H-Town Showdown #1 – 18s – Liberos
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Last weekend was a big one for club volleyball in the state of Texas as the season started to get some steam with multiple tournaments popping up all around the state and providing prospects from the Lone Star State with…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend was a big one for club volleyball in the state of Texas as the season started to get some steam with multiple tournaments popping up all around the state and providing prospects from the Lone Star State with a great opportunity to develop and showcase their games.
Although the Tour of Texas Qualifier held in Austin was hands down the highlight of the weekend, the Houston area also had some really good competition at the H-Town Showdown #1, a tournament that reunited 100 teams from three different age groups across three venues in the area.
I was at the Texas Tornados club on Saturday afternoon following the two top brackets of the 18s Division and got to see some familiar faces confirm my thoughts about them and several new ones make a strong impression. I’ve been featuring five players in each position who were in top form on Saturday during the week and it’s the liberos’ turn to shine now.
A player of great technique and an even higher volleyball IQ, Chaney did a brilliant job in the backcourt of her HJV 18 Premier team. She has excellent positioning on the back, being a versatile defender who can handle hard-driven hits and tips with the same efficiency. Another thing that stands out in Chaney’s game is her consistency, especially with her serve-receive. She also had some good serving runs during the day and did a very good job when she had to set in transition.
Playing one age group up, Unterrreiner was a stud on the backcourt of TAV Houston 18 Molten. One of the things that make of her such an efficient libero is the fact that she never takes shortcuts and always goes through every step of her technique when making plays, getting a clean and effective contact. Her body is always behind the ball, massively reducing the risk of her shaking a pass or a dig. Unterreiner is also very focused on what’s going on on the court and works hard to recover balls on defense.
Highlights
Neeley Rutledge
Neeley Rutledge
Rutledge is one of several players developed at the Brazos Valley Juniors Club who made the switch to the new Houston Skyline Bryan-College Station club. The starting libero of their 18 Royal team, she’s a relentless defender, who does whatever it takes to keep it up in the air. She’s also a solid passer and capable of making long serving runs. Rutledge is also very communicative and positive on the court, making a good impact with her teammates.
Kailyn Lee
Kailyn Lee
Lee was a solid presence on the backcourt for her Asics Willowbrook 18 Red team. She has great command of the backcourt and is very calm with her actions, typically getting good results out of it. The libero covers a lot of ground in serve-receive and is normally very precise with her deliveries. Lee also thrives for her excellent positioning on defense, which allows her to not only get digs of her own, but also to recover balls shanked by teammates.
Julianna Ruiz
Julianna Ruiz
Ruiz made solid contributions to her AVA TX 18 Power team on the backcourt during the entire day. Her passing is probably the main area of her game and she’s very efficient with it, covering a large chunk of the court and consistently delivering perfect passes to her setter. Her defense is solid too as she uses her excellent positioning to make difficult plays look easier.