Houston’s Pre-Season 6A Top 10 Vol. 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today is August 2nd which prompts the second day of high school volleyball across the state. We will rank the 6A teams in Houston into a pre-season top 10 list. Several factors go into the pre-season rankings, returning senior leadership is a big one as well as any incoming big playmakers. Houston is spitting out some of the best volleyball teams in the state, and two teams from Houston made it to the 6A final four last year. In Vol. 1, we will rank teams 1-5 and discuss their key playmakers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>1. <strong>The Woodlands</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Woodlands High School starts us off at number 1. The Woodlands is very senior-heavy and returns almost all their offensive weapons. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176642" first="Claire" last="Dewine"]</strong> will be back for the Lady Highlanders as their premier setter/right-side combination. Last season she was the team's kill leader with 432 kills. When she wasn't hitting, she was setting back row and accumulated over 600 assists. Hitting most of those sets was freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="179917" first="Ella" last="Lewis"]</strong>, who will be returning on the outside this season. In 2021 Ella had over 400 kills. <strong>Marjorie Johnson </strong>was the other heavy hitter for the Lady Highlanders posting almost 200 kills from the middle position. Senior <strong>Makenzie Weddel</strong> will return on the outside position and libero <strong>Molly Touzzo </strong>returns after a stellar season with Houston Skyline. All of these key players provide a solid foundation for the Lady Highlanders to have a serious post-season playoff push. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>2. <strong>Cy Ranch</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cy Ranch only lost 4 games all season last fall. One of their losses came from state champions Brandeis, and one came from powerhouse The Woodlands. They will return all of their firepower hitters as well as setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155125" first="Taryn" last="Gilreath"]</strong>. Taryn is one of the best junior setters in the state. She played the off-season with HJV and will return as Cy Ranch's setter/right-side. Not only does she set a really good tempo ball to the outside, but she also plays great defense and is a solid block. Texas A&amp;M commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176661" first="Bianna" last="Muoneke"]</strong> is back as a senior 6 rotation outside hitter. She flies out of the gym and is a very aggressive, competitive player. She grinds for every point and is so fast on the outside that she is hard to block. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="179890" first="Taylor" last="Porter"]</strong> is back for the Lady Mustangs. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87560" first="Kirby" last="Kliafas"]</strong> will fill a spot on the court for Cy Ranch using her versatility to play any position. The Lady Mustangs have always been known to be a competitive team, but this year they will be very, very good. I am predicting they will use their competitiveness and energy to grind out a lot of big wins, win their district, and make a deep run into the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>3. <strong>Ridge Point</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge Point is back this season and is loaded on the front row. The offense on the pins is made up of Colorado commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87531" first="Sydney" last="Jordan"]</strong>, sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="212725" first="Kennedi" last="Rogers"]</strong>, junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="179873" first="Carrington" last="Cook"]</strong>, and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442331' first='Aaliyah' last='Smith']</strong>. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="87531" first="Sydney" last="Jordan"] holds together the offense for Ridge Point, but the other younger pin hitters are right there with her. They will be firing at all cylinders this season. Not only do these pin hitters have a heavy swing, but they all can pass, and provide a massive block. Mississippi State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87548" first="Arissa" last="Smith"]</strong> is back in the middle position after having a great off-season with HJV. She is agile, aggressive, and can put the ball away. Ridge Point needs to find a libero and a setter to make the picture come together, but they have plenty of athletes to choose from. After finishing in the state final four last year, they are anxious to make another appearance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>4. <strong>Grand Oaks</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Oaks may have the best overall talent in each position in the Houston area this fall. They are severely underrated because of their record last season, finishing 3rd in a very talented Conroe ISD district, and making it to the area round. Grand Oaks returns recent Florida commmit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124153" first="Jaela" last="Auguste"]</strong>. Jaela is the best middle in the Houston area no doubt. She absolutely flies and hits well over the block. Her reach is crazy high and is very tough to swing against. Junior <strong>Caelyn Emmerling</strong> will be back on the pin. She increased her vertical and improved her serve receive in the off-season. Expect a lot of offense out of her this fall. Junior setter <strong>Sydney Louis</strong> will be in the role to set after having a great spring playing for a really good TAV Houston 17's team. Grand Oaks also has one of the biggest move-ins of the off-season, sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="180175" first="Samara" last="Coleman"]</strong>. The 6 rotation outside was an absolute get for the Lady Grizzlies and will fill a huge hole on offense and defense. They also have a lot of talent at the libero position and will be fine there again. Grand Oaks has the major athletes and almost all the pieces to have a record-setting year, and I am predicting they will make the most of it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>5. Bridgeland</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a whirlwind of a 2021 season, Bridgeland will return strong again this year. Last season they finished 39-12 and made a huge push in the post-season to grab a spot in the final four at the state tournament. They will return 6 rotation senior outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87547" first="Kennedy" last="Kays"]</strong>. Kennedy played for Skyline this spring and made huge improvements to her game. Look for a lot of offense to be run through her. Senior <strong>Gracie Comeaux</strong>, who was a late-season transfer last year, will be able to mesh and be a part of the team this season. She is a high-flying pin hitter who passes very well. Another pin hitter <strong>Olivia Waggoner </strong>will make her appearance again. Bridgeland has arguably the best defender in the region, junior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="124159" first="Alice" last="Volpe"]</strong>. Her defense won her the libero spot last season and she is gotten even better in the off-season, improving her serve receive game. Bridgeland has all the pieces to be successful and will face Cy Ranch in district play again this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This wraps up vol. 1! Be on the lookout for vol. 2 soon!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->