FAST Warm Up – 15 Open – The All-Tournament Team
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The club volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas and one of the most popular and exciting season-opening events in the Houston area, the FAST Warm Up, took place last weekend across multiple venues, reuniting as many as…
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Continue ReadingThe club volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas and one of the most popular and exciting season-opening events in the Houston area, the FAST Warm Up, took place last weekend across multiple venues, reuniting as many as 273 teams from H-Town and several other cities.
I was at the FAST Complex on Sunday to watch the top eight teams of the 15 Open division compete in the gold bracket and it was exciting to see some new faces emerge and display excellent playing level and intriguing skills – Houston Juniors ‘ HJV 15 Elite ended up as the division winners, with TAV Houston 15 Adidas finishing second.
We’ve spent the days after the event highlighting some of the individual standouts of the 15 Open division and today is the time to pick the best of the best and announce my All-Tournament Team.
There were quite a few setters that really impressed me on the gold bracket but Bello stood above all of them for the big role she played for division winners HJV 15 Elite. She was very smooth and intelligent with her ball distribution, kept all her hitters as involved as possible and still made good contributions on defense. Bello also helped on offense when at the net and showed an interesting ability to score points.
Sarah Hickman Sarah Hickman 6'3" | RS Stratford | 2026 State TX
Sarah Hickman Sarah Hickman 6'3" | RS Stratford | 2026 State TX
Hickman was one of the hitters that benefited the most from Bello’s ball handling with HJV 15 Elite. The two have a very good connection and that make of the towering lefty one of the team’s top offensive players in the tournament. Hickman is wise beyond her years on the court as, despite being a very young prospect, she didn’t make a lot of mistakes and showed great understanding about the best ways to use her length as an advantage, often using it to hit over the top of blockers or to tool them instead of trying to hammer the ball straight down.
Henley Anderson Henley Anderson 6'4" | OH Dripping Springs | 2026 State TX
Henley Anderson Henley Anderson 6'4" | OH Dripping Springs | 2026 State TX
One of the sensations of the last high school season, when she played a big role in Dripping Springs’ victory at the State Tournament, Anderson lived up to the expectations with her club team AP 15 Adidas on the tournament. As many would expect, she user her tremendous length and incredible technique to carry the team’s offense, being set at the left, right and even the backcourt. But it was really impressive to see Anderson do a lot more than hitting. She was solid with her passing, made big plays on defense and also strongly contributed with her serving.
Combs played a big role in pushing her STVA 15 Mizuno team to a third-place finish in the division. She was incredibly consistent during the gold bracket and came up big on offense every time the team needed her, using her power and finesse to find solutions to score points in key moments. She also did a very good job on the backcourt and helped with good serving. Combs was particularly solid in her team’s victory over AP 15 Adidas.
Pyle was easily one of the most dominant middles in action in the division. She played a big role for her TAV Houston 15 Adidas team, offering a consistent scoring option down the middle. She was set quite often and used her length and power to score on most occasions. Pyle also did very well with her blocking. She was reading the game very well and that gave her a head start to quickly get to the pins and get her area covered.
Highlights
Julia Wright
Julia Wright
Wright impressed me with her offensive game when on the court with her Houston Stellar 15 Elite team. She certainly wasn’t the tallest or more powerful middle in the division, but I’m not sure someone matched her hitting efficiency. Wright proved to be hugely resourceful as she would always find a way to beat the block and score, even when the sets weren’t ideal. She can also hit a handful of different sets and that gave her setters a lot of options to work with when she was at the net.
Libero was another close call for my All-Tournament team as I got to see so many talented ones out there. I ultimately went with Hopkins after I saw her, playing as a defensive specialist, absolutely take over the match against SA Juniors 15 Adidas on defense. She then moved to libero and continued to put on a show, getting several digs every match and also contributing with her solid passing.