Lively Liberos at the FAST Warm-Up 15 Open Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The club volleyball season is officially underway, and the second week of action in Texas hosted some high-level tournaments all over the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On December 13, we visited the FAST Complex, home to the highly respected [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'] Club, one of the venues for the traditional season-opening tournament, the FAST Warm-Up, which this season featured over 300 teams in 13 divisions that competed across four venues in the Houston area.We followed the matches of the 15 Open Division, which took place in the morning and featured 12 teams, representing 11 clubs from the Houston and Austin areas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/12/fast-warm-up-15-open-division-saturday-photos/">Fast Warm-Up: 15 Open Division Saturday Photos</a></strong></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DSQCWU4DqPi/?img_index=1","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DSQCWU4DqPi/?img_index=1 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was exciting to see a new wave of players enter the 15s age group, and I'm now ready to report on the ones who stood out the most in their respective positions. Today's subject is the liberos:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["786359"],"_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-6941f395eb865"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Garcia led the back row of the AP 15 Adidas team that ranked second in the event, getting four wins and two losses. She was one of the most reliable liberos in the tournament when it came to serve-receive, covering a large area of the court and confidently delivering accurate passes to her setter. A very technical player, she did very well in every contact, playing excellent defense and being very precise with her sets. Garcia always seemed very calm and focused on the court, having a serious level of consistency in her game that gave a lot of stability to her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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":"Kyndall Kuehl","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tompkins","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"[program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6941f395eb942"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kuehl featured for the HJV 15 Premier team that ended up in fourth place, accumulating three wins and two losses. Technical and reliable, she was one of the top players on the team, delivering consistent production on the back row. Kuehl's strong passing game kept HJV in system more often than not, and her ability to cover ground freed her hitters up to focus on offense. The libero also stood out with her solid defense, facilitated by her excellent positioning and ability to read the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":919119,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/12/2J4A0023.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-919119" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["851439"],"_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-6941f395eb99e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lovell and her AVA TX 15 Adidas team got a seventh-place finish in the FAST Warm-Up, with two wins and three losses. She was a great back row general for her team, leading their defensive efforts with the right attitude, consistent communication and superior quality on the ball. Lovell used her quickness to make an impact on the back row and was great at stepping up and taking charge of the first contact anytime she could. The libero also demonstrated solid vision and precision when she had to set in transition plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":919136,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/12/2J4A0071.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-919136" /></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":"Brighton Smith","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Bryan-College Station Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6941f395eba4c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Smith was one of the liberos of the BCS Skyline 15 Royal side that tied for seventh with three wins and two losses. She was extremely active in the back row for them, touching on many balls and making plays thanks to her excellent reading and ball control. Smith also had a big role in serve-receive, playing with confidence and delivering accurate passes to her setter. The libero was very disciplined tactically and recovered some balls when covering her hitters up at the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":919134,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/12/2J4A0068.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-919134" /></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":"Taylan Cole","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lake Belton","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Roots Volleyball Club","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"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-6941f395ebae6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cole and her Roots 15-1 Green team ended in 11th place, with a win and four losses. The libero was one of the standouts of the team, consistently producing at a high level on the back row. With great technique and even better mobility, she was very hard to score on, getting to tips and controlling hard-driven swings with a very high success rate. Cole was very confident when she had to set, going with her hands for the ball, and also served well, putting opponents under pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":919146,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/12/2J4A0096.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-919146" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->