Tour of Texas Stop 1 Top Performers Vol 9

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who stood out at the Tour of Texas tournament?  The Lone Star State and six other states battled it out early in the club season and put their lineups to the test.  Almost every one of these teams in the invitational divisions will most certainly earn a coveted bid to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals later on this summer.  Let's take a look at who earned our Top Performer award for this tourney?</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":"Laine Tomlinson","_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":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32925","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Weatherford","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Dallas 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-697abe60859d7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Laine Tomlinson, a 5-foot-11 pin attacker from Weatherford High School and the Dallas Skyline Volleyball Club, made a strong statement at the Tour of Texas Austin Stop with her offensive impact. Although her Skyline squad is technically listed as a “second team,” it would be considered a top-tier lineup in nearly any other club program in the country, and Tomlinson proved to be one of its most dangerous weapons. In the match I watched, she was deployed primarily on the right side, where she consistently punished the ball, but she also showed the versatility and skill set to be effective on the left pin as well. What stood out most was how quickly she got off the ground, pairing impressive bounce with a lightning-fast arm swing that allowed her to score points in a hurry. She was electric whenever the ball was delivered to her, terminating rallies with authority and confidence. Having an opposite who can score in bunches like Tomlinson gives her team the freedom to stay aggressive against any opponent. Younger teams, in particular, struggle to slow down high-level right-side attackers, and that dynamic should make her one of the primary kill leaders for her squad throughout the season.</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":"Naomi Niu","_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":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32925","_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_program":"Austin 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-697abe6085a88"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Naomi Niu, a 6-foot pin attacker playing on the right side for Austin Juniors in the 2029 class and representing Salado High School, stood out as a major presence at the Tour of Texas Austin Stop. In the match I watched, Niu was an absolute wall at the net, consistently blocking at a high level and taking away clean looks from opposing hitters. Her work defensively allowed her teammates to set up and play disciplined defense around her, funneling balls into ideal digging lanes. Offensively, it's clear that she is gifted and already difficult to match up with, even against strong competition. She combines a strong frame, natural power, and a high volleyball IQ that shows up in both her shot selection and timing. Niu's ability to impact the match on both sides of the ball makes her a problem for opponents now and a potential matchup nightmare in the future. We will be watching her closely moving forward, as she has all the tools to earn a spot on the Prep Dig Texas 2029 State Rankings when the list is updated.</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":"Taylor Garibaldi","_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":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Celina ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"[program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last='']","_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-697abe6085b12"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taylor Garibaldi, a class of 2029 middle blocker from Celina High School and [program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] Volleyball Club, put together an impressive showing at the Tour of Texas Austin Stop a few weeks ago. Watching her work out of the middle, what immediately stood out was how technically sound she already is at such a young age. Her footwork is clean and efficient, with no wasted steps, which allowed her to close the block quickly and effectively to either pin when opposing teams tried to score. That efficiency translated directly into strong net defense and disrupted opposing offenses throughout the match. Offensively, Garibaldi showed impressive upper-body strength, delivering powerful swings that were difficult to slow down. The technique she displayed speaks to strong coaching and an ability to absorb and apply instruction at a high level. Those traits are often what separate good players from great ones over time. We like what we see from Garibaldi and will be watching her closely as she continues to develop her game moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned as we will have some awesome articles covering as many awesome players and teams as we can from this tournament.  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!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->