Setters to Watch at the Tour of Texas – Stop 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first big tournament of the 2025-2026 club season is just around the corner, as this weekend, the top club teams from the Lone Star State will compete in the first stop of the popular Tour of Texas in the Austin area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest events in the club calendar in the state every year, the Tour of Texas will this year begin at the Round Rock Sports Complex, where nearly 500 teams will be in action across 11 different divisions from Saturday to Monday, providing the first big test for many of them as the season starts to pick up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top players from Texas will be in Round Rock this weekend, and we'll use the days leading up to the event's start to feature some of them. Setters go first:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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":"Alexa Koonsen","_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":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Dawson","_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-69654a9599957"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Koonsen will play with HJV 15 Elite in the event's 15 Invitational Division. Fresh from an amazing freshman high school season in which she helped Dawson make it to the State Championship game, she emerged as one of the top setters in her age group in the region. Also a standout beach volleyball player, Koonsen has a very interesting skill set, combining excellent length and athleticism and superior technical resources. She's very mature and intelligent with her distribution and does a great job of making the most of the team's offensive weapons. Koonsen can also take on hitting duties if needed, demonstrating excellent vision to put the ball down, and is very well-rounded, being able to contribute with her serving, blocking and defense as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/24859750/694b540ce973529892f8512f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69654a9599d23"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["739802"],"_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-69654a9599dcb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Niu and her AJV 16 Adidas team will be in contention in the 16 Invitational Division in Round Rock. The second-best setter in her age group according to our Prep Dig State Rankings, she continues getting better and making the most of her impressive tools. Niu is one of the tallest setters in the state, and that obviously has a major impact on her game, making of her an elite blocker and a massive threat in setter dumps, but the quality of her game goes far beyond that. Her hands are excellent and she's very creative and accurate with her distribution. Niu also stands out for her calm on the court and her natural ability to lead her teammates and set the tone on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL0lu52O9fI/","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/reel/DL0lu52O9fI/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["518965"],"_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-69654a9599e62"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peterson will lead her TAV Black 17 Jon team in the 17 Invitational Division this weekend. A back-to-back state champion with Byron Nelson, she received numerous accolades during her young career and takes the top spot among the setters in our Prep Dig State Rankings. Peterson is a true general on the court, controlling the pace and the flow of the game with her accurate hands and superior intelligence on the court. She plays very aggressively, keeping her team in a strong rhythm, and is absolutely elite from a technical standpoint, delivering at a high level in every aspect of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFsomhSxsx7/","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/reel/DFsomhSxsx7/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["534410"],"_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-69654a9599ef1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Keys is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Black team that will be in action in the 17 Invitational Division in Round Rock. She continues to trend up as her game continues to evolve and add new elements after she made the move from outside hitter. Keys has a great combination of athleticism and technical skills that make her game unpredictable and hard to read. She's typically very flexible with her offense and thrives by adjusting to the circumstances of each match. Keys, who can also help offensively if needed, plays with a nice mix of calm and confidence that elevates her game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTLeOm_kYPK/">Highlights</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->