High School Spotlight: Friendswood Mustangs
The high school volleyball season has just finished in Texas and during the last four months we got to watch the countless talented young players who have showcased their skills in every corner of the Lone Star state. One of…
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Continue ReadingThe high school volleyball season has just finished in Texas and during the last four months we got to watch the countless talented young players who have showcased their skills in every corner of the Lone Star state.
One of our missions at Prep Dig is to highlight as many teams and prospects as possible around the state, from State Championship contenders and household names to underdogs and special talents who might be flying under-the-radar.
We spend a lot of time at the gyms gathering information and watching matches and will use this space to highlight some of the teams and players we got to watch in person over the last few months. Today’s team is the Friendswood Mustangs.
Friendswood Mustangs
The Mustangs from the Friendswood High School located Southeast of Houston were only stopped in the Regional Quarterfinals, where they fell to Fulshear. It was the toughest of just ten losses head coach Sarah Paulk and her players had to face in a season in which they won 36 matches. The Mustangs were second in the Class 5A, Region III – District 22 with 13 wins and three setbacks.
AREA CHAMPS!!! Beat Lamar Consolidated in three to advance to the Regional Quarter finals early next week! #takeitback 💙🐴🏐 pic.twitter.com/yMVXzjV0qN
— Friendswood VB (@FwoodVolleyball) November 5, 2021
Players to Watch:
Sarah Sitton – Middle Blocker – Club: Houston Stellar – 2022
A tall and athletic presence at the net for the Mustangs, Sarah Sitton was the team’s most effective offensive option during the season. The 6’2” middle blocker is really difficult to stop when she gets in rhythm because of her great reach and vertical and her ability to hit in different directions. Her blocking is also extremely effective as when she doesn’t get the stuff, Sitton is often able to touch the ball and make the lives of defenders behind her a lot easier. She ended the season as Friendswood’s top scorer with 326 kills and ranked second in blocks with 72.
Cierra Pesak – Outside Hitter/Libero – Club: Absolute Volleyball Academy – 2023
After spending last season as a libero, Cierra Pesak was moved back to her original outside hitter role in 2021. The 5’9” prospect showed she has what it takes to thrive in either position as she continued to produce numbers that would make a libero proud on the backcourt – 417 digs and 597 passes – but also became a scoring force with 244 kills and 44 aces. Pesak doesn’t have a lot of size or power but she’s extremely technical and intelligent and finds ways around the opposing block or to tool it and score points while making very few mistakes.
Isabella Thompson Isabella Thompson 6'2" | MB Friendswood | 2024 State TX – Middle Blocker – Club: Houston Stellar – 2024
A 6’2” sophomore, Isabella Thompson Isabella Thompson 6'2" | MB Friendswood | 2024 State TX led the Mustangs in blocks in just her second season of high school volleyball with 95 stuffs. Despite very young, she has good reading of the game and uses her long arms extremely well to take up space from opposing hitters. She still has a lot of upside on her game, especially on offense, where she can produce more than the 232 kills she had this season once she adds more power to her right arm, but her progress from six months ago, when we had last seen her in action during the club season, was truly impressive. She ranks 63rd in our 2024 Prep Dig State Rankings.