Houston Stop 2 Top 250 Expo Top Performers: Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stop 2 of the Top 250 Expo ended in Houston on Saturday, and the athletes in attendance exceeded expectations. We had some legit liberos in the lineup and have dedicated an entire article to the performance of these athletes. With 2022 coming to a close, we will wrap up a great Expo season with these highlighted athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='178811' first='Kristen' last='Kuehn'] / Junior / TAV Houston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Super impressive junior libero [player_tooltip player_id='178811' first='Kristen' last='Kuehn'] put on a serve-receive clinic for us Saturday morning. There was not a time when I was watching her court that I did not see her passing dimes in serve-receive. Kristen really impressed me earlier this year playing for Brenham High School, but to see her performance against some of the best in the area really made her stand out. Kristen's abilities don't stop in serve-receive, she is an excellent defender with a lot of range in her angle passing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235065' first='Cameron' last='Steger'] / Junior / [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another excellent serve receiver, [player_tooltip player_id='235065' first='Cameron' last='Steger'] showed a lot of promise during 6v6 drills. She easily switched from middle and left-back positions and didn't have any problems in defense. I wrote down notes about her great out-of-system plays and her ability to set up her hitters successfully at the pin, even on very tough plays. Cameron is definitely on my radar after this weekend, and I will be by to watch her as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='204017' first='Daniela' last='Laing'] / Sophomore / Houston Stellar </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='204017' first='Daniela' last='Laing'] flew under the radar at the Top 250 Expo until the courts hit 6v6 drills. That's when Daniela really shined. She was aggressive, confident, and overall a great teammate to everyone on her court. She seemed to gel well with other passers and her court setters. She is a taller defensive specialist with a lot of range with her length. She used her size, length, and communication to really lead her court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269795' first='Gemma' last='Hopkins'] / Freshman / [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Court teammate to [player_tooltip player_id='204017' first='Daniela' last='Laing'], Gemma really paired well on her court with other passers. She has a great collapse move and can find a way to get under really hard-driven balls. I like her stability on defense, her confidence in passing, and her out-of-system setting. Gemma has a really bright future ahead of her because of her intensity, teamwork, and cooperation with others on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267808' first='Gabi' last='Juarez'] / Junior / [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Court 1 coaches favorite, [player_tooltip player_id='267808' first='Gabi' last='Juarez'] really stood out defensively. She was talked about very highly from court coaches and scouts. She is a very good middle back player with a very good read side to side and can get into the split in the block as well. She isn't afraid of the floor and loves a good hustle play or a pancake. Gabi was also a very positive player on th floor, celebrating her teammates successes and kept her communication very high throughout the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->