Tour of Texas #2: 15 Invitational – Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most traditional and competitive club volleyball tournaments in the Lone Star State, the Tour of Texas had its second stop of the season this past weekend in Houston, bringing the top talent of the region to H-Town for two days of action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/02/tour-of-texas-2-15-invitational-photos/">Tour of Texas #2: 15 Invitational - Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a great opportunity to see the elite of the sport in Texas battling it out and Prep Dig was at the [program_tooltip program_id='538544' first='Katy' last='United'] facility on Sunday, where we got to watch all 20 teams that competed in the 15 Invitational division in action. There's a serious level of talent in this group and we'll now feature the prospects that stood out during the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, the setters:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='532413' first='Brynn' last='Stephens']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Rock Hill","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431308' first='Texas' last='Advantage']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Stephens led her team TAV 15 Black Jason to rank first in the event with six wins and just one loss. Individually, she emerged as the clear frontrunner to be considered the top setter in the state in the class of 2027. Although she can (and certainly will) still develop a lot with time, there are no holes in her game as she checks all the boxes when it comes to being an elite setter. Stephens is tall, athletic, has great hands and is very strong mentally when it comes to both making good decisions and dealing with pressure. She's highly technical and smooth and produces in every area of the game, setting with precision and keeping her team in rhythm, making an impact with her blocking and also contributing with her serving and defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd213"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["359399"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"With Mullican playing a big role, Excel 15 National Red had a solid weekend, finishing second with five wins and two losses. A left-handed setter, she was excellent with her ball distribution, using all of her offensive options and remaining accurate when setting every position. Another thing that stood out in Mullican's game was how much chemistry she has with the team's main hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='430133' first='Natalie' last='Norton'], and how well and intelligently she moved the pin hitter around to give her a better chance to score. Standing at 5'10u0022, she turned into an offensive weapon she was at the net, taking on hitting duties and scoring with smart decisions.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd2ee"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756706993861976229/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756706993861976229/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["413355"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"With Penn at setter, Dallas Skyline 15 Royal ended the event in third place with five wins and one loss. She was very steady during the day and did a very good job running the team's offense with grace and efficiency. Penn is extremely technical and that shows every time she touches the ball, sending it exactly where she wants. The setter also works hard on the backcourt and gets a lot of touches on defense. Penn's physical tools are also worth highlighting as she's long, extremely mobile and has excellent body control, being able to handle tight passes without touching the net.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd3aa"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":509416,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/02/IMG_1154.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-509416" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dallas Skyline 15 Royal vs. [program_tooltip program_id='510733' first='Drive' last='Nation'] 15 – Black</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='534338' first='Emerson' last='Butler']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Westlake","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Austin Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Butler and her Austin Skyline 15 Royal team got an 11th-place finish at the Tour of Texas with three wins and three losses. As a tall setter, she was incredibly quick and smooth on the court, running the team's offense with great efficiency. Butler played fast when she could, keeping the middles involved and pushing the ball to the pins with impressive precision. The setter also caused a major impact with her serving, sending a tough floater across the net, which often got opponents out of system.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd45d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='762440' first='Sarah' last='Carrejo']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Foster","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Carrejo was the starting setter for the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 15 Black team that won two out of five matches to rank 18th. I liked what I saw from her as she was very smooth with her playmaking and kept things well-balanced with her ball distribution, using all her hitters as evenly as she could. A multi-sport athlete, Carrejo has very interesting physical tools, which showed when she moved around on the court. She was also very productive defensively, especially when digging tips behind the block at the right back position.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd521"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756719664879505484","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756719664879505484 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Rylie Coates","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tivy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Alamo","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Coates and her Alamo 15 Premier team had a difficult weekend, dropping all their five matches to rank 20th, but they were a bit unlucky too, taking four of them to the tie-breaker. Clearly the team's most skilled player, she displayed great versatility to perform different roles for them. Coates' playmaking was solid as she did a good job while working with some inconsistent passing. Standing at 6'1u0022, she took on hitting duties when at the net and even blocked in the middle on some rotations. Coates also showed to be a good leader to her teammates, encouraging them when things didn't go well.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ca4224bd5fd"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756730451383779382/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1756730451383779382/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->