2021 Standouts Update Vol 3

We bring our attention back to the 2021 class as we have a few players that we would like to update our readers on. They have just finished their senior seasons in both high school and club and we would like to give them the props they deserve. They are all signed to play volleyball at the next level but before they leave to college we wanted to showcase them one more time and update our readers on all of their stats and accolades. Here they are:   [player_tooltip player_id="87448" first="Shyia" last="Richardson"] [2021] 5-11 Outside (HS: Clear Springs/Club: Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas/Verbal: San Francisco) Shyia has earned the honor of being ranked as the 69th best volleyball player in the state of Texas according to our 2021 Prep Dig rankings. Miss Richardson is a very versatile pin hitter out of the south east side of Houston who is verbally committed to San Francisco. We profiled her last summer and we stated the following, “She plays in the very tough Clear District for high school and also for a great program in AVA. They regularly turn out fantastic prospects to the next level. Shyia excels on both sides of the court on offense. She has every weapon imaginable for a left side pin hitter. With a variety of weapons at her disposal, she scores with them all. She mixes her shots up well and can bang when she needs to in order to keep the defense honest. San Francisco scooped her up and is going to love her range on the court. She has the speed in her transition game to transfer very well to the collegiate game. We are very excited to see what she does in her senior season.” We watched this past high school season as Miss Richardson helped her vb squad to a great 18-8 overall record and a 10-2 district record. In four amazing years at Clear Springs HS, Shyia has been nothing short of phenomenal as she has tallied 1601 kills on a career .231 hitting percentage, 117 blocks, 1436 digs, and 169 aces. Her stellar play was awarded by being selected to the Texas Girls Coaches Association’s Legacy team. We are proud to have her on the 2021 State Rankings and will be watching as she helps San Francisco’s collegiate team.   [player_tooltip player_id="87449" first="Alyssa" last="Ortega"] [2021] 5-5 Libero (HS: Churchill/Club: SA Juniors/Verbal: Stephen F. Austin) Alyssa has been ranked as the 77th top prospect in the State of Texas according to our 2021 State Rankings. She is a very feisty and extremely fast libero from the San Antonio area. Formerly of SA Magic and now with new club SA Juniors, Alyssa is looking to continue to wow us in the back row. We profiled her last summer and here is a little about what we said, “Some players have an innate ability to have a nose for the ball. This is Alyssa to a T. Her head is on a swivel and she is constantly processing her opponent so she can put herself in the best position to play the ball. She can change direction extremely well with her quick footwork. She understands weight distribution and pushes off to extend her range and keep the ball in play. Her teammates know that she is a phenomenal sere receive passer and give her a lot of room to operate. This is the highest form of flattery while in serve receive. Defensively she is always on her toes, never has her weight on her heels and this helps her to be extremely fast at the change of direction necessary to play the libero position. Miss Ortega is a joy to watch in the back row and we wish her well on her senior season this year.” In three stellar years at Churchill HS, Alyssa has been the back row general as she has tallied 1106 digs, 1350 service receptions, and 139 aces. She was able to earn 1st Team All District through her stellar play on the court in her senior season. We are proud to have her on the 2021 State Rankings and will be watching as she helps Stephen F Austin continue their winning tradition. [player_tooltip player_id="87451" first="Taylor" last="Thomas"] [2021] 6-0 Outside (HS: Denton/Club: Texas Pistols/ Verbal: Jacksonville State) Taylor is ranked as the 79th best player in the 2021 class according to our State Rankings. She plays for Denton high school and the Texas Pistols club out of North Texas. We profiled her last summer and here is a refresher on what we said, “Some arms were built for swinging hard and this is Taylor. Her arm has one speed and that is FAST. Miss Thomas is going to play for Jacksonville State in a year and she will do great things for their program. She can swing line with the best of them and paints the sideline with raw power. As soon as the defense adjusts, she murders the ball with a sharp cross shot that her opponents cannot handle. She truly does contact the ball at the peak of her reach, which allows her to score so well against her opponents. What makes her so good is her ability to hit multiple tempos on the court. Every now and then her club team runs her in shoot sets out of the middle and when you mix that speed with her power, it usually ends up in a kill for her team more times than not. JSU should have some fun getting to utilize her skills in a variety of ways in a few years. Until then, we will enjoy watching her senior season at Denton.” We were thoroughly impressed with how she helped her high school team this past season. We watched this past high school season as Miss Thomas helped her volleyball squad to a great 20-4 overall record and a 12-2 district record. In three great years at Denton High School, Taylor has tallied 887 kills on a career .223 hitting percentage, 86 blocks, 897 digs, and 50 aces. We are proud to have her on the 2021 State Rankings and will be watching as she helps Jacksonville State.   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. Thanks for following Texas Family!