Houston Session II Top 250 Expo – Game Changers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Dig Top 250 Expo's were on full display this month.&nbsp; All month long we have had over 400 players from all over the great state of Texas and surrounding states that participated in the three wonderful events we have had.&nbsp; Volleyball is a true team sport in that it takes every single player to help a team compete.&nbsp; However, every team across all of the age groups has one or two players that are considered “Game Changers”.&nbsp; This moniker is given to those that literally change the dynamic of each team and give their squad a fighting chance to win.&nbsp; After watching all of these wonderful players during the two and a half hour event, these were the players that I witnessed to be considered a true Game Changer for the Houston Session II Expo:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180175' first='Samara' last='Coleman']&nbsp;&nbsp;[2025] 5-11 Outside (HS: Grand Oaks/Club: Houston Skyline/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":184555,"width":190,"height":228,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/03/Samara-Coleman-e1646793727338.jpg?w=850" alt="" class="wp-image-184555" width="190" height="228" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Samara is currently ranked as the 16^th&nbsp;best overall player in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings and her stock is currently on the rise.&nbsp; She stars for Grand Oaks high school and will now play for Houston Skyline in club.&nbsp;&nbsp;Many wish to fly amongst the birds and soar over everyone.&nbsp; Samara gets to do this every time she steps foot on the volleyball court.&nbsp; Her greatness was on full display during both the positional drills and the competitive scrimmage drills.&nbsp; She was by far the best attacker for the entire session in the gym.&nbsp; To have someone who can literally score from every location on the court and have the hang time that she possesses is truly a Game Changer for any team.&nbsp; It is this reason that she has earned that moniker from us for this Expo.&nbsp; It was very difficult for any blocker to slow her down as they were usually on their way down while she was hitting her peak.&nbsp; No one was able to match up with her as she rose up so effortlessly to attack.&nbsp; We are going to be following her very closely once again this year as she is with a new team and looks to showcase her talent to the world.&nbsp; Everyone will take notice and she will have her choice of schools once her junior career is over.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87560' first='Kirby' last='Kliafas']&nbsp;[2023] 5-10 Libero/Setter (HS: Cy Ranch/Club: [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":225129,"width":202,"height":221,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/09/Kirby-Serving-scaled-e1662828969453.jpg?w=932" alt="" class="wp-image-225129" width="202" height="221" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kirby is currently ranked as the 100^th&nbsp;best overall prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but will be moving up the rankings in the next update with what we saw this weekend in person.&nbsp; She is the captain of the ship that steers the offense for Cy Ranch and she also plays for the awesome [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] Volleyball program.&nbsp; I just profiled her this month and here is a refresher of what I stated, “<em>I have watched Kirby since she was a young player playing up in older age groups and still standing out.&nbsp; Her athleticism is one aspect that you cannot ignore when you watch her battle in both the setter position and libero position.&nbsp; She is a great setter who has lead her high school team to greatness this year.&nbsp; Those who are in the know about this kiddo already know how great of a libero she is.&nbsp; Any team who picks her up as a libero next year for college will get a phenomenal leader who will keep her squad in the rally no matter what it takes.&nbsp; Her work ethic and desire to improve are unmatched in the gym.”</em>&nbsp; We have chose her to be a Game Changer because of her leadership, volleyball IQ and her ability to play at a high level at two completely different positions.&nbsp; As a libero she is tenacious and has ball control for days.&nbsp; Any team can have her take away three quarters of the court by herself in serve receive and she will deliver a three pass to her setter every time.&nbsp; But any team who picks this youngster up on their college roster will get the ultimate leader for their squad.&nbsp; She will be an extension of her coach on the court and that will be a Game Changer for their entire program.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='269782' first='Asia' last='Menard'] [2024] 6-0 Middle (HS: Barbers Hill/Club: Absolute Volleyball Academy/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt="" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Asia is currently on our Watch List as a prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings.&nbsp; She plays at Barbers Hill High School and also club for Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas.&nbsp; Most coaches will agree that strong middles who can do it all are hard to come by. &nbsp;Middles must be able to be big, strong, and fast in order to cover a lot of ground.&nbsp; They are asked a lot in this fast paced game and must have the endurance to keep up with everyone.&nbsp; If you have a middle who can do all of that, it is truly a Game Changer for your squad.&nbsp; That is exactly who Asia is and what she showed on Saturday in the gym.&nbsp; For the two and a half hours she was physically imposing to everyone in the gym and dominated out of the middle.&nbsp; Her force off of the ground cannot be ignored as she punishes the sport court on both her approach and block jump.&nbsp; I love how strong her upper body is as she presses on the net to seal it from her opposing attacker.&nbsp; No one will win a joust if they go up against her.&nbsp; Give her a look as she is one to watch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And as always….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.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->