High School Team Feature – Magnolia Bulldogs
In this article:
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.…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
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 take the time to give a good look at the teams on the court and we’ll try to feature as many as possible here in this space. Today we’ll focus on the Magnolia Bulldogs.
The Squad
Magnolia entered the season looking to find more scoring options after the graduations of Brynn Botkin and Sydney Gentry. The trio of Alex Bull Alex Bull 6'2" | MB Magnolia | 2023 State TX , Chloe Richards Chloe Richards 6'1" | OH Magnolia | 2024 State TX and Haley Herndon Haley Herndon 6'1" | OH Concordia Lutheran | 2025 State TX picked up the offensive slack, while Kira Braun has established herself as a top setter in the district.
Key Players
A middle with excellent physical tools and tremendous mobility, Bull leads the way for the Bulldogs at the net. She transferred from Oak Ridge before the start of last season and has proved to be an extremely valuable addition to the team with her ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball. Bull is an outstanding offensive player, as she has great power and can hit a variety of different sets with very good efficiency, but also a dynamic and active blocker.
A long and athletic pin hitter, Richards brings tremendous firepower to Magnolia’s offense. A good jumper, she uses her 6’1″ frame extremely well to score points and is very productive when hitting from the left, right, or even the backcourt. Although her offense is still the main part of her game, she’s made great strides with her passing and defense over the last couple of years and is elite on those areas too.
Highlights
A ferocious outside hitter who can hammer the ball down over and over again, Herndon is playing a much larger role than she did in her freshman season. Her offense is, yes, very powerful, but she also has the resources and the volleyball IQ to score in difficult situations. One of the most impressive aspects of Herndon’s game is the amount of energy she puts into every single play she’s involved with.
Kira Braun
Kira Braun
An extremely steady and reliable setter, Braun does a great job of getting the most out of her offensive options at Magnolia. Her playing style isn’t necessarily the flashiest, but it’s tremendously efficient as she does everything in her power to get her hitters in the best possible position to score in every single play. Braun, who has good size for the position, is very accurate with the locations and typically does well with her ball distribution. The setter, who recently surpassed 1,000 assists in her career, is also a productive defender and a threat on setter dumps.
Alli Gentry
Alli Gentry
Magnolia’s starting libero, Gentry has proved to be a reliable option to lead the team’s backcourt efforts in her junior season. Extremely consistent and reliable, she uses her great positioning and ball control to register several digs every time she’s on the court. The 5’6″ Gentry is also a solid passer.