she does a great job of moving to the ball and placing her body in the right position before making contact with it. The 5’5” Matlock is very accurate with her deliveries and that’s also the case when she’s playing defense and handling hard-driven hits. She also performed really well at the high school level this season, producing 315 digs and 477 passes for her team Hutto.
Alayna Vincent – Champion 17 Black – 2023
Alayna Vincent was part of a Champion 17 Black team that struggled during the weekend, but she did well enough to impress me. She did a very good job playing defense behind one of the shortest blocks of the tournament and more than standing out for her ball control, which she also did, Vincent deserved to be on this list because of her hard work. A hustler, she more than once went to track balls not many others would and managed to keep them in play.