Recruiting the Valley Vol 1

The Texas landscape is vast and there are so many amazing volleyball players across this wonderful state. South Texas, also known as the Rio Grande Valley, is a hotbed of talent that should get a lot more looks than they currently do. This year at Prep Dig Texas, we are covering more territory and bringing some unknown players to the forefront that have next level talent. These players might not come from big name schools or clubs, but they definitely have what it takes to earn spots on college rosters. Let's take a look at a few names to know from the Rio Grande Valley area.    Izabella is currently ranked as the 49th best overall prospect in the 2027 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays volleyball at Sharyland Pioneer High School and plays club for the McAllen Fierce volleyball program. I have watched this young lady get better and better over the last few years and it is remarkable what she has accomplished. Watching her highlights online does not do her in person skills justice at all. I strongly encourage all college coaches to see her fast footwork, attention to detail, and control over her movements in person and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Having coached Bella up close and personal in a clinic setting a few times, I can vouch for her desire to get better and be super coachable with direction. Her entire body is very strong and she has such great body control and discipline in her shoulders staying low. What often gets overlooked in her play is how athletic she is. Her school team uses her athleticism in order to bolster their offense and it has worked over the last two years. The back row is where she truly excels. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be one of the next great liberos to come out of the Rio Grande Valley area. Some lucky coach/school will win the lottery if they scoop her up early. She has had some awesome training over the years with her coaches and you can easily see how she has absorbed it all and put it into play on the court. Her ability to create angles and soften contact with her platform is unmatched in the south Texas region. Stay tuned for more on this phenom as we cover her this season.     Makayla is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but will be added to our official Watch List soon. She plays volleyball at Edinburg High School and club for the McAllen Fierce volleyball program. Miss Olvera is a very versatile player who is truly capable of playing all three front row positions along the net at a high level. She packs one heck of a punch in her arm swing that sends a blistering shot at opponents and makes it very difficult to defend against. Because of this awesome power that she generates with her shot, opposing blockers must have perfect form otherwise she will tool them out of bounds for a score easily. Being a hitter who can move the ball around to many locations on the court is a big threat as a scorer and that is exactly who Makayla is as an attacker. She has a great ability to turn on the ball with power to score down the line. We are very impressed with what we see from her offensive output and think she is someone that college coaches can be looking at now. She is a big time point scorer who can give any squad a lot of options.     Kaylen is currently an unranked prospect in the 2026 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but is listed on our official Watch List. She plays volleyball at McAllen High School and club for the McAllen Fierce volleyball program. Miss Ottmers is a super fun player to coach and she has a contagious joy about her that exudes on the court. She is not afraid of trying anything and will pursue the ball with relentless effort. Primarily playing out of middle back, she has a great eye for the ball and reads the play exceptionally well. What I really like about her footwork is how she rarely has her heels on the floor while moving to the ball. This keeps her very fast and ready to react to any deflections to the ball. There is never a time where she is moving late to the attacker or in a bad position to play the ball and that can be attributed to great coaching and absorbing information from those knowledgeable coaches. Her platform must have ball magnets imbedded in them because the ball always seems to find her on the court. The angles she creates during defense allow the ball to stay in play and give her setter more attempts to run their offense. She is a solid serve receiver and defender in the back row who can ball.    Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes that will be attending the showcase. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>. Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply reposting on X or Instagram or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!

The Texas landscape is vast and there are so many amazing volleyball players across this wonderful state. South Texas, also known as the Rio Grande Valley, is a hotbed of talent that should get a lot more looks than they currently do. This year at Prep Dig Texas, we are covering more territory and bringing some unknown players to the forefront that have next level talent. These players might not come from big name schools or clubs, but they definitely have what it takes to earn spots on college rosters. Let's take a look at a few names to know from the Rio Grande Valley area.