Lone Star Regionals: 16s – Standout Setters
In this article:
The George R. Brown Convention Center, in downtown Houston, was packed last weekend as it hosted one of the most anticipated tournaments in the club volleyball season for Texas players, the Lone Star Regionals. With almost 600 teams entered to…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe George R. Brown Convention Center, in downtown Houston, was packed last weekend as it hosted one of the most anticipated tournaments in the club volleyball season for Texas players, the Lone Star Regionals.
With almost 600 teams entered to compete in the 12 divisions, the tournament offered another opportunity for clubs to qualify for the upcoming Girls Junior National Championship and attracted competitors from all over the Lone Star State.
Prep Dig was in attendance on Saturday, when we got to watch 12 of the 54 teams that competed in the 16 Bid division. We’ll now use the week to highlight the ones that stood out with their play, starting with the setters.
With Thomas at setter, TAV Houston 16 Adidas reigned supreme in the division, winning all seven matches and earning the bid. I hadn’t watched her play in a few months and was surprised with how she was able to improve in basically every area of her game in the period. While Thomas’ technique continued to develop, she also looked taller, stronger, more mobile on the court and more confident with her actions. She split the setting duties with Shannon Dworaczyk Shannon Dworaczyk 5’9″ | S Magnolia West | 2026 TX and the two gave TAV excellent variation and stability at the position. Besides distributing the ball efficiently, she also made an impact on the backcourt with some long serving runs and solid defensive plays.
McAllisted steered her STVA 16 Mizuno team to a strong third-place finish with six wins and a loss, which also earned them a bid to the nationals. Splitting her time between setting and hitting duties, she was a force on the right and contributed to the team’s success in a variety of ways. A tall and technical setter, she ran the team’s offense efficiently, using all her hitters and displaying great chemistry with them. A lefty, McAllister also showed power and precision with her swings, proving to be an interesting offensive option for them. She also made an impact with her blocking and created problems for her opponents with her tough serves.
Highlights
Garcia played a big role in Alamo 16 Premier’s campaign, which ended with five wins and two losses and a bid earned. She split setting duties with DaMya Mann DaMya Mann 5’9″ | S John .M Harlan | 2026 State TX in what was probably the best setting duo in the entire division. Garcia was very technical and precise with her sets, getting a clean touch on the ball every time she went to make a play. Her mobility was also of great value as it helped her get to the ball in no time. The setter also showed great effort and strong defensive skills at the right back position.
Highlights
Alayna Villa
Alayna Villa
Villa and her TCVA 16 Green Adidas teammates had one win in five matches over the weekend in Houston. The setter showed an interesting game running the team’s offense. Despite being a little undersized, Villa is very athletic and that helps her make up for the lack of size with tremendous mobility, quickness and solid jumping skills. She was very precise with her distribution and her release was very smooth and technical. Villa was crafty in some of the setter dumps she attempted and also got a lot of touches on defense.
Presley Freid
Presley Freid
Freid was the starting setter of the Austin Skyline 16 Black team that ended the weekend with two wins and three losses in Houston. Her mobility on the court was one of the things that impressed me the most as, it doesn’t matter where the pass would go, she would get there to handset. Freid also showed to have a lot of strength in her upper body as several times I saw her set passes well off the net precisely to the pin. The setter also did a very good job playing defense.