2021 Standouts Across the State Updates

We are back with the amazing senior class and their updates from the high school season. They are on to their club seasons and getting ready for last minute tune-ups to get ready for playing at the next level. These young ladies will be off to college in a year, but we have one more club season to watch them leave a great legacy on the court. If you haven’t seen them play, you should stop by a court and you will definitely be entertained. Here is a little of the wonderful play from their senior seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id="87436" first="Kylee" last="Fitzsimmons"] [2021] 5-11 Outside (HS: Lovejoy/Club: Madfrog/ Signed: Arizona {Beach}) Miss Fitzsimmons is currently ranked as the 54th best prospect in the 2021 class. We profiled her early last summer and here is a little from the article, “Kylee is one of the recent indoor players to make the transition to the outdoor circuit. She has committed to playing beach at Arizona University. It takes a special player to transition to the beach game from the indoor game. They are two totally different beasts. Kylee has shown some very impressive ball control skills both in attacking and in the back row that will translate very well to the collegiate beach scene. She has done very well during last year’s Texas Beach Volleyball Tour and earned a lot of points to be ranked very high in the standings. Watching her during indoor, you can see that her ability to dig hard driven balls in middle back with such ease will help her against the great competition that the college game will put her up against. She has the soft touch on her digs that is necessary on the sand. The one aspect that stands out in the back row is her ability to change direction with the snap of a finger during out of system or with balls that are deflected by others. She has great dexterity and will absolutely excel in the sand.” This past season she and her Lovejoy program went on a tear and decimated everyone in their path on their way to their UIL State Championship. They went undefeated on the entire season and no one came close to matching their prowess on the court. They finished with an overall record of 26-0 and 14-0 in district. Ky had a great two year varsity career with 78 kills, a .220 hitting percentage, 50 aces, and 202 digs. She and the rest of the seniors will leave a legacy for sure at Lovejoy. We will watch her closely during the club season with her awesome Madfrog club team and see what they do on their road to qualify for Nationals.   [player_tooltip player_id="87439" first="Julia" last="Lopez"] [2021] 5-5 Libero (HS: Churchill/Club: SA Magic/Signed: UNLV) Miss Lopez is currently ranked as the 51st best prospect in the 2021 class. We profiled her early last summer and here is a little from the article, “Julia is a sight to see. Every now and then you find a libero who has no regard for the personal safety and will break ribs and lose limbs just to get a touch on the ball and try to keep it in play. Julia is the epitome of this type of player. She never gives up on a play and will chase a ball down and fly into her own bench or a crowd to save a ball. Her high school and club teammates love her for this and the crowd is thoroughly entertained by it. This is the type of player that every coach loves to have on a court. Inside your head you will know that your team always has a chance to be in the play with a libero like this. She is committed to UNLV and will start almost immediately. A player with this kind of heart and hustle will not be denied. She covers every hit so well and picks up so many stuff blocks before they hit the floor. Setter dumps are not an issue when she is on the court. This kid is so much fun to watch and you find yourself always rooting for her. I expect big things from her during her senior season both in school and club.” She did not disappoint during her senior season at Churchill. She had her best season of her three year varsity career with 649 digs, 72 assists, 31 aces and and 401 service receptions. In those three years she racked up some awesome stats. She totaled 4.2 digs per set, 1604 digs, 1372 service receptions, and 117 aces. It is with these stats that she was able to help Churchill to a 28-8 overall record and a 13-1 district record. The next libero will have some big shoes to fill as she will be suiting up for UNLV next season.   [player_tooltip player_id="87442" first="Tiana" last="Davis"] [2021] 5-10 Outside/Right Side (HS: Ridge Point/Club: Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas/Signed: University of Texas at San Antonio) Miss Davis is currently ranked as the 56th best prospect in the 2021 class. We profiled her early last summer and here is a little from the article, “Tiana can FLY. She is part of the famed 10 foot club meaning she can approach touch ten feet in the air. Technically she touches 10’2”. Blessed with fantastic quick footwork and explosive fast twitch muscles, she uses that to shut opponents down on the block. She times well and presses over the net in textbook fashion. Her hang time allows her to scan the court and change up her shot at a moments notice. This definitely keeps her hitting efficiency very high. She is just an explosive kid all the way around and is also so much fun to watch. While she might not be the prototypical size for a right side, don’t sleep on her because she will surprise you. This is why UTSA scooped her up and they absolutely know what they are getting. She will help their program and will only get better and more explosive with a great strength and conditioning program at the collegiate level. We are excited to watch her during her senior season at Ridge Point.” She and her Ridge Point squad have solidified themselves as a team to beat. Tiana is a big reason why. She was able to amass 100 kills, and 51 blocks to go along with 93 digs for her senior season. In four years she had a total of 490 kills, 248 blocks and 352 digs. They are a total team and she was a big part of their run in 2020 as they finished with a great overall record of 15-8 and a district record of 13-1. She will suit up for UTSA next season and we are looking forward to covering her club season at AVA.   There are many more amazing 2021 players to be aware of. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. 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