Legends Classic #3 – Setters Who Stole the Show
The club volleyball season resumed in the state of Texas this past weekend after a two-week break for the holidays and there were several tournaments going on simultaneously around the Lone Star State. Most of the top teams in the…
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Continue ReadingThe club volleyball season resumed in the state of Texas this past weekend after a two-week break for the holidays and there were several tournaments going on simultaneously around the Lone Star State.
Most of the top teams in the state headed to the traditional Countdown City Classic in San Antonio, but I went to the Legends Classic #3, which was hosted by the Open Court Sports Complex in Katy, on Saturday, instead.
The event was a 16s tournament attended by 20 teams from Houston and surrounding areas, which provided me with a great opportunity to take a look at some under-the-radar prospects from the region. I’ll share my findings during the week, going over every position, and I start now with the setters.
Escobar’s consistently strong play was pivotal for her team HJV 16 National win the gold bracket with six wins and no sets dropped. I had seen her play in our recent Prep Dig Top 250 Expo but there were several aspects of her game that only become evident during real competition and Escobar didn’t disappoint. She’s very accurate with her locations and tries to keep things simple, using her middles when she has a chance and turning to the pin hitters when the play asks for it. She’s also very calm on the ball and communicates really well with her teammates. Escobar also made a big impact on the backcourt with impressive digs and some solid serving runs.
Audrey Jones
Audrey Jones
The traditional Houston Skyline club is known for having talent even well outside of its top teams and Jones was just another example of that. She displayed great talent and impressive maturity to lead Skyline 16 Silver in the tournament and helped them make it to the final of the silver bracket. She sets consistently well to all three positions and made very good decisions with her ball distribution. Jones also displayed impressive reflexes on defense and consistently got opponents out of stem with her tough serve.
Isabella Wisner
Isabella Wisner
One of the four teams to make it to the gold bracket, TX Hurricanes 16 CAT 5 were brilliantly led by Wisner. The setter had a talented group of hitters to work with and made the most of it, distributing the ball well and putting each of them in good positions to score. She has a great touch on the ball and is very calm with her ball handling, consistently making good plays. Her serve also proved to be an important weapon for her team as Wisner had good runs from the service line in different moments.
Sara Ostermiller
Sara Ostermiller
I had covered Ostermiller last year when she was with TAV Houston and it was great to see how much progress she’s made setting for HJV 16 Adidas and helping the team make it to the gold bracket. She got to build on some of the core areas of her game, such as her accurate locations and her strong serve, but also developed other tools. A lefty, Ostermiller is clearly stronger now and can set to the pin from anywhere on the court. She’s also playing smarter when the pass is off the net, focusing on placing the ball in a hittable condition. She also displayed excellent body control to jump and get to tight passes at the net.
Sara Sajjadian
Sara Sajjadian
Texas Outlaws 16 Black had a solid run at the Legends Classic #3, losing only one of their four matches, and Sajjadian was a good surprise in the team. She showed the ability to do basically everything at a good level, setting consistently well and making good plays on defense. Sajjadian is very mobile and quickly gets to the ball, which helps with her precision. She can score some points on her own, be it with her strong serves or her crafty setter dumps.