Tour of Texas Stop 1 – Austin Skyline 16 Royal – Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most anticipated tournaments at the beginning of each club season is the Tour of Texas because of all of the talent that will be competing.&nbsp; The first stop will be held in Dallas, TX this weekend. &nbsp;I was able to attend this prestigious event and this next series will be about those players who stood out while I watched their matches in person.&nbsp; I spent most of my time watching the Invitational tournament, which was riddled with Open level talent.&nbsp; There were teams that traveled from Utah, Georgia, California, and Hawaii to compete with our Texas teams.&nbsp; Without further ado, let's see who stood out on each team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Austin Skyline 16 Royal</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tournament got off to a wonderful start on Saturday and finished Sunday evening.&nbsp; It was meant to end on Monday but the freeze halted the event and no one was able to finish the tournament.&nbsp; Even with no true champion crowned, we were all still able to see some awesome volleyball.&nbsp; I started my morning off with a team that I covered in a preview article.&nbsp; Given last year's results and the new additions to the roster this year, this team has a spotlight on it.&nbsp; They went 5-1 for the two days against some stellar competition and only dropped the one match in three sets (14-16).&nbsp; If the ball bounced their way in that match, they would have been undefeated.&nbsp; The following players are who stood out to me when I watched them play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318127' first='Henley' last='Anderson']&nbsp;[2026] 6-4 Outside (HS: Dripping Springs/Club: Austin Performance/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":500855,"width":"165px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/01/Henley-Anderson-crop-4414x2898-1705357378.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-500855" style="width:165px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henley is currently ranked as the second best overall prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays volleyball at Dripping Springs High School and plays club for Austin Skyline.&nbsp; &nbsp;Here is a little refresher of what we have written about her before, <em>“She is worth the price of admission for any spectator who wants to watch a future all American before she was a star.&nbsp; Henley is one of the most coveted recruits in the entire nation and it is easy to see why when you watch her skill set in action.”</em> What truly stood out to me when I watched her this year is how she has expanded her game.&nbsp; Everyone will marvel at her height or her amazing offensive feats, but what I saw from her in the back row truly wowed me.&nbsp; I knew that if she could develop her back row play, she would prove everyone right about what we are all projecting.&nbsp; There were some amazing attacks being thrown at her while she was playing in middle back and they were no match for her defensive exploits.&nbsp; Just when you think the ball was going to be scored by her opponent, Henley was able to say, “not in my house!”&nbsp; Not many would think that an athlete her size would be able to have a low enough posture to routinely dig well, but Miss Anderson is not your typical tall player.&nbsp; This is an athlete who is about to show that she is one of the best in the country at every skill in the game.&nbsp; I hope everyone is able to see what I saw from her overall play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='321291' first='Christa' last='Wilburn'] [2026] 6-1 Outside (HS: Reagents School of Austin/Club: Austin Skyline/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christa is currently ranked as the 55^th best overall prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for Regents School of Austin High School and also plays club for the Austin Skyline volleyball program.&nbsp; When I watched this team play, she was mainly playing the opposite position.&nbsp; Having a right side with the offensive capabilities of Miss Wilburn is a godsend for any squad.&nbsp; The spread attack from pin to pin that Christa gives 16 Royal will keep every opposing defense honest and not able to cheat toward the left sides.&nbsp; In my humble opinion, she is going to have a breakout season being able to score at will through some big splits in the block or being able to battle one on one at the net.&nbsp; Without tracking the offense for this team officially, I would put my money on the fact that she will be one of their most efficient attackers in regards to hitting efficiency.&nbsp; College coaches should be putting her on their short lists of pins to watch this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454745' first='Sophie' last='Haskell'] [2026] 5-5 Libero (HS: Johnson/Club: Austin Skyline/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":500857,"width":"164px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/01/Sophie-HAskell-crop-4800x3152-1705357455.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-500857" style="width:164px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophie is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but definitely turned my head a few times when I watched her play.&nbsp; She plays volleyball for Johnson High School and also plays club for the Austin Skyline volleyball program.&nbsp; I loved a lot of things about her play and one was the fact that she kept her feet moving during run throughs and didn't just rely on trying to pancake the ball.&nbsp; It seems as though everyone on instagram or X wants to highlight pancakes like they are the best thing a libero can do.&nbsp; However, every true volleyball purist can attest that we really want to see defenders stay on their feet if they can, because it allows them to stay in the play and be ready to cover a hitter or react in case they are needed for an emergency situation.&nbsp; Sophie stayed on her feet while pursuing the ball, which told me two things.&nbsp; 1. That she understands the importance of staying on her feet.&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; That she is extremely coachable because great coaching taught her to do that.&nbsp; Her court vision was also something that I noticed about her play.&nbsp; She kept her head on a swivel and was laser-focused until the whistle blew.&nbsp; I will keep watching her very closely to see if we can add her to the State Rankings.&nbsp; What I did see will definitely add her to my official watch list for now.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While I only wrote about three players extensively, there were some others who also did very well when I watched.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='318138' first='Sydney' last='Lund'] is an awesome setter who also stayed in the front row when she rotated there.&nbsp; This will develop her game to an unreal level if this continues.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='434231' first='Maggie' last='McCarroll'] is going to add a huge dynamic to this team's offense this season.&nbsp; She is a fantastic server and phenomenal disher of the rock.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='306916' first='Rileigh' last='Butler'] came in a few times as a defensive specialist and served some serious aces.&nbsp; This allowed her team to go on a solid run and I was amazed at her ability to spot serve with precision.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='318198' first='Riley' last='Malloy'] is a flat out beast!&nbsp; Currently she is the 8^th best overall player in her grad class, but is in the running to move up that list with what I saw.&nbsp; This kid is special and everyone should take notice. Overall I was thoroughly impressed with this squad and they should be one of the best in the age group this entire season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:nov8vb@yahoo.com">nov8vb@yahoo.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Family!&nbsp; Don't be afraid to interact with us.&nbsp; We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.&nbsp; Keep them coming!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->