Texas Liberos to Pay Attention at U18 Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025-2026 club season is just about to end for the class of 2026 players, as this weekend, many of them will compete in the season-ending 2026 USA Volleyball Girls U18 Junior National Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three-day event will take place between Friday and Sunday in Reno, Nevada, and feature nearly 500 teams from all over the country, which will compete in its seven divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state of Texas will be represented by as many as 53 teams, which are spread across the divisions - American (9), Freedom (4), Liberty (9), National (5), Open (6), Patriot (5) and USA (15).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will be the last opportunity to see some of the most talented players from the Lone Star State in action with their club jerseys, and, as the start of the event approaches, we're pointing out some of them who are definitely worth watching one final time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These liberos are worth your time:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["318194"],"_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-69eff0de77191"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wiley and the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 18 Royal team are set to compete in the Open Division in Nevada. A very agile and quick player, she dominates the backcourt with her dynamic and efficient game. Wiley is extremely comfortable in serve-receive and takes care of business at a high level despite covering a large area of the court. She's probably even more impressive and productive on defense, using her ability to read the game and superior ball control to make jaw-dropping digs and generate scoring opportunities for her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269773"],"_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-69eff0de7724c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ryan will be with the TW Skyline 18 Royal team in the event's American Division. She's an elite defensive player who makes the most of her ability to read the game and incredibly quick reactions to keep the ball off the floor when playing defense. Her game is very steady, a reflection of her unwavering focus and reliability on the court, and that positively impacts her serve-receive. Ryan is also very disciplined with her duties and never misses a step when covering her hitters at the net. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["453228"],"_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-69eff0de772dd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Duong and her Corpus Christi Storm 181 team are entered in the Liberty Division. Extremely quick and determined, she's a stud on the back row, delivering outstanding production and making a major impact in her team's play. Duong is a joy to watch when playing defense, as while her always-accurate positioning gets her in the right spots to get touches, her incredible ball control allows her to perform truly incredible digs, that hurt the confidence of opposing hitters. The libero is also a weapon from the service line, serving tough and consistently getting opponents out of system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["510404"],"_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-69eff0de7736a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Espinoza plays for the SA Juniors 18 Adidas team that is part of the Liberty Division. She's an excellent defender who does a great job of pursuing the ball on the back row by keeping her center of gravity very low and exploding for it with power and intensity. Espinoza has great ball control, and that also shows when she steps up to set in transition and feeds her hitters with accurate balls at the net. The libero is also an aggressive and productive server who keeps opponents under pressure with her floaters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["253983"],"_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-69eff0de773f6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">St. Clair is one of the liberos in the Excel 18 National Red team that will be in the National Division in Reno. She's been among the top liberos in the Lone Star State for some years and continues to provide stability on the back row with her technical and intelligent game. St. Clair's high volleyball IQ keeps her one step ahead of everyone else on the court, and her ability to anticipate plays makes a major impact in her defensive game. Her contact with the ball is always very clean and intentional, which results in accurate passes, digs and transition sets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->