KISD/CFISD Tournament Top Performers – Outside Hitters
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The high school volleyball season started at full pace in the state of Texas and a massive number of matches were played in the opening week alone, several of them in varsity tournaments that took place all over the Lone…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season started at full pace in the state of Texas and a massive number of matches were played in the opening week alone, several of them in varsity tournaments that took place all over the Lone Star State.
One of them was the Katy ISD/Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Varsity Tournament, which reunited as many as 48 teams from the Houston area and beyond for three days of competition across eight high schools in the region between Thursday and Saturday.
I was at the Katy Taylor and the Cinco Ranch high schools on the opening day and watched the matches at Tompkins on Friday, being able to see in person 22 different teams across the two days. During the week, I’ll be sharing the positional top performers from the teams I was fortunate to watch and this time we’ll look at the outside hitters.
Awarded as the Most Valuable Player of the event, Tchouangwa was one of the main reasons why Tompkins was so dominant in their path to the title. She was on fire all weekend and although teams would try to send their best blockers her way, at times it seemed she was hitting to an open set so significant was her physical advantage. The 5’11” Tchouangwa produced 70 kills, nine aces, 78 digs and 56 passes, showing she’s getting more and more comfortable on the backcourt.
An All-Tournament Team selection, the six-footer Halstead had a similar role with Brandeis, leading her team to a third-place finish. Extremely dynamic and versatile, she produced very well on both sides of the ball, especially on offense, hitting from the left, the right, the middle and even the backcourt. Her production of 76 kills, 76 digs and impressive 192 passes showed her important she was to the team. Halstead surpassed 1,000 digs in her high school career during the tournament.
A cornerstone for her young Jordan team, the 6’1″ Folse produced to an excellent level during the event, making it to the All-Tournament Team. She was the player her teammates would turn to when the match was on the line and, more often than not, Folse would respond with a kill from wherever she was on the court. Her combination of size and skills is truly unique and Folse also does an excellent job on the defensive side of the game.
The top scorer of her Cinco Ranch team that finished fifth, O’Brien seems to have gotten even better in her senior season. She continues to be a dynamic player on the court and her chemistry with her sister and team setter Kassidy seems to have improved even more, but it feels like she still found ways to refine some areas of her game, including with the addition of a tough topspin jump serve. O’Brien produced 73 kills, five aces, 83 digs and 76 passes during the Cougars’ campaign, also making it to the All-Tournament Team.
The long and athletic Tompkins prospect was really difficult to stop and deservedly earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Hitter award. The 6’1″ Skrabanek used her length and offensive power to perfection, often hitting the ball towards the end line in a location that would be impossible for blockers or defenders to do something about it. Also an excellent server, she ended the tournament with 52 kills, eighth aces, nine blocks, 59 digs and 65 passes.