“The Camp” Preview – 2025 Standouts to Watch
Our Lady of the Lake University coach Raul Bernal and some wonderful coaches out of the San Antonio area are putting on a wonderful invitational volleyball camp that is dubbed “The Camp” that will be held over two days this…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOur Lady of the Lake University coach Raul Bernal and some wonderful coaches out of the San Antonio area are putting on a wonderful invitational volleyball camp that is dubbed “The Camp” that will be held over two days this coming week. Prep Dig will be in attendance to cover the wonderful players that have been invited to attend. A lot of them are listed either on our State Rankings or they are on our watch list to potentially be added. This is a who’s who of Central Texas volleyball players and we couldn’t be more excited to see the awesome players on the courts.
This series of articles will highlight the players who will be in attendance. There will be a few articles highlighting the players that stood out once it is complete. Let’s start out by meeting a few of the top names to know in the 2025 class.
State Ranked Players:
Megan Fitch Megan Fitch 6'1" | OH Cornerstone Christian | 2025 State #43 Nation TX [2025] 6-0 Outside (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Megan is currently ranked as the 4th best overall prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays at Reagan High School and for Alamo Volleyball out of the San Antonio area. I previously wrote an article on Megan when we unveiled the rankings a few months ago and here is what weI wrote, “This young lady is one of the best point scoring freshman outsides on the list. She has every shot in her arsenal and Alamo routinely goes to her out of the back row in play sets out of serve receive. This just shows how lethal she truly is. I was able to watch her in person at the Triple Crown NIT in Kansas City and she wowed everyone in attendance. She was labeled as the Newcomer of the Year in her district, but the secret is out now. She has definitely arrived and everyone has taken notice.” If she hadn’t arrived yet, she sure did now after nationals. This young lady had every big college in the nation talking about her. She was recognized as the 15 Open Most Valuable Player at Nationals due to her performance. I haven’t seen someone absolutely take over a high level match like she did in the championship match in a while. She was UNSTOPPABLE on offense. This young lady is the real deal and is going to be a problem for opposing teams for the next few years.
Caitlin Hefner Caitlin Hefner 6'2" | MB Westlake | 2025 State TX [2025] 6-1 Middle (HS: Westlake/Club: Austin Juniors/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Caitlin is currently ranked as the 17th best overall prospect and 4th best middle in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays at Austin Westlake High School and for the awesome Austin Juniors. I wrote an article on her earlier in the year and here is a little refresher on what I wrote, “I watched her very closely in Kansas City at the Triple Crown NIT and she was very impressive. Miss Hefner’s size and blocking ability is one of her greatest attributes. When I watched her team in Kansas City they were trying to push the middles at a true zero tempo which was impressive. She drives her feet super hard into the ground to create vicious momentum. Her length in her extremities allows her to be a force on both ends of the court. If Austin Juniors continues to have her as a key factor in their offense, they will go very far. Stay tune to more on Caitlin as we will be watching very closely this weekend at the Tour Finals.” She did not disappoint any time I watched her this season. She is still growing as a player and has a very high ceiling in the middle position.
Elly Stewart Elly Stewart 6'0" | MB Cornerstone Christian | 2025 State TX [2025] 5-11 Middle/Right Side (HS: Three Rivers/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Elly is currently ranked as the 65th best overall prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. Elly is very quick laterally along the net and she can rise up off of the ground very explosively out of the middle for quick sets. She is very bouncy and I love her timing when it comes to battling opposing attackers at the net. Her lightning quick arm swing is what makes her very dangerous on the court on the offensive end. She can light it up in a hurry and that was very apparent when I watched her at nationals. She was a star when her team needed her the most.
Players already on our Watch List:
Emma Gonzalez [2025] 5-4 Setter (HS: Johnson/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Emma is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but is on our radar after watching her at nationals and also after seeing her at our Showcase we ran for USA Volleyball. Miss Gonzalez plays at Claudia Taylor Johnson High School and also club for the nationally known Alamo Volleyball program. When you see Emma at first glance, you see a normal small player who will be average at best. Then when you get to watch her in drills or play in a match, you see an absolute beast who can ball. This kiddo plays with a lot of vigor and determination to prove that she belongs on the big stage. Her set location was on point throughout the entire championship match as she set up her hitters in a perfect position to score against a formidable opponent. Emma does everything you want a setter to do on a court including playing exceptional defense out of the right back zone. I have so much respect for her as a person and a player as I have gotten to work with her in the showcase before the tournament and also after watching her dominate at the biggest stage in her age group.
Kaia Thiele [2025] 5-9 Setter/Right Side (HS: Cornerstone Christian/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Kaia is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but is definitely on our radar with what we just saw from her. Miss Thiele plays at Cornerstone Christian High School and also club for the nationally known Alamo Volleyball program. I loved how versatile she was not coming off of the court setting out of the back row and hitting while she rotated to the front row. She produced positive results in every aspect of her game. She provided a great block and offense out of the right side position. Kaia also dished some beautiful dimes to her attackers throughout the championship match. While Alamo could have used some of their lethal attackers they had on the bench, they chose to leave Kaia in all the way around and save some subs. This proved to be pivotal in their close match against AZ Storm. She showed that she is more than capable of producing in both positions.
Ella Coleman [2025] 5-11 Outside/Right Side (HS: Boerne Champion/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ella is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. Miss Coleman plays at Champion High School and also club for Alamo. We have profiled Miss Coleman a few times already and it is always warranted due to what she produces on the court. Here is the latest of what we stated, “She was her usual dominant self through every drill she competed in. I don’t think there is an aspect of this sport that she cannot excel in. She has power for days, shot making ability and very advanced ball control when passing/digging. She is the type of player that can take over a game if someone kept feeding her the ball. She even volunteered for demo drills and that says a lot about her drive and confidence to be the best. She is the type of player any coach would pick in the first round of any draft. Stop by this youngster’s court and you will not be disappointed that you did. Her stock is rising and she will be added to our State Rankings when I update them in a few weeks.” We never get tired of watching this fireballer play the game. She can be a game changer on the court due to her volleyball IQ and shot making ability. We are excited to see her in person again at this camp.
Tarah Yunes Tarah Yunes 6'0" | OH Tom C Clark | 2025 State TX [2025] 6-0 Middle/Right Side (HS: Clark/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Tarah is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. Miss Yunes plays at Clark High School and also club for Alamo. I have watched Tarah a few times this season and she has gotten better each time that I have watched her play. She is extremely athletic and has a ton of raw power to her game. What truly stands out when you watch her play is just how versatile she is in any position you place her in. Not many players are able to switch positions and still be a threat, but Miss Yunes is a problem for anyone who goes against her. She is a lethal scorer and a shut down blocker at the net. I cannot wait to watch her go up against older competition as I think she has a lot of potential. If you do not have her name on your list, please give her a look as you will not be disappointed. Her skills will wow you for sure.
Isabella Andrews Isabella Andrews 5'11" | OH Samuel Clemens - Schertz TX | 2025 State TX [2025] 5-10 Outside/Middle (HS: Clemens/Club: SA Magic/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Isabella is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but is on our watch list with what we have seen in person a few times this year. Miss Andrews plays at Clemens High School and also club for San Antonio Magic. We have written an article on Miss Andrews before the showcase due to seeing her in the gym before. We were very excited to have her in another showcase because of how dominant she was last time. This time she would be paired up and squaring off against better talent since it is tied to USA Nationals. Bella did well enough for a majority of the court coaches to write her name down and give it to me as a top performer. She was great in the individual positional drills and did amazing during the team portion as well. She is able to hit both quick tempos and higher tempo sets all across the net. I like her size and power for sure. I will be adding her name to the watch list for sure to see where she ranks amongst Texas’ best players.
Notable Players to watch:
Gabby Davis
Chloe Monson
Isabella De La Rosa
Aubrey Lyssy Aubrey Lyssy 5'10" | S Madison | 2025 TX
Ava Castillo
Giselle Orellana
Natalya Aguirre Natalya Aguirre 5'3" | DS/L Antonian College Preparatory | 2025 TX
McKenna Lyles
Karsyn Bendele
Aniah Giboyeaux
Justine Flores
Allie Thompson
We will be covering these players and more with insight into their skills and other intangibles that we see from them during individual positional drills and game play. Stay tuned to see who stood out as top performers.
And 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 Prep Dig Family!