Dominant Middles to Follow at the Katy-Cypress Tournament

The high school volleyball season is about to start in Texas and weekday evenings in every corner of the Lone Star State will be filled with exciting matches, where the most talented prospects of the state will be able to compete and show what they are about.   The first weeks of the new season are typically filled with tournaments and one of the biggest and most competitive of them is set to take place this week. The Katy-Cypress Tournament reunites the top teams from two of the most competitive districts in the Houston area and beyond, attracting high school programs from other regions, such as Austin and San Antonio.   This year's edition of the tournament will feature as many as 48 varsity programs, which will compete between Thursday and Saturday in eight high school campuses in the area. Prep Dig Texas will be on-site following the action, but before it starts, we'd like to shortlist some players who will be in action in the tournament who have tremendous potential. Today, we take a look at some middles who can make a difference for their teams:    Lyles and her Cy-Fair team will play their first matches at Katy Taylor HS, where they will face Dawson, Katy Taylor and Alief Taylor. A junior, the middle will be a key piece for the team with her ability to make an impact in the middle by using her superior athleticism. Lyles is not among the tallest middles in the region, but she's excellent at finding ways to compete and beat them. Her athleticism plays a big factor in it, as it allows her to get off the floor very well and move with tremendous quickness at the net. Also capable of playing on the right, she is a terrific offensive player who makes contact with the ball at a very high point, is capable of hitting every set in the middle, and can put a lot of heat into her swings.      Rusher will be with Oak Ridge team that will head to Katy Taylor HS on Thursday, when they play against Ford Bend Austin, Bridgeland and Mayde Creek. An extremely athletic middle, she added a few inches over the last couple of years, adding some nice length to her game at the net. Rusher is an elite blocker who checks all the boxes on the defensive side of the game, as she moves very well, can get really high up above the net and does a great job of being aggressive with her arms to get in the way of opposing hitters. Her offense is also efficient, thanks in part to her ability to make contact with the ball at a high point.      Kone and her teammates will be at home at Cinco Ranch HS on Thursday, meeting Cy Ranch, Brandeis and Cy Ridge. A true two-way player, the junior middle should be one of her team's most important players, bringing a solid level of experience and a lot of energy at the net. Kone is a very efficient offensive player, getting off the floor well and displaying excellent shot selection to find her way around opposing blockers very frequently. Kone also adds a lot on the defensive side of the game, showing great instincts to react to plays at the net and good mobility and discipline to get to the pins and protect the court.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcsIzTkfSvE </div></figure>    Barrera and her Katy Taylor team will be at home on Thursday, hosting Dawson, Cy-Fair and Alief Taylor. A senior, she will lead the team in 2025 and will be pivotal for their offensive and defensive production. Despite being a middle, Barrera has the ability to carry the load in her team's scoring efforts, making contact with the ball at a very high point and doing a great job of swinging the ball with a lot of power - she's also very consistent and makes very few errors. Her blocking is another tremendous asset for her team, as, besides reading the game extremely well, she's very technical and aggressive with her moves above the net.      Funk and her Tompkins team will make the trip to Cy Falls HS, where they will play against Clear Creek, Willis and Cy Lakes. The middle has had a big role with the team since her freshman season and is ready to end her high school career on a high. Funk is an outstanding blocker who not only produces in volume but also gets stops in critical moments of matches, making a difference for her team. She uses her length extremely well to press opponents and has a very high volleyball IQ, which allows her to make split-second decisions in a very efficient way. Funk also appears well offensively, putting the ball with great consistency, and should be even more important in that area of the game this season.

The high school volleyball season is about to start in Texas and weekday evenings in every corner of the Lone Star State will be filled with exciting matches, where the most talented prospects of the state will be able to compete and show what they are about.