Paetow vs. Seven Lakes – Top Performers
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The high school volleyball season is about to complete its first and longest round, as district play is coming to an end in every corner of the Lone Star State. Prep Dig will continue to follow the action closely and…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season is about to complete its first and longest round, as district play is coming to an end in every corner of the Lone Star State.
Prep Dig will continue to follow 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 17, we were in the Katy area, where the Paetow Panthers hosted the Seven Lakes Spartans in a Division 6A – District 19 matchup.
The visiting Spartans found their rhythm at the end of the first set and never looked back, securing a 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 25-16) victory to improve their district record to 11-3 (and 24-14 overall). The Panthers have four wins and ten losses in district play and a 12-26 season record.
Top Performers
Gracie Hobin
Gracie Hobin
Seven Lakes’ freshman played a very strong match, playing all six rotations and staying on the court for the vast majority of the match. Hobin was very efficient offensively, using her length to overcome Paetow’s blockers, swinging with power and finding good spots to put the ball down. She was also solid on the backcourt, handling most of the serves that went her way very well and making some good defensive plays. Hobin’s consistency was also remarkable as it’s not very common to see freshmen keeping the same level from the start to the end of matches as she did, let alone making the small number of errors she did.
Megan Chapman Megan Chapman 5'6" | DS/L Seven Lakes | 2026 TX
Megan Chapman Megan Chapman 5'6" | DS/L Seven Lakes | 2026 TX
Chapman was one of the building blocks of Seven Lakes’ victory as she provided the team with a lot of stability on the backcourt. She covered a lot of ground on serve-receive and had great efficiency with her passing. Her defense was also important as it generated several transition opportunities for the Spartans, be it controlling hard-driven hits or picking up tips. Chapman’s communication was another major part of her game, for two different reasons. She got to share the court with several different defensive specialists and showed great command and coordination with each of them. The vocal libero also played an important role in terms of keeping her teammates focused, especially after Seven Lakes took control of the game.
The senior setter knew how to make the most of what the game presented her, running her offense creatively and keeping her hitters engaged. Romriell kept everyone in the game, diversifying a lot with her distribution, and moved her hitters around quite often, benefiting from the several free balls and out-of-system swings Seven Lakes faced in the match. She also had some good serving runs and scored off of setter dumps on some occasions too.
Highlights
Wingate was dominant in the middle and made a strong impact on both sides of the ball. Her offense was nearly flawless as she scored almost every time she was set and displayed some interesting hitting skills, swinging into different directions and getting some bounces. The junior also had a strong blocking presence, be it when fighting to win 50-50 balls or when moving around the net to get stops.
Highlights
Valeria Valladares
Valeria Valladares
Paetow’s senior libero stood out for her consistency and solid play. Valladares was also to play at the same level from the first to the last point and her presence gave a lot of stability to the team on the backcourt. She did a very good job with her passing and, except for a moment on set two, was extremely efficient in serve-receive. The libero also had some very good moments on defense, using her reading and ball control to make stops on the backcourt. Valladares also had some good serving runs, creating problems for Seven Lakes’ passers with her floater.
Arayla Scranton
Arayla Scranton
The freshman outside hitter passed the test in what was probably one of the most challenging matches of the season. Besides playing a superior opponent, Scranton was also constantly targeted by Seven Lakes’ serving and, despite some struggles at specific moments, did a good job with it. She also displayed some promising qualities at the net, using her good vertical and great length to score points and proving to be a solid blocker. She also looked very calm during the entire match.