Houston Open Previews – Setters
The high school volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas and although the public school’s tournament organized by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is earning most of the attention, there’s also been some great play coming from the…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas and although the public school’s tournament organized by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is earning most of the attention, there’s also been some great play coming from the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).
Several of the best teams in the Houston area will be in action this week, when the Houston Skyline club will host the Houston Open 2022, a two-day season-opening tournament on Friday and Saturday that will reunite as many as 18 teams from the region.
Until the start of the tournament, we’ll present some of the most promising prospects that will be in action this week, starting with the setters.
An intelligent and very technical setter, Jennings leads a strong Rosehill Christian team in her senior season. She’s recognized as one of the best in the state in her age group and two reasons for that are her excellent distribution and decision-making. Jennings is very mobile on the court and that helps her when it comes to tracking passes. She uses her 5’10” frame well at the net too, being a solid blocker, and can also play very good defense. She recently led her Texas Legacy club team to a national title at the 17 Liberty divison.
Lauren Wolford
Lauren Wolford
The 5’8″ Wolford has been extremely productive during her high school career with John Cooper and has tallied more than 2,000 assists over three seasons. Wolford is very smart with her distribution and accurate with her locations and can also make an impact on the game with her defense. She can hit when at the net as well and has shown good efficiency when doing it.
Shea Stone
Shea Stone
The 5’8″ Stone led the Fort Bend Christian Academy to a TAPPS state title last season, establishing herself as one of the top setters in the private system in the Lone Star state. Her playing style is not necessarily flashy, but is tremendously efficient as she’s the kind of setter that will do whatever it takes to put her hitters in the best possible position to score. Stone, who has more than 1,000 assists in her high school career, is also one of the team leaders on the court and an exceptional defender.
Ariel Francis
Ariel Francis
The 5’7″ Francis has been one of the faces of her St. Agnes Academy team over the years. Besides adding some veteran leadership to the team in her senior season, she will also continue running the team’s offense with her steady and reliable playing style. Last season, Francis was extremely productive with 502 assists, 202 digs and 32 aces.
Mia Santiago
Mia Santiago
Santiago makes up for her limited size with a very cerebral and technical game, which includes excellent ball control and a great ability to consistently set on the same location. She’s also very quick and dynamic, doing a great job in tracking passes and recovering balls on defense. The 5’3″ Santiago is also a very good defender and can be used as a libero or defensive specialist as well.