High School Team Feature: George Ranch Longhorns
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The high school season is going at full pace in the state of Texas and every team in the state has been on the court enough times for us to have a good idea about what to expect from them.…
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Continue ReadingThe high school season is going at full pace in the state of Texas and every team in the state has been on the court enough times for us to have a good idea about what to expect from them.
Here at PrepDig, we are committed to covering and promoting as many prospects as possible, from the most popular names to the hidden gems that typically abound at the Lone Star State and during the high school season we’re also doing it by featuring the teams they play at.
Every time we’re at the gym, we’re giving a good look at the teams on the court and we’ll try to feature as many as possible here in this space. Our focus this time is on the George Ranch Longhorns.
The Squad
The Longhorns look very different from last season, when they made it to the playoffs, following the graduations of right sides Logan Lednicky and Allie Sczech and outside hitter Avery Shimaitis and Dylan Hoskins, who were the team’s four main scorers in their last campaign. Sophomore outside hitter Sydney Bryant Sydney Bryant 6'3" | OH George Ranch | 2025 State #26 Nation TX and senior libero Riley Steubing Riley Steubing 5'7" | DS/L George Ranch | 2023 State TX are key pieces in the new-look Longhorns.
Key Players
After playing as a middle blocker in her freshman year, the 6’3” Bryant is now playing as an outside hitter, the same role she had in the last club season with Houston Juniors. She’s getting more and more comfortable in the position, making excellent use of her length and firepower on offense and steadily improving her backcourt skills and her blocking. This will be the first time Bryant is the centerpiece of a team and it will be interesting to see how much she grows into the new role.
One of just a few seniors with prominent roles with the team, Steubing is the Longhorns’ captain and will be instrumental to their success. In the 5’7” libero, her teammates know they have a solid presence on the backcourt and a player that offer great security to the team. Steubing is excellent at reading the game and is often one step ahead of everyone else, generating easy digs and transition opportunities for her team. She’s also extremely focused and is never caught out of position when covering her hitters.
Highlights
Eryn Rainer
Eryn Rainer
Rainer is not one of those right side hitters who impress by their size, but those who underestimate her based on her 5’8” frame are very likely to regret it very soon. A lefty, she’s very dynamic and has the physical tools to make up for her height limitation in her excellent leaping ability and her long arms. Rainer can hit several different sets on the right and is very technical, making very few mistakes with her offense.
Hailey Forshee
Hailey Forshee
Forshee does an excellent job in pairing with Steubing to make of the Longhorns a very difficult team to score at. The 5’2” defensive specialist is very agile and covers a lot of ground on the backcourt. Forshee typically replaces one of the team’s outside hitters and significantly strengthens the team’s defensive system besides splitting the court in two with Steubing for serve-receive. She also has excellent court awareness and a tricky floater serve that can put opponents in trouble.
Madison Herrera
Madison Herrera
George Ranch has two other setters at a very similar level to hers in Sarah Brotamonte and Marteena Subia, but Herrera stood out for her consistency and steadiness. She also has excellent range and can set to either pin from anywhere on the court. The 5’6” Herrera is very technical and extremely consistent with her locations, besides also getting to impact the game with her defensive skills.