Tour of Texas Stop 1 Top Performers – Vol 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few weekends ago some awesome players gathered under one roof in Austin and went into battle in impressive fashion.  Nothing marks the true start of the season for me like the Tour of Texas does.  We are blessed to have some of the best talent in the nation in our wonderful state.  It is truly a site to see when the best decide to put their talent to the test so early in the season against other top teams and see where they stand and what they need to work on for qualifier season later on in the year.  Iron truly does sharpen iron when this occurs and Prep Dig was lucky enough to see it in person.  What will follow is a series of articles of individual players who stood out while competing at a high level.  Let's meet a few of the standouts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124133' first='Ava' last='Houser']&nbsp;[2024] 5-7 Setter (HS: Guyer/Club: Excel/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":305495,"width":216,"height":233,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/Ava-Houser-e1675034555274.jpg?w=945" alt="" class="wp-image-305495" width="216" height="233" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ava is currently ranked as the 46^th best overall prospect in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. &nbsp;She plays high school volleyball for the powerhouse Guyer High School and is playing club volleyball for Excel this year.&nbsp; Miss Houser is someone who we have been keeping our eyes on for the past couple of years due to just how smooth she is on the court.&nbsp; She attended our showcase event last summer at USAV Junior Nationals and she wowed all of the coaches with her abilities.&nbsp; She is the type of setter that no matter what team she is on, she will make them better by how she moves the ball around to all of her hitters and her pinpoint accurate sets.&nbsp; There is not a ball that she cannot replicate over and over no matter the tempo and location.&nbsp; Any college would be lucky to have her as she will be a solid leader and great teammate.&nbsp; Some players have that “It Factor” and Miss Houser is definitely one of them.&nbsp; She is extremely coachable and has a great rapport with both coaches and teammates.&nbsp; I suggest every school who needs a true leader give this young lady a look or two as she will not disappoint.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='188908' first='Isabella' last='Ceja'] [2023] 5-7 Libero (HS: Incarnate Word/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":305496,"width":211,"height":204,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/Isabella-Ceja-e1675034629565.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-305496" width="211" height="204" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miss Ceja is currently ranked as the 169^th best overall prospect according to the 2023 Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.&nbsp; She is a solid libero/defensive specialist that plays for Incarnate Word High School and also club for the famed Alamo program. &nbsp;The four year varsity starter has been on my radar for the past couple of years and we are proud to have her ranked in our system.&nbsp; She is very steady in the back row as she understand passing angles very well and keeps her squad in system with her ball control out of serve receive.&nbsp; The one aspect that I love about her is how she is not afraid to use her hands while digging and this adds to her extensive defensive range.&nbsp; This will keep her relevant for many programs because of how much it adds to her ball control.&nbsp; When I watched her play at the Tour a few weekends ago, I was in awe of how quickly she moves on the court and how she stays extremely balanced both before and during contact of the ball.&nbsp; She collapses really well on hard driven attacks, which softens the blow and keeps the ball on her side of the court.&nbsp; If you need to add some much needed ball control to your roster, look no further.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318140' first='Nadiya' last='Shelby'] [2026] 5-11 Outside/Right Side (HS: Friendswood/Club: Houston Skyline/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":305497,"width":157,"height":235,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/01/Nadiya-Shelby-e1675034712987.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-305497" width="157" height="235" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nadiya is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but that will change in a few weeks when I update them.&nbsp; Miss Shelby plays at Friendswood High School and also for the awesome Houston Skyline club program.&nbsp; We always talk about high-flying ballers but this young lady is on another level.&nbsp; My jaw was on the floor when I saw her battle at the net because of how high she was able to touch.&nbsp; Her vertical is astounding and when you add the length in her extremities, you have a very formidable block/attack at the net for your squad.&nbsp; I love how much she was able to press her hands over the net to seal it from would-be attackers.&nbsp; She is very versatile as she can literally play every position along the net and any coach would love her athleticism.&nbsp; The three-sport stud excels at basketball and track for her high school also.&nbsp; I cannot wait to release the State Rankings and show the volleyball world just how elite she truly is.&nbsp; She was recently named Houston Area Newcomer of the Year by one publication and it was totally warranted due to her play as a freshman on varsity.&nbsp; Everyone's eyes need to be on this young dynamo as she embarks on a great volleyball career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:nov8vb@yahoo.com">nov8vb@yahoo.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Texas Family!&nbsp; Don't be afraid to interact with us.&nbsp; We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.&nbsp; Keep them coming!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->