2026s that made a big first impression – Liberos
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The club season is almost completed now, with only a few tournaments set to take place between now and the season-ending 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6. The last few…
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Continue ReadingThe club season is almost completed now, with only a few tournaments set to take place between now and the season-ending 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6.
The last few months were busy ones, with events taking place all over Texas, and I tried to be in as many as I could around the Houston area in order to see the most players possible.
As with any year, the 15s divisions were always intriguing as they contained several prospects we didn’t get to see before and many of them lived up to the expectations or even surpassed them. As we prepare to wrap up another fantastic club season, let’s take a look at some Class of 2026 players that I got to see for the first time over the last few months and who did an excellent job with their club teams. Here are the liberos that got the job done on the backcourt:
Reece emerged very early in the season as one of the most promising liberos in the age group and her strong play throughout the following months with TAV Houston 15 Adidas only strengthened that concept. Her outstanding ball control is what drives her entire game as she’s very precise with every contact she makes, be it a pass, a dig, or even a set. Reece’s technique when she makes contact with the ball is nearly flawless and she’s certainly not the kind of player you’ll see making a mistake because her platform wasn’t quite there or because she had the wrong leg up front. As important as Reece’s technical skills, however, is her mentality on the court. She plays really hard, gives everything she has and is very strong mentally too.
Highlights
Trevino is one of a few talented players from a Valley Venon – 151 Red team that I got to watch a couple of times in the season. On both occasions, she really impressed me with her hard work and efficiency on the backcourt. She has to be one of the best pure defenders I got to see in action during the season because very few players could read the game, make defensive moves and control the ball as well as she did. Trevino plays with great energy and that transfer over to her teammates. Her passing was always accurate too and the libero also caused a big impact from the service line with her floater.
Highlights
Butler had put on some amazing numbers with Johnson during the high school season but I only got to see her in action with her club team AP 15 Adidas. Her level of play certainly didn’t drop as she was doing some really great things on the backcourt for them. She’s one of just a few players who can play defense at a very high level at the left back and the middle back and she can only do that because of her extraordinary vision and her impressive quickness. Butler, who also plays on the sand, is also very clean with her contact, often delivering inch-perfect passes and making digs that keep her team in system. She was also very effective from the service line.
Highlights
Moriah Poe
Moriah Poe
Poe was the most impressive player in a Katy United 15 Adidas team that I got to see a couple of times during the season. She’s very consistent and reliable and stood out as another solid libero in the age group. Poe has a huge role in her team’s serve-receive system, covering a lot of ground and still delivering perfect passes against tough servers. Her ball control also made of her a very strong defender from the left back position. Another thing that stood out in Poe’s game was her mental strength. She always looked very focused when on the court and reacted very well to the few mistakes she made.
I got to see Flessas in action with her Texas Legacy 15 Elite team early in the season, during the FAST Warm Up, in December. Her tremendous mobility and reaction speed were very impressive as they allowed her to frequently get to tips and shots that deflected off the block and keep them in play. The libero was also extremely reliable with her passing, covering a lot of ground and getting the job done. I love how she communicates with her teammates, always keeping them engaged in the match and sharing information with them. Flessas also proved to be a very good server, who can often get opponents out of system.