Texas HS Matches to Watch – Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Texas high school volleyball season officially begins this week, when the first matches of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) will take place in every corner of the Lone Star State, kicking off a four-month period of excitment for young players in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Texas will continue to provide the best high school volleyball coverage in the state, attending multiple matches every week and consistently featuring the players and teams who deliver strong results on the court and pave their ways to appearing in the State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season, in addition to providing match coverage, we'll also have weekly previews, presenting matches set to take place over the next days in different regions of the state which have the potential to be truly exciting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These are the duels you should keep an eye out for in the opening week of the season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Allen vs. Flower Mound</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>When:</strong> Monday, August 10, @ 5:30 PM<br><strong>Where:</strong> Allen HS<br><strong>Why:</strong> Two of the most traditional programs in the Dallas area clash in what should be an exciting, high-level opening match. Despite the absence of star junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='586653' first='Maya' last='Ogbogu'], who's representing the U.S. at the U17 World Championship in Chile, Allen still have tremendous quality in their roster, including fellow junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='839343' first='Olivia' last='Kitur'], junior setter/right side [player_tooltip player_id='727293' first='Landry' last='Mcrae'], junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='827011' first='Katie' last='Wawersich'] and sophomore right side [player_tooltip player_id='773835' first='Soleil' last='Rhodes']. Flower Mound have enough talent to battle them with the likes of junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='531615' first='Aleah' last='Edmond'], junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='808172' first='Grace' last='Pinegar'], senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='411969' first='Hayden' last='Curtis'] and sophomore middle [player_tooltip player_id='921755' first='Bailey' last='Barrett'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pearland vs St. John's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>When:</strong> Tuesday, August 11, @ 4:30 PM<br><strong>Where: </strong>Clear Springs HS<br><strong>Why:</strong> One of deepest UIL programs in the region meets an SPC powerhouse in what should be a great test for both sides. Pearland have tremendous firepower at the pins with senior outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='825663' first='Aaryn' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='443013' first='Britney' last='Solomon'] and senior right side [player_tooltip player_id='749537' first='Tianna' last='Muckelroy'] - the three are fed by sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='952577' first='Brelynn' last='Wolford']. Senior outside hitter Jacey Carroll is St. John's leading scorer, and she'll consistently find herself in great spots to put the ball down as the team is three-deep at setter, with senior [player_tooltip player_id='443036' first='Olivia' last='Landahl'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='724645' first='Macie' last='Chase'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='850208' first='Lidia' last='Rajevac'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cedar Park vs. Legacy Ranch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>When:</strong> Tuesday, August 11, @ 6:30 PM<br><strong>Where:</strong> Cedar Park HS<br><strong>Why:</strong> The reigning champions start their title defense at home against a young Legacy Ranch team. Despite the graduation of many players who led them to winning the State Tournament last year, Cedar Park still have a solid core, with senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='798033' first='Anna' last='Kurz'], sophomore middle Riis Britt, junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='800617' first='Harper' last='Bohnen'] and junior middle Emerson Derocher all returning. Legacy Ranch's young squad has among its standouts sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='773642' first='Haylee' last='Roeder'], junior middle Kyla Green, sophomore libero Lilly Hamlin and junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='902848' first='Klaire' last='Murphy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->