H-Town Showdown #2: 16s – Top Liberos
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Club volleyball teams from the Houston area had another major event to play this past weekend, when the city hosted the H-Town Showdown #2, which reunited teams from the U15s, U16s and U17s divisions for matches across three venues in…
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Continue ReadingClub volleyball teams from the Houston area had another major event to play this past weekend, when the city hosted the H-Town Showdown #2, which reunited teams from the U15s, U16s and U17s divisions for matches across three venues in the area.
Prep Dig was in attendance on Saturday, when we went to the FAST Complex, to take a look at the matches in the U16s divisions. It was a very strong field, with some interesting talent, and we’ll take the week to feature the players that stood out and raised their stocks against tough competition.
Here are the liberos that were on fire on the backcourt:
Tijerina and her AVA TX 16 Adidas were the division winners, having won all their three matches on Saturday. She split the libero duties with Haley Patton Haley Patton 5’7″ | DS/L Friendswood | 2026 TX and the two made of the team’s backcourt the strongest of the event. An extremely technical player, Tijerina was very solid with her passing and her ability to give the ball to the setter, keeping the team in system. The libero also worked very hard on the backcourt, recovering some balls after shanked passes of her teammates, and had some good serving runs.
Highlights
Bailey led the backcourt efforts of the HJV 15 Premier team that ranked second with two wins and one loss. Extremely quick and dynamic, she got a lot of touches when playing defense and stepped up to make several digs in key moments of the matches. With her excellent ball control, Bailey was also very productive and consistent in serve-receive, giving the team a lot of stability in that area. The libero was always very calm on the court and did a very good job of communicating with her teammates.
Moriah Poe
Moriah Poe
With Poe on the backcourt, Katy United 16 Adidas secured a third-place finish in the event, getting two wins in three matches. I first watched the libero last season and, although she also improved a lot technically, I was impressed with how much more confident she looks on the court, leading the team and organizing the backcourt efforts. Poe is a very technical player, who gets lots of digs every match at the left back position. She’s also very good at setting in transition when she needs to.
Kyanna Lopez
Kyanna Lopez
Lopez and her Texas One – 16 Royal teammates got to finish fourth in the event with one win and two losses. The libero was electric on the backcourt and delivered excellent production to her team. Her ball control was outstanding and that showed in serve-receive as she handled some really tough serves very well. Lopez was also very active playing defense on the left back position and displayed great reactions to scramble and recover shanked passes and digs. She was also very precise when setting in transition.
Robinson was the defensive pillar of her Texas Tornados 16 Adidas team that finished fifth with two victories and one loss. She split time between the middle and the left back positions and made some impressive digs on both spots, combining impressive quickness to get to the ball and superior ball control. The libero was also very confident and reliable with her passing, stepping up to cover her teammates when they were struggling. Robinson was always alert when covering her hitters and recovered a lot of balls.