Spike Sport #1: Liberos – 18s

<p>The club volleyball season is underway in Texas and during the next several months the Lone Star State will be packed with exciting tournaments, where the region’s most interesting prospects will have opportunities to showcase their games.</p> <p>The Spike Sport #1 was one of the first of those to take place. Played on December 4 in Missouri City, the event featured eight teams from the Houston area in the 17 Division and ten in the 18. The event was dominated by the traditional Houston Skyline club, which advanced two teams for the final of the gold bracket in both divisions.</p> <p>PrepDig.com attended the tournament and we’ll use the next few days to highlight some of the most interesting players we spotted there – some are very popular and well-known names, while others are prospects who perhaps were flying under-the-radar.</p> <p>Here are some of the liberos who stood out in the 18 Division.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87492" first="Ava" last="Underwood"] – Skyline 18 Royal – HS: Fulshear – 2022</strong></p> <p>After spending the last high school season playing as a setter (and earning the 24-5A district’s MVP award in the position) for Fulshear, [player_tooltip player_id="87492" first="Ava" last="Underwood"] is back to her old (and equally great) self as a libero for the Skyline 18 Royal team that won the tournament. Her defensive game remains in perfect shape as the 5’6” Underwood was nearly flawless with her digs and passes, as usual. A very focused and determined player, she seems to have enhanced her leadership skills even further during her time as a setter, being even more vocal from the backcourt. Ranked 24^th in our 2022 Prep Dig State Rankings, Underwood will join Texas A&amp;M after the club season.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10195589/61493f7f4debad182477af1a" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Molly Tuozzo – Skyline 17 Royal – HS: The Woodlands – 2023</strong></p> <p>Molly Tuozzo is another of the several fantastic liberos to play for the Skyline program. Coming from the Woodlands Revolution club this season, the 5’4” defender immediately found her space with 17 Royal thanks to her extremely solid defensive game. Tuozzo is an excellent defender and passer and part of it should be credited to her outstanding positioning and superior ball control. She seems to take time to develop every aspect of her game as she does a great job in setting in transition when needed and is a very aggressive server, having scored several points from the service line.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/7359629/61ada519dfd8d903e026b197" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Meagan Sonsel – Texas Renegades 18 Black – HS: Magnolia West – 2022</strong></p> <p>The Texas Renegades 18 Black team had a decent showing in the tournament, winning two out of four matches to make it to the silver bracket championship match. One of their strengths was defense and Meagan Sonsel played a big part on it. With great ball control, she kept the team’s serve-receive game going and gave 18 Black several opportunities to score in transition with her digs. Sonsel communicates well and frequently with her teammates and also does a good job in setting in transition.</p>