State Tournament – Division 1A – The Players to Watch
The high school volleyball season is set to reach its most critical stage in the state of Texas with the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament is about to start in Garland. From Wednesday to Sunday, the four regional champions…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season is set to reach its most critical stage in the state of Texas with the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament is about to start in Garland. From Wednesday to Sunday, the four regional champions in each of the state’s six divisions will battle for the state title.
As we prepare for the tournament, it’s a good opportunity for us to feature some of the most intriguing players from each of the 24 teams that will compete this week in Garland. Starting today, with division 1A, we’ll highlight the top players to watch (one from each team) in each of the six divisions.
Players To Watch
Bella Stevens
Bella Stevens
The six-foot-tall senior middle is a little bit of an unorthodox prospect as she plays middles despite being a lefty. Stevens hits a slower set down the middle but is quite effective with it, making contact with the ball at a high point and finding good angles. She also hits from the right with great efficiency. Stevens is a well-rounded player as well as, besides leading the Cougars in kills with 358, she’s also the team’s top blocker (64 stuffs) and ranks second in digs (178) and fourth in passes (129).
Valeria Zavala
Valeria Zavala
Another lefty playing middle, Zavala was a key piece for Benjamin as the Mustangs moved forward to dominate Region 2. She’s also very strong offensively, hitting with power and precision from the middle, and is a scoring threat from the backcourt as well. Zavala had multiple 20-kill matches this season and will need to come up with some big numbers at the State Tournament again for the Mustangs to succeed.
Kayden Arrington
Kayden Arrington
Blum have been at the State Tournament in the last three seasons and in all of them, Arrington was around to provide the defensive stability the team needed to thrive. The libero is very clean with her first touch and is extremely productive, be it with her defense or her passing, and also a good server. Her production for the season is currently at 480 digs, 543 passes and 33 aces – she recently surpassed 1,500 career digs.
Peyton Burrell
Peyton Burrell
A great all-around player, Burrell is central in D’Hanis’ playing system with her ability to perform multiple skills at a very high level. Despite her limited size, her offense is very dependable and dynamic as she can also hit sets from the middle. Burrell also makes good plays on defense and is a solid passer, who keeps her team in-system most of the times serves go her way. Her own serve is pretty good as well and one of the key elements of her game.