FAST Warm-Up 16 Open do-it-all outside hitters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highly-anticipated club volleyball season has arrived in Texas as, since the start of December, club teams all over the Lone Star State have been in action, competing in the first of the many tournaments they will be at over the next six months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last weekend, one of the most traditional and competitive events annually held in the Houston area took place, the Fast Warm-Up. Reuniting over 280 teams from Houston, San Antonio, Austin and other areas of the state, the event had 14 divisions and was held across six venues in the region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/12/fast-warm-up-16-open-photo-gallery/">FAST Warm-Up: 16 Open Division - Photo Gallery</a></strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Texas was at the FAST Complex on Saturday, following the first day of action in the 16 Open division, which featured 14 teams. We're taking the week to highlight the players that stood out in the age group, and now we'll look into the all-around outside hitters:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["693887"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-675e6bc8ea8a5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nunez helped her team SA Elite 161 Navy secure a third-place finish in the tournament with four wins and one loss. She formed a strong outside hitter duo with Leilani Lusia, which was one of the team's main strengths. Nunez's ability to get off the floor makes of her a very strong hitter, but she adds even more to a strong offensive game with powerful swings and impressive variation. She was very intelligent to score off of tips and tool the block when that was the best option. Nunez also handled her backcourt duties well, passing efficiently and playing solid defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486963"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-675e6bc8ea856"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hickl and her Houston Stellar 16 Elite team ranked fifth in the tournament, with three wins and two losses. She used to play on the right for them, but was moved to the pin this season and immediately became their main offensive weapon. Hickl uses her length extremely well in her swings and has excellent court vision and decision-making. She was nearly unstoppable hitting sharp angle with impressive power and precision. Hickl also did a fine job with her passing, keeping her team in system when she was served.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21083865/675faf5df315e491c957c4cd' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6760954e9ccb8"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["443017"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-675e6bc8ea7e0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wright was part of the [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 16 Adidas - Ray team that got a fifth-place finish with four wins and one loss. One of the most exciting outside hitters to emerge in Texas in last year's high school season, she continues to improve at a fast pace. Wright added more punch to her swings but continues to stand out technically, finding great locations to her tips and scoring off of difficult swings. Wright is an important player for TAV in every phase of the game and dominates the backcourt with excellent positioning and outstanding ball control.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":732721,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/IMG_4108.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-732721" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 16 Adidas Ray vs. TEXSTAR 16</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":"Mazzy Johnson","_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":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Salado","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Austin Juniors Volleyball","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-675e6bc8ea99d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Johnson started in the AJV 16 Adidas team that finished seventh with two win and three losses. A six-footer, she was the team's most powerful and consistent hitter and stepped up to the role, scoring at an excellent rate. Johnson is very difficult to stop because her skill set allows her to score in a lot of different ways. She has the power and the length to hit over the top of opposing blockers, but is also very intelligent and precise when tipping. A very technical player, she also gets to contribute on the backcourt, playing solid defense and passing at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":732674,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/IMG_3948.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-732674" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">AJV 16 Adidas vs. [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 16 Adidas</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["534414"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-675e6bc8ea8fb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owens was the centerpiece in the [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 16 Adidas - Micah team that finished ninth with two wins and three losses. The team's playing system revolves around her in a certain way and she delivered strong performances on both sides of the ball over the weekend. A very productive offensive player, Owens used her size and power to score from the left and the right, but also impressed with her ability to hit around the block. She also displayed a solid backcourt game, executing difficult passes with great precision and touching on a lot of balls on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/TAVHouston?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TAVHouston</a> pin hitter [player_tooltip player_id='534414' first='Mia' last='Owens'] has a strong offensive game. <a href="https://t.co/3E0b8bCr26">pic.twitter.com/3E0b8bCr26</a></p>&mdash; Guilherme Torres (@grtorres) <a href="https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1868038842768662626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html -->