Houston Stop 2 Top 250 Expo: 2025’s Who Made A Difference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the year grows closer to a close, let's take a look at the top sophomores who definitely got our attention at the Houston Stop 2 Top 250 Expo at [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']. Each athlete stood out on their court for a variety of reasons and we will dive into that below!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269832' first='Zoey' last='Montgomery'] / Libero / BCS Skyline</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am very excited to have seen [player_tooltip player_id='269832' first='Zoey' last='Montgomery'] at stop 2 of the Top 250 Expo in Houston. She was an unknown athlete to me before the expo, and she is now definitely on my watchlist for the club season. I got to see Zoey a lot on court 2 and she immediately caught my attention because of her great serve. During the servers vs. passers drill, she was giving the opposing side a really tough time with her serves, and she was getting a lot of compliments from her teammates on her serve. Zoey was also very talkative herself as well as encouraging on the floor during 6v6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240641' first='Amaris' last='Marks'] / OH / Texas Outlaws</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='240641' first='Amaris' last='Marks'] really took control over court 3 all day. From controlled hitting drills to blockers vs. hitters, Amaris really held her own and stood out even among some of the very tall blockers she was playing against. She has a really nice verticle and explosive last two steps which allowed her to hit some tight sets that I saw. She seemed to be a solid passer and blocker as well while I was observing on her court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216504' first='Ariana' last='Spell'] / Libero / [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have been familiar with [player_tooltip player_id='216504' first='Ariana' last='Spell'] because of her time with Langham Creek, who I followed during the high school season. Ariana played with quiet confidence on the court. She wasn't the loudest by far but she had a commanding presence while on the backcourt. I also noted her very tough float serve that gave the opposing side of the net trouble as well as her great out-of-system setting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269801' first='Jaeda' last='Rawls-Fletcher'] / Middle / [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raw athletic talent are three words to describe Jaeda. Her verticle is near the top of the antennae on her approach jump, and when she makes contact it can look pretty amazing because of her high contact point. While her contact on the ball was hit or miss in some cases, her pure athleticism stood out and she held her own on the court against much older players. I am certain Jaeda's skill will catch up to her athleticism and she will be fun to watch over the next 3 years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='187268' first='Kate' last='Valt'] / OH / Houston Stellar</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='187268' first='Kate' last='Valt'] was a blocking machine during 6v6 play. She has a lot of size at the net with her height and her long arms playing to her advantage. She was extremely dominant on courts 1 and 2 during scrimmage play, putting away several kills and single blocks for points. Kate had not been on my radar before, but after seeing her shine on the court on Saturday, I will definitely be following up on her throughout the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->