State Tournament – Division 5A – The Players to Watch
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The high school volleyball season has just reached its most critical stage in the state of Texas as the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament started earlier on Wednesday in Garland. Between now and Sunday, the four regional champions in…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season has just reached its most critical stage in the state of Texas as the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament started earlier on Wednesday in Garland. Between now and 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. With the first four divisions already covered, it’s time we look at Division 5A, which will have its schedule starting on Friday.
Players to Watch
Morgan Howard
Morgan Howard
A national champion with her Skyline club team, Howard is a setter that makes a difference for the teams she plays for. Although very technical, she also has excellent physical tools to play setter and gets to contribute all across the board for her Colleyville Heritage team. Howard is nearing 1,200 assists for the season (she’s currently at 1,154) and also ranks second in aces (36), third in digs (259) and fifth in kills (107) with the Panthers.
A powerful, yet very technical player, Schroder is every coach’s dream when they think of an elite outside hitter. Her length is, of course, a big asset, but it’s how Schroder uses it that makes a difference. She not only makes sure to make contact with the ball at the highest possible point, but also times her approach very well, often facing blockers when they are on their way down. Schroder is also an excellent backcourt player and, besides leading Reedy in kills (481), she also ranks first in digs (329) and passes (405).
Payton Woods
Payton Woods
This Lake Creek team that survived a bloody regional tournament on Region III had plenty of talent, but Woods was probably the one to shine the brightest. An outside hitter with tremendous offensive potential, she was their go-to scoring option and showed great explosiveness and finesse to put the ball on the court. Woods is excellent in-system, but also very efficient and reliable out-of-system, generating valuable points for her team. She’s Lake Creek’s leading scorer with 547 kills, but also ranks first in aces (76) and blocks (84) and second in digs (539) and passes (605).
The athletic right side hitter has been Liberty Hill’s main scorer and a key player for the team in their campaign. A lefty, Mason has tremendous vertical and a very quick arm, which allows her to find solutions to score even when the block is right in front of her. Mason does a very good job of diversifying her offense and hitting different sets, making of her a very unpredictable hitter. Besides leading the Panthers’ offense with 431 kills, she’s also the team’s third-best blocker with 97 stuffs.