Skyline Classic #12 – Right Sides

<p>The tail end of the club volleyball season represents an interesting scouting opportunity for us at Prep Dig. While most of the top teams and prospects avoid competing every week and set their eyes on the big prize – the National Championship -, the others are still out there, trying to make the most of every opportunity they have to be on the court.</p> <p>The few tournaments that are still taking place bring a unique opportunity for us to watch players we otherwise wouldn't if the big dogs were still around and do our best to make the most out of it and give the emerging talents the exposure they deserve.</p> <p>This past weekend I was at the Skyline Classic #12, a nine-team tournament reuniting 16s teams from the Houston area at the popular Houston Skyline Juniors club. I'm sharing my findings during the week and now it's time we know some of the most intriguing right side hitters who were in action.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bailey Lechler – Catalyst 16 Green – HS: Foster – 2024</strong></p> <p>An extremely versatile and well-rounded player, Bailey Lechler was slotted on the right for Catalyst 16 Green but her contributions to the team far exceeded the ones a player in the position would typically provide. A lefty, Lechler is very intelligent with her shot selection and is very efficient in her scoring efforts despite standing at 5'6”. She hits a shortened set and excels in finding good angles from there. A libero in her junior varsity team Foster, Lechler is an excellent passer and provided great stability to the team on the backcourt.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14240960/628bc344b53f930b389c6801" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Emily Wheelock – TAV Houston 15 Blue – 2025</strong></p> <p>Also capable of playing in the middle, Emily Wheelock slotted in nicely on the right for TAV Houston 15 Blue. She has the size and the length to play the position and also displayed some very good mobility. Wheelock is a very good blocker and did a good job in taking care of her space with great timing and reading. She also showed interesting firepower on offense, even if she still needs to polish her game a little bit in that area.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Saj Gunner – Asics Willowbrook 16 Black – 2024</strong></p> <p>Her size is arguably Saj Gunner's main asset as a volleyball player as her game continues to evolve. She towers over everyone else on the court, which gives her a tremendous advantage. It's clear Gunner is still figuring out how to take full advantage of her physical gifts, but she has excellent tools, which should make of her a productive player in the future. She already has a very good floater serve that causes damage to opponents.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Abbie Bazinet – Catalyst 16 Emerald – HS: Clements – 2024</strong></p> <p>A 5'11” prospect with long arms and good leaping ability, Abbie Bazinet knows how to make her presence felt at the net. Her game is still a little bit raw in certain aspects but she uses her long arms and excellent timing really well when blocking. Bazinet is also very aware of what's happening on the court and did great in turning balls that floated around the net into easy points on some occasions.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Charlotte Heaney – Asics Willowbrook 16 White – HS: Cypress Creek – 2024</strong></p> <p>Capable of performing both setting and hitting duties on the right, Charlotte Heaney was put in a position to explore her offensive skills with Asics Willowbrook 16 White. She has good size and an interesting reach on offense and can hit the ball hard, especially when she goes angle. Heaney is very technical on her offense too, thriving when hitting around the block and showed to be a very good blocker as well.</p>