2026s that made a big first impression – Outsides
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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. These are some outside hitters who were in great form:
I had obviously heard of Anderson and watched some film of her after she played a massive role in Dripping Springs’ title-winning campaign at the State Tournament, but seeing her in-person with AP 15 Adidas showed that she’s much more than a spectacular point-scorer. Her offense is, for sure, the area of her game that stands out the most, but Anderson brings a lot more to the court, producing at a really high level with her passing and defense, two skills she performs with impressive consistency. Very long and athletic, she has excellent footwork in her approach and a very quick right arm, which she uses to hir around blockers in the last minute. That combination and her high volleyball IQ give her the ability to score from anywhere on the court.
HJV 15 Elite’s roster is absolutely loaded at outside hitter, so just to stand out among such great internal competition is already remarkable from Muoneke. The skill that sets her apart from most pin hitters in her age group is her tremendous offensive power, which makes of her the go-to player when the team needs to score in critical moments. Muoneke is a phenomenal jumper and has one of the heaviest arms in the state, being capable of scoring from anywhere on the court. She has a very good foundation on every other skill too, being an aggressive blocker and a reliable passer and will only get better with time. Muoneke displayed a dangerous top spin jump serve in some moments of the season that could be a weapon in the future too.
Udoye has been truly impressive this season as she’s not only been playing one age group up with Texas Fury 16 Legacy, but also been arguably the team’s top player and one of its leaders. It’s not very usual to see players in her situation display so much maturity and consistency and that and her technical and physical skills have quickly established Udoye as one of the top outside hitters in her class. She’s a very strong offensive player, who can score against anyone, and that’s not only because of her impressive physical tools. Udoye is also very intelligent with her shot selection and is among the most reliable players to score in big moments. She also has very good ball control and holds her own pretty well on the backcourt.
Highlights
Kelly has been one of the nice surprises of the season playing with Houston Stellar 15 Elite. Although she missed a chunk of the team’s calendar due to an injury, she did more than enough to emerge as a very promising player in the early months of the season. She has been a force at the net, consistently scoring from the left and the right and getting her team out of difficult situations. Kelly is very explosive with her approach and uses her length and power well to put the ball down. She’s also very efficient when set off the net, making the most of her reach to find open spots on the court. The outside hitter also displayed great efficiency with her blocking, getting stops and making things harder for opposing hitters.
A setter with excellent size and amazing all-around skills, Carrasquillo has been used mostly as an outside hitter for Roots 151 Green. A very complete player, she delivers in every aspect of the game, strongly contributing to her team’s volume on the court. She’s a productive offensive player, who uses her length and power very well and who can score from the left and the right and consistently puts the ball down. Her passing is extremely reliable too and Carrasquillo also displayed great efficiency playing defense, be it at the middle back position or when dropping from the net. Her serve is also an important weapon as it often gets opponents out of system.