Foster vs. Randle – Top Performers
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The high school volleyball season continues to progress at full pace in the state of Texas and, just like that, we’re already into the second month of action in the Lone Star State. Prep Dig will be following the action…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season continues to progress at full pace in the state of Texas and, just like that, we’re already into the second month of action in the Lone Star State.
Prep Dig will be following the action closely and every match I get to attend will be followed with a Top Performers Report, highlighting the prospects who stood out on the court, and a photo gallery.
On Tuesday, October 3, I was in Richmond to follow the Division 5A – District 20 match between the Foster Falcons and the Randle Lions.
Playing at home, the Falcons were better in the second half of each set to walk away with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-22) to improve to 7-1 in district play and 25-8 for the season. The Lions have the same number of wins and losses in both their district (4-4) and overall (9-9) records.
Top Performers
Randle simply didn’t have an answer to Onyechi’s physicality in the middle and the senior took full advantage of it to lead Foster to the win with a very strong performance. The Falcons’ setters fed Onyechi the ball every time they could and she responded well, siding out at an excellent rate, making very few errors and also getting some impressive bounces – she would block and swing from the right in one rotation and did pretty well too. Onyechi also made a big impact with her blocking, winning every joust she was involved with and getting blocks in key moments of the match. She led Foster in kills (nine) and blocks (four).
Reagan Knipling
Reagan Knipling
Foster’s sophomore did very well in her double duty as the team’s setter/right side hitter. She tallied seven assists, was always precise with her locations and did a very good job with her ball distribution. Offensively, Knipling was possibly even better, reaching an impressive 46.7% efficiency rate to register seven kills. A six-footer, she used her length extremely well and was also very smart to diversify, going from hard-driven swings to tips. Knipling’s blocking was also a factor as she blocked in the middle in one rotation and registered three stuffs.
Eden Fairfield
Eden Fairfield
Foster’s senior libero was very active on the backcourt and had a strong defensive production. She was very successful when digging angle at the left back position and tallied a team-high eight digs. Fairfield displayed great ball control, but was also very quick to chase tips. She wasn’t much tested by Randle’s servers, but responded well when that happened. Fairfield also did a good job when she had to set in transition and had some good runs from the service, besides registering an ace.
Hadley Holchak
Hadley Holchak
Holchak’s main role with the Falcons is to provide the team some stability and she did just that against Randle. Targeted by several serves, she handled them well and kept the team in-system with her passing. The outside hitter also tallied four digs and had some offensive success. Despite not very tall, Holchak produced five kills, displaying great resources and intelligence to hit around the block or tool it. She also made some moves to hit in different positions, making things harder for opposing blockers.
A State Tournament finalist with Tompkins, Skrabanek transferred to Randle this season and made a massive impact in the program. She heavily influences the Lions’ play with her all-around game and that was also the case against Foster as she was very active on both sides of the ball. Skrabanek is easily Randle’s best hitter and because of that, she gets set a lot, getting the ball on the left, the right and even the middle and the backcourt. She faced a team that clearly game-planned for her and still managed to have a good success rate with her swings. Her play helped Randle have good moments and push a really strong Foster team.
Madisyn Thompson
Madisyn Thompson
Also a track student-athlete, Thompson did a very good job as Randle’s setter. Her ballhandling was always on point and she managed to remain consistent with her locations even if she had to work with passes off the net fairly frequently. Her excellent athleticism certainly helped with that, as it did with her defense. Thompson also displayed some interesting creativity, moving her hitter around when she could and putting them in good positions to score. Her offense was centered on Skrabanek, but she also used the other hitters when she had an opportunity to do it.