High School Team Feature – Katy Tigers
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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 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 take a look at the Katy Tigers.
The Squad
This season was always going to be a difficult one for the Tigers as they saw some of the top prospects in the entire state graduate in Maddie Waak, Jordan Gamble and Izzy Denton. Leading the team this season are outside hitters Maddy Chaapel Maddy Chaapel 6'0" | OH Katy | 2023 State TX and Addison Chapman Addison Chapman 6'3" | RS Katy | 2023 State TX , middle Kennedy Pike and setter Gabi Young Gabi Young 5'7" | S Katy | 2024 TX .
Key Players
A very complete pin hitter, Chaapel is a key piece in Katy’s playing system. She fully embraced the task of leading the team’s scoring efforts this season and has responded well to the challenge. Very long, Chaapel also jumps well and has tremendous power in her right arm. She can hit a variety of different sets and typically does a very good job with her shot selection. Chaapel is also very consistent and reliable with her passing.
Kennedy Pike
Kennedy Pike
One of the few returning starters from last season, Pike uses her excellent athleticism to be a factor in the middle. She’s used to going up against much taller opponents at the net, but her quickness and truly impressive vertical make of her a tough matchup for anyone. Pike is powerful and well-versed offensively, being also a prolific hitter from the left, and thrives with her blocking because of her great reading and timing.
An extremely long player, Chapman can be a force at the net. She mostly plays on the left with the Tigers, but can also be deployed on the right or even the middle, as she did in part of the last club season with Houston Juniors. Chapman has a very high contact point when hitting and she’s at her best when she uses it to go over the top of opposing blockers and send the ball towards the end line. Her blocking is also very solid.
Highlights
Young entered the season with big shoes to fill, having to step into Katy’s starting lineup replacing one of the top setters in the country in Waak. The 5’7″ playmaker has been doing a very good job, making the team play with her smart ball distribution. Young runs a relatively straightforward offense, but usually makes good choices and is great when working with passes off the net. She’s also a very good server and a solid defender.
Highlights
Nyla Wold
Nyla Wold
Wold’s versatility is possibly her main asset as a player. She’s been more used on the right with Katy, but can also play in the middle or on the left if needed. Her offense is also very interesting as although she has great size and tremendous power on her right arm, Wold is also very smart and precise with her tips.