2022 Houston Area Standouts – Right Sides

<p>The club volleyball season is pretty much over for the class of 2022 players. There are still some tournaments scheduled for the 18s, but most of the top club teams around the country have already shut down as several players are ready to start the next step of their careers at the collegiate level.</p> <p>It’s been a fantastic season, which culminated with the 2022 USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, at the end of April. I’ve been fortunate to watch most of the top 18s teams of the Houston area in person and am taking the week to highlight some of the prospects that impressed me the most in each position. It’s time we present some of the right sides who made the cut.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87478" first="Logan" last="Lednicky"] – Houston Skyline 18 Royal – HS: George Ranch</strong></p> <p>The fact that [player_tooltip player_id="87478" first="Logan" last="Lednicky"] is set to join the 2022 Women’s Under-21 (U21) National Training Team at the end of the month tells how good she is. An extremely explosive 6’2” lefty with tremendous firepower, she’s one of the best right side hitters in the entire country. Lednicky has not only the power but also the reach and the ability to find difficult angles and is a very well-versed offensive. She’s also a solid blocker and a player who’s capable of helping on the backcourt too with passing and defense. All these skills have taken her to Texas A&amp;M, where she’ll continue her career.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11310666/627059cf02b1540d489e19b1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Eliza Konvicka – TAV Houston 18 Adidas – HS: Bellaire</strong></p> <p>A heavy-armed, 6’2” pin hitter who’s capable of causing damage from either side of the net, Eliza Konvicka has done well in the role of go-to scoring option for her TAV Houston team. Konvicka is very long and athletic and uses her physical tool extremely well on offense, but is also capable of scoring with intelligent tips and well-placed shots when the play calls for it. Although her main role with both her club and high school teams is to score points, she has also developed a solid backcourt game, being able to add with her passing and defense. She has committed to Cornell University.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13210686/624f97c78cdebb0c0c081b9e" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187138" first="Emma" last="Norman"] – AVA TX 18 Adidas – HS: Clear Lake</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="187138" first="Emma" last="Norman"] is another well-versed right side hitter who does well when mixing it up with her offensive weapons. Norman stands at 6’2” and can hammer the ball in pretty much any situation, but she does an excellent job of reading the play and picking the most efficient solution to score, be it a powerful hit or a creative tip. Norman also makes a very positive impact with her blocking and is very consistent with her level of play. She’ll play for Tufts University at the next level.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11336686/624c666ea676650c68207663" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99526" first="Chandler" last="Lee"] – Houston Skyline 18 Black – HS: Katy</strong></p> <p>A high-energy player on the court, [player_tooltip player_id="99526" first="Chandler" last="Lee"] is one of those prospects who don’t go unnoticed. She stands at six feet, but more impressive than her height is her explosiveness as Lee is one of those players who give everything they have in every ball they hit. She has the power to score but is very intelligent and technical too. Lee is versatile and can also play on the left and is fairly more active and productive on defense than the average right side hitter, especially because of her hustling spirit.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11372861/624d1ad64205a60da0872c77" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lydia Mesusan – Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold – HS: Klein</strong></p> <p>A prolific right side hitter, Lydia Mesusan can score points in a lot of different ways. She makes great use of her 6’1” frame and creates doubts in opposing blockers and defenders with her variety of shots. Mesusan does well when hitting sharp angle, but can also find gaps in the block or simply tool it by taking advantage of her reach. One of the reasons she’s so effective is that she does a great job in quickly stepping back and preparing her approach when in transition.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12312043/6258e830c124280530b67819" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Payton Rink – Texas Legacy 18 Elite – HS: Cy-Fair</strong></p> <p>Payton Rink is very quick on everything she does on the court and that gives her a tremendous advantage at the net. The 5’11” pin hitter can play on either side of the net and regardless of where she is, she thrives on making good decisions and using her quick right arm to avoid opposing blockers. Rink has, for sure, tremendous firepower, but is smart enough to hit around the block and not challenge it every time she can do that. She’s an Oklahoma Baptist commit.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14169734/61ae2ee90dc0890718ab8652" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>