George Ranch vs. Ridge Point – 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 third 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 third 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 Friday, October 6, I went to Richmond to watch the duel between the George Ranch Longhorns and the Ridge Point Panthers in Division 6A – District 20.
The Panthers didn’t bother with the fact they were playing on the road and produced a solid 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-19) win to remain at the top of the district standings with 11 wins and one loss – their season record is at 26-13. The Longhorns are fourth with eight wins and four losses and hold a 20-16 record for the season.
Top Performers
Rogers had arguably the most dominant performance I’ve watched this season, playing a central role in Ridge Point’s emphatic victory by not only helping the team in several areas of the game, but actually making a difference in each of them. She started the match at full power and never slowed down, creating all sorts of problems for George Ranch. Rogers was hitting bombs across the net all night and wasn’t much challenged, getting some bounces and swings that blockers and defenders had absolutely no chance of stopping – she also mixed things up well with tips. The outside hitter had an amazing serving run on set one that paved the way for the Panthers’ easy victory. She was also solid on the backcourt, handling well the serves that went her way and getting a lot of touches on defense.
An outside hitter for several years, Battle stepped up to help Ridge Point in a setter/right side role this season and is doing a great job in the new position. She’s now even more involved in the game and that suits her diverse skill set extremely well as it allows her to keep the Panthers in a rhythm. Battle was efficient as usual offensively, using her tremendous vertical and vision to score points and also thrived with her playmaking. Besides making good decisions with her ball distribution and remaining consistent during the entire match, she also made some setting moves that one wouldn’t expect from a player who just transitioned to the position.
Highlights
The junior libero has a very solid performance, taking control of Ridge Point’s backcourt and maintaining her high level throughout the match. Flores was very good when digging at the left back position as she displayed great reading of the game and positioning to get to the right spots and also tremendous ball control to keep the ball in play. Her accurate passing kept the Panthers in system the entire night and allowed the team to be very efficient offensively. Flores also had some strong serving runs and did a good when she had to set in transition.
Highlights
Smith had an excellent night too and had great contributions on the backcourt. She was extremely consistent with her game, producing at a very high level from start to finish and giving Ridge Point a lot of volume at the outside hitter position. She seemed very calm on the court and displayed good decision-making, even when under pressure or during rallies. Her offense was also on point during the entire time as she was a constant scoring threat from every position on the court – her swings from the middle back position were always very impressive.
George Ranch’s offense had a hard time overcoming Ridge Point’s defensive system and Bryant was the one that succeeded on the task more often, registering a team-high nine kills. The outside hitter used her length extremely well, making contact with the ball at the highest possible point to overcome the opposing blockers, even when out-of-system. Her production was very consistent throughout the match and she didn’t make a lot of errors considering how often she was set and that conditions weren’t always ideal. Bryant had some struggles with her passing, as did the entire team, but was very solid on defense, getting a team-high ten digs.
The sophomore outside hitter had a difficult start to the match, producing below her usual level offensively and on serve-receive and making uncharacteristic errors. Slowly, Coy settled into the game and paired with Bryant to help George Ranch push Ridge Point harder on set three. Despite not having her best offensive night, she still was the Longhorns’ second-best hitter with four kills. Coy also deserves credit for finding other ways to help the team as she had two aces and some good serving runs, as well as a team-high two blocks.