FAST Pre Nationals – Setters to Watch
In this article:
The month of June has arrived and that means that in just a few weeks the club volleyball season will come to an end, with the best teams in the country competing at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship,…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe month of June has arrived and that means that in just a few weeks the club volleyball season will come to an end, with the best teams in the country competing at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6.
Preparing for the GJNC is the focus for most teams in the nation now and the ones from Houston and nearby regions will have a great chance to test themselves ahead of the event this weekend at the traditional FAST Pre Nationals tournament, which will take place across the FAST Complex and the Katy United facility on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a huge tournament, with 104 teams competing across five age divisions, and Prep Dig will be there following the action. Before the tournament begins, however, let’s list some players that will be competing with their teams who are worth your attention. We start with the setters:
Boatman will be setting for the TX Legacy 15 Elite team that will compete in the Power Pool of the 15s division. She’s a player that combines size and skills very well and has only gotten better during the season. Her ball handling is excellent and that allows Boatman to be very creative with her playmaking while remaining accurate and consistent. She has great size at 5’11”, which gives her the ability to make an impact at the net, but doesn’t prevent her from displaying very good mobility when going around the court to track passes and digs. The setter also brings a lot of value from the service line, often getting opponents out of system with her tricky floaters.
Highlights
Robinson is one of the setters of the talented HJV 15 Elite team that will be playing one age group up in the 16s division, in the Power Pool 2. She splits setting duties with Zora Bello Zora Bello 5’10” | S Cypress Ranch | 2026 State TX and the two complement each other very well. A lefty, Robinson is very smooth on the ball and does an excellent job with her distribution. She likes to run a creative offense when in system, but adjusts really well and keeps things simpler when working with more difficult passes. Robinson has some great hitters to work with at HJV 15 Elite and does a very good job of keeping all of them involved in the team’s offense. She also serves well and plays solid defense.
Highlights
De La Rosa will be calling the shots for her SA Juniors 16 Adidas team which will be in action in the Power Pool 2 in the 16s division. She’s been a high school star with Harlan, surpassing 1,000 assists very early in her second season, and is also a stud for her club team. De La Rosa plays with a lot of energy and combines very well the technical and athletic aspects every elite setter has. While she’s very clean when making contact with the ball, she also uses her physical tools very well, not only to get to the ball, but also when making contact with it, expanding her range and maintaining her high level of precision. The setter also plays very good defense in the right back position.
Highlights
Herrera has been playing some tournaments with the Club Catalyst 16 Green team that will compete in Pool 6 in the 16s division. She’s a setter that brings a lot of stability and consistency to her teams because of her cerebral playing style. Herrera is very strategic with her actions and she does a very good job in keeping her teams in a good offensive rhythm – the main keys to it are her intelligent ball distribution and the consistency in her locations. Hitters know exactly what they are going to get from her and that’s something that typically brings a lot of positives to teams. Herrera can also help a lot on the backcourt with her serving and defense.
Clay is one of the setters of the up-and-coming United VBA 17 Purple team that will appear in Power Pool 1 in the 17s division. She has been in excellent form lately and recently guided the team to a huge win at the Lone Star Regionals, splitting playing time with Salamasina Nuu. She’s a setter that significantly improves her team’s ability to score points when in system with her intelligent distribution, but is equally important when out of system as she tracks passes well and turns them into hittable sets with ease. Clay likes to play fast, using her strong middles and sending quick sets to the pins. She also works really hard on defense.