Club Team Feature – AVA TX 18 Adidas
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The club season is already underway in the state of Texas and hundreds of teams have already been in action and done great things over the first weeks of play in the Lone Star State. Everyone is taking a little…
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Continue ReadingThe club season is already underway in the state of Texas and hundreds of teams have already been in action and done great things over the first weeks of play in the Lone Star State.
Everyone is taking a little break for the holidays and will get back to full power on the first weekend of January, so we’ll take the week to feature some of the 18s teams from the Houston area that we believe have the potential to make really good things over the next few months.
AVA TX 18 Adidas
The team from the Absolute Volleyball Academy from League City started the season with a third-place finish at the FAST Warm Up. They have a greatly talented setter in Ashley Richardson Ashley Richardson 5'11" | S Clear Springs | 2024 State TX , strong pin hitters in Devyn Lewis Devyn Lewis 6'1" | MB Manvel | 2023 State TX and Ana Garza Ana Garza 5'11" | OH Alvin | 2023 State TX and Kaitlyn Gotsch Kaitlyn Gotsch 6'4" | MB Friendswood | 2023 TX ‘s strong presence in the middle to form the core of the team.
Key Players
The talented class of 2024 setter is such a special player that she’s playing one age group up in one of the strongest clubs in the Houston area. Richardson is incredibly smooth on the court, combining good size and impressive ball control. She typically plays a variety of different roles and it’s been no different with AVA TX 18 Adidas as while the takes on setting duties when at the back, she’s been using her firepower to score points on offense when at the net, hitting from the left and the right. Only a very versatile player would be able to do it and that’s exactly what Richardson is.
Garza is another skilled player to perform multiple roles with AVA TX 18 Adidas. She first emerged as a middle, then switched to outside hitter and now plays a little bit of both with the team. On either position, Garza’s length and mobility are what make of her a truly interesting player. She performs every action of the game at a very high level and can provide exactly what her team needs. Although her blocking is probably her main asset, Garza has also made great strides with her passing lately and is a true all-around player.
Gotsch has made great process over the last few years and became one of the top blockers in the state during the last high school season, when she set a new record for the most blocks in a single season at Friendswood. Although Gotsch’s length plays a big factor in her success, it was her physical improvement (jumping and mobility) and her better understanding of the game that made of her an outstanding blocker. She’s capable of taking up so much space with her arms and now she knows better the best way to do it.
Highlights
A heavy-armed offensive player, Lewis really became the best player she can by moving from her original middle position to outside hitter. There, she can make the absolute most of her incredible firepower and she’s easily one of the hardest players to stop in the entire state with her combination of length, athleticism, power and a variety of different shots. Lewis has worked hard to improve on the backcourt over the last few years and it’s really easy to see how much progress she’s done on that area.
Carissa Young
Carissa Young
Young offers a dynamic presence on the right for AVA TX 18 Adidas. She’s always very active and plays with a lot of intensity, starring in interesting battles with opposing outside hitters. Her blocking is probably the area of her game that stands out the most as besides of jumping well and having very long arms, Young also reads opposing hitters really well and does a great job of getting int heir way. A lefty, she can also be a truly efficient offensive weapon, especially when hitter quicker sets behind the setter.