Class of 2026 State Rankings Players to Know: Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Dig Texas State Rankings were updated last month in a moment that was long expected for volleyball prospects in the Lone Star State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More than moving players up and down in a list, the rankings update offers us an opportunity to paint a more realistic picture of the current scenario in Texas and highlight the prospects who experienced significant development over the last few months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The process of updating the rankings also gives us, Prep Dig scouts, the perfect excuse to learn more and more about the players, be it by attending matches or tournaments in person or researching online, and now with the list released, it's time we share some of our findings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next few weeks, I'll go over the rankings, highlighting some players in each class. We started with the recently created Class of 2027 State Rankings last week and will now explore the Class of 2026, with some of the liberos that deserve another look:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["327912"],"_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":"The fourth-best libero and 33rd overall prospect in our State Rankings, Brooks plays high school volleyball for Northwest and switched clubs this season, joining Dallas Skyline 16 Royal. For those who enjoy defense, she's a joy to watch with how efficient and productive she is on the backcourt. Brooks' quickness allows her to get to most shots around her and her exceptional ball control gives her the ability to dig even the most powerful swings. The libero is also extremely consistent in serve-receive and plays with great energy and a positive attitude on the court.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682c71"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18386264/66284c52223953a433e17b91' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682df7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["318141"],"_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":"A sophomore with Taylor in the last high school season and a new face with AJV 16 Adidas this club season, Watson made the list in seventh place among the liberos and 46th overall. Her passing technique is worth watching for players in the position as she always puts her body behind the ball to avoid shanking it and fully stretches her arm to make contact with it, ensuring a smooth delivery. Because of that, Watson covers a lot of ground in serve-receive and does a very good job of keeping her teams in system. She's also very productive playing defense and disciplined to cover her hitters.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682e4d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18705280/66391cb6934f579a4dfaaa38' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682e6c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["395193"],"_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":"The starting libero for Pieper High School and the Alamo 16 Premier club team, Reus is the 11th libero and the 73rd overall prospect to appear in our Class of 2026 State Rankings. Combining tremendous agility and superior reading of the game, she's a defensive dynamo, who does whatever it takes to keep the ball off the floor in her zone - and she typically defends in the middle to expand her range. Reus is also very confident and intelligent in serve-receive, stepping in front of pin hitters to make the pass and free them up to swing when she can anticipate the opponents' intent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682eb1"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17285384/663797e0020d89f3b1df044d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682ecc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["253983"],"_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":"Appearing in 14th place among the liberos and 84th overall is St. Clair, who plays for Rockwall High School and [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] 16N Blue at the club level. Besides being very strong from a technical standpoint, she also has a very high volleyball IQ and takes no time to adjust her defensive strategy to what the game demands. Another factor that contributes to St. Clair's defensive production is her reaction speed, which allows her to stay on plays after shots are deflected or if something unexpected happens. She's also very precise and intelligent when she has to set in transition plays.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682f0e"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/audreystclair9/status/1777751084674531781","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/audreystclair9/status/1777751084674531781 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["270008"],"_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":"A state champion with Grand Oaks High School, Flessas plays club for Texas Legacy 16 Elite and was selected to our State Rankings Watchlist. I've been following her for the last two seasons and her game has developed a lot in the period, especially in terms of reading the game and remaining consistent. She's very quick on the backcourt and is always ready to pick up a tip or a setter dump. The libero communicates very well with her teammates and is an excellent server, who often gets opponents out of system with her floater.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664e664682f55"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18509226/6631b0a9a76c8ddb7f62208e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-664f5d29b38ab"} /-->