Tour of Texas Stop 1 – Dallas Skyline 17 Royal
In this article:
One team that I was super excited to see this past weekend was the new “Pingdom’ team that was formed. Super coach Ping Cao has moved over to Dallas Skyline this season and put together one heck of a lineup…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOne team that I was super excited to see this past weekend was the new “Pingdom’ team that was formed. Super coach Ping Cao has moved over to Dallas Skyline this season and put together one heck of a lineup that is playing very well together. I was very interested to see how they would mesh with each other and stack up against some of the best teams in the nation. Well they did not disappoint at all and went a perfect 7-0 on the weekend at the Tour of Texas Stop #1 before the tournament was cut short due to the weather issues that were plaguing all of Texas. Let’s take a look at who stood out to me when I watched them in person.
Outsides
They have a three-headed monster of ferocious attackers that they can shuffle around at any given time to unload fury on opponents. Let’s start out with Isabella Ocampo Isabella Ocampo 5'11" | OH Highland Park | 2025 State #146 Nation TX , who some might overlook because she is not six foot tall. Well, if you are one of those people who judge on looks alone, you will be embarrassed in a hurry because this kid was born to play the game of volleyball. She enjoys every second of the competition and is a fearless lioness on the court ready to devour anyone who stands in her way. I love the way she plays the game and it is so much fun to watch. Because of her beach volleyball background and awesome genetics in the sport, she has the volleyball IQ and natural touch on the ball to deliver it anywhere she wants to at any time. The Loyola Marymount commit has excellent ball control in both passing and digging when she is in the back row. Next you have Sophia Thornburg Sophia Thornburg 6'3" | OH Ursuline Academy | 2025 State TX who is committed to Notre Dame and punishes the ball with every hard swing. I have watched her for a couple of years now and she is getting better and better each time I see her step on the court. This season something seems different with her. I see someone playing with utmost confidence in every aspect of the game. She is passing serve and just knows the ball is going where she wants it to. Her flare approach to her touch point just screams, “Give me the ball!” Then you add her golden right arm that is just obliterating the ball with a loud thunderous boom and you have the perfect outside. Her six foot three frame adds a level of intimidation that is perfect for the game of volleyball at the Open level. I love the confidence that she is exuding and hope it continues for the remainder of the season. Morgan Inemer Morgan Inemer 6'1" | OH Byron Nelson | 2025 State TX rounds out the three-headed monster and it is not someone who you want to face after going a few rounds with the duo that was just mentioned. Just when you thought you were out of the woods with them, in comes in someone who is hungry to score and does it at a very high clip. The six foot one junior has been lighting up stat books for a while now. If you don’t know her name by now, just stay a while and you will. This young lady can score the ball with the best of them and does it very efficiently. If I were a college coach and needed a terminating outside, she would be on my short list. She is a master at changing her hand contact on the ball when she has to adjust to a set or when she sees something she wants to exploit in the defense.
Setters
Taylor Cook Taylor Cook 5'11" | S Prestonwood Christian Academy | 2025 State #87 Nation TX is one of the silkiest/smoothest setters in the game right now. I like to mention that it looks like she glides or floats on the court when moving to the ball. That is how fast and comfortable she is in the position. Not many can match her footwork in my opinion. The ball comes out of her hands so fast also that if you blink, you just might miss it. As coaches, we always talk about soft hands and how they just allow a setter to control the ball easier and Miss Cook has some of the softest in the game. Sophia Wei Sophia Wei 5'8" | S Plano West | 2025 State TX is her counterpart and has been a leader of some amazing offenses in years past. The part of her game that I love the most is how technically sound she is in every aspect. If I were running a setting clinic, she is someone who I would want to demo each drill for younger setters to see how it should look when done correctly. Both of these young ladies are doing something that I think will take this team to the next level against anyone in the Open division. Running the middle off of defensive transition is the absolute key differentiator amongst high level and fast paced teams. Most teams only run the middle when the pass is great and that can lead to a lot of predictability for opposing defenses to double block against. However, running the middle off of the dig is far less likely to happen unless you have setters who are both capable and risky enough to try it. These two young ladies were both dishing the rock to the middle off of the dig and when the ball wasn’t perfect dug in system. It kept the pressure on the opposition and was also beautiful to watch. This is just another tough task for any defense to guard against.
Middles
Zoe Gillen-Malveaux Zoe Gillen-Malveaux 6'3" | MB Greenhill | 2025 State #72 Nation TX is a flat out beast at the net. She can run any route out of the middle and does it with immense power. The way she can rise up off of the ground so fast is astounding. Not many can touch as high as she can when her arm is fully extended and that is a problem for anyone to match up with. Kaelynn Sims Kaelynn Sims 6'0" | MB Sachse | 2025 State #88 Nation TX is one of the smoothest middles in her grad class. Not only can she run every route with precision footwork, but she is explosively quick to the ball and laterally at the net also. Her speed is second to none in the position and that is why we have her ranked so high. Both of these young ladies were playing at a very high level this past weekend and read defenses so well. They were always in the right place to set up a double block which led to better team transition.
Liberos
Maddie Smotherman must have magnets in her arms because she is a ball magnet. The five foot seven junior racks up digs in a hurry because of how active her footwork is. They never stop moving and stay balanced at all times. When I watch liberos I stare at their feet for a long time during rallies. What I noticed about Miss Smotherman is how she stayed on the balls of her feet a lot and that helps her reaction time to deflections off of the block. But what stands out the most to me on defense is how fast she reacts to tips or off-speed shots from the opposing attacker. This tells me that she is spending a lot of time reading the hitter and not staring at the ball too long. This will help her to read the attack and cheat to it quicker. Her counterpart in the position is a newcomer to it. Having been an outside hitter for the past few years, Sydney Clark Sydney Clark 5'8" | DS/L Keller | 2025 State TX has now transitioned to a libero. Although this kid has impeccable timing, can fly and has power for days as a hitter, she made the decision, likely, for college recruiting reasons. This is not an easy task to do for anyone at any age, but Miss Clark is making it look super simple. The main reason why I think it is easy for her is she already has the serve receive passing down from being a six rotation outside in the past. Her platform is made for passing/digging the ball. The other reason I think she will excel in the position is because she is not afraid to get dirty and loves to battle. I love her attitude on the court and it is exactly what I would want in a libero. She has the fast-twitch muscles and power in her entire frame to become a great libero.
Right Sides
Naya Salfiti Naya Salfiti 6'1" | RS Liberty Christian | 2025 State TX has been one of the most efficient opposite attackers for the past few years. I think she gets overlooked at times, but is a monster who can score. She is a hard hitting lefty that balances out the attack for every squad she is on. She can score in a variety of ways. This weekend I watched her go around the block down the line, tool, thread the needle through a split, and adjust to an inside set while throttling a sharp cross shot. The game changer for this team at times has been Chichi Nnaji Chichi Nnaji 6'4" | RS Ursuline Academy | 2025 State TX . This young lady is big, powerful, and finally getting her timing down on every set location. I, along with others, knew that it was just a matter of time until she learned her timing more consistently and became an awesome attacker. On top of already being a shut down blocker, she has truly become an asset offensively. Everyone who goes up against this team has to game plan for her now.
This wonderful team is just getting started and has every right to be smiling right now. They have run over teams in their first two tournaments and are nowhere near solidifying lineups for their qualifier runs. I will have a lot of fun watching them grow before our eyes and learn each other on the court. Stay tuned for more from them.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!