2023 Houston Area HS Previews: 6A - District 21

<p>The club volleyball season has come to an end in great style, with the best teams in the country battling at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, in Chicago, between the end of June and the start of July.</p>   <p>The top talent in the state of Texas won't have much time off the court, however, as they are now gearing up to represent their high schools in the upcoming season, with the first non-district matches set to happen on August 4 and district play starting from August 22.</p>   <p>The state of Texas has one of the largest high school seasons in the entire country with the University Interscholastic League (UIL) managing a tournament for public schools that features six divisions, 192 districts and as many as 1,207 high school teams.</p>   <p>Prep Dig will be following all the action, as usual, but until it starts, let's take some time to preview some of the districts located in the Houston area.</p>   <p><strong>Division 6A - District 21</strong></p>   <p><strong>Atascocita</strong></p>   <p>Humble's Atascocita took second play in district play last season, winning 12 of their 14 matches in the region. The Eagles survived the first round of the playoffs, but fell to Clear Springs in the area round. The team's three main scorers in 2022, outside hitter Layla Smith, middle Ruthie Swain and setter/right setter Madai Suarez, have all graduated, as well as starting libero Macee Harman. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='519547' first='Rheanna' last='Deen-Jackson'] (middle), Brooklynne Fitzgerald and Reagan Joyner (outside hitter) will need to increase their offensive production while sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='251508' first='Chloe' last='Cotten'] is a viable option at the libero position.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/atascocita_vb/status/1682531739753693184?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Beaumont United</strong></p>   <p>Beaumont United had a difficult time keeping up with the high level of play in the district in 2022 and finished eighth with just one set won during district play. The Timberwolves also graduated several seniors after their last campaign, most notably setter Kelsey Roundtree, middle Brooklyn Popillion, outside hitter Aniya Matherson and libero Niya Jackson. Junior outside hitter Chelsea Moore and senior libero Angela Cooley will be important returning players for Beaumont United.</p>   <p><strong>Humble</strong></p>   <p>Humble returned to the postseason last year, ranking fourth in the district with an 8-6 win record. The Wildcats had a tough matchup with Deer Park right in their first playoff match and couldn't make it past the bi-district round. They will be able to try to do it again with basically the same roster as libero Micaiah Smith was the only player to graduate after the conclusion of last season. Humble will likely have juniors Kylee Roberts (setter), [player_tooltip player_id='240641' first='Amaris' last='Marks'] and Trabrece Marbley (outside hitters) and seniors Jada James (middle) and Aryana Tullos (libero) forming the core of their team. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Humble_VBall/status/1593344005605048321?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>King</strong></p>   <p>Houston's King ranked sixth in the district in the 2022 season, getting four victories in their 14 district matches. Three key pieces from their last campaign won't return in the upcoming season as outside hitters Aleria Lane and Kristian Lewis and setter Isabell Albizu have graduated. Senior middle Danee Clark and juniors Carmen Cooksey (outside hitter), Sophia Martinez (libero) and Regina Patino (setter) will have a huge influence on what the Panthers do in 2023.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/CEKingVball/status/1666686662909329408?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Kingwood</strong></p>   <p>Kingwood were extremely competitive in district play season, winning 11 out of 14 matches to finish in third place. They also overcame the first round of the playoffs before falling to Pearland in the area round. The Lady Mustangs have lost three of their foundational pieces to graduation, however, in the Montes twins Emma (outside hitter/middle) and Abby (setter/right side) and setter Hannah Smith. Senior outside hitter Ellie Ocampo will likely be Kingwood's most important player in the upcoming season, with fellow seniors and middles [player_tooltip player_id='254287' first='Pemi' last='Areola'] and Ellie Neuman also playing big roles with the team and junior Molly Burch stepping up at setter.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Kingwood_VB/status/1587611966817853443?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>North Shore</strong></p>   <p>Houston's North Shore were the first team sitting below the playoff line last season, as they ranked fifth with five victories and nine losses. The Lady Mustangs had a senior-heavy squad last year and lost setter Karissa Maldonado, outside hitters Briana Allen and Rori Loche, middle Taylor Watson and libero Josiara Hernandez to graduation. Some of their key returning players will be seniors Ivoryanna Mercer and Tamea Harris (middles), Za'Nya Garrett (outside hitter) and Niesha Johnson (setter).</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/NSSH_Mustangs/status/1579982375106514945?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Summer Creek</strong></p>   <p>Houston's Summer Creek made history last season, winning the district title for the first time with a campaign of 13 wins and just one loss. The Lady Bulldogs also made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs before falling to Dawson in the regional quarterfinals. Graduated libero Kennedy Gustafson, outside hitter Nya Houston and middle Yamari Thomas will all be missed, but a repeat is certainly possible given the qualifty of Summer Creek's roster, which features a very strong senior lineup with [player_tooltip player_id='124151' first='Aspen' last='Maxwell'] and Kamiryn Edmonds at the pins, [player_tooltip player_id='198344' first='Taylor' last='Larkin'] in the middle, [player_tooltip player_id='177550' first='Angelica' last='Medina'] on the right and Anika Frausto at setter.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/SUMMERCREEKVB/status/1585291378195828737?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>West Brook</strong></p>   <p>Beaumont's West Brook finished their last campaign in seventh-place, getting three victories in their 14 district matches. The Lady Bruins graduated three seniors who had relevant roles with the team in middle Makayla West, setter Ashlyn Neireiter and libero D'Najia Doucet. Leading the team in 2023 will be seniors Brianna White (outside hitter) and Iyana Morgan (setter) and juniors Lacy Sneed (middle) and Emaline Hickman (outside hitter).</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/WestBrookVB/status/1568781844891451393?s=20 </div></figure>

The club volleyball season has come to an end in great style, with the best teams in the country battling at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, in Chicago, between the end of June and the start of July.