Episcopal vs. St. John’s – Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The early days of the high school volleyball season have arrived in Texas and for the next four months, every week will be filled with exciting matches across the Lone Star State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig will be following the action closely and every match I get to attend will be followed with a Top Performers Report, highlighting the prospects who stood out on the court, and a photo gallery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday, I caught some action in the Southwest Preparatory Conference, one of the best leagues when it comes to private high schools in the Houston area, following the duel between the Episcopal Knights and the St. John's Mavericks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The home team overcame a difficult start to secure a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) victory and improve to 4-3 in the season. St. John's are now at 6-6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692333199131865305?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692333199131865305?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Performers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Allyson Frailey","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Episcopal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Third Coast Juniors (Beach)","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The senior outside hitter gave Episcopal the stability the team needed to come back from an early deficit on set one and take control of the match with her consistent and efficient game. Frailey was the most used offensive piece in the Knights' system and responded well, siding out at a very good rate and displayed  great technical skills and excellent resources to put the ball down in difficult situations - she hit a beautiful cut shot that kept St. John's defenders totally frozen at the end of set two. Frailey was also very effective with her passing and had some good moments with her serving.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ded8cc3e0af"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692317561134956549?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692317561134956549?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='519527' first='Mykayla' last='McMillian']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Episcopal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Houston Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Although the Mavericks tried to keep their serves away from her for most of the time, McMillian still found ways to be heavily involved in the match. She was very active on defense, using her excellent positioning to make plays on the backcourt, and came up with some important digs at the end of sets. It was easy to notice how focused she was on the court as she made a lot of good reads on defense and was always the first to get to shanked passes and defenses that went away from the setting area. McMillian also had a great serving performance, playing a major role in Episcopal's comeback on set one with a long run from the service line.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ded8cc3e15f"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692321323610173846?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692321323610173846?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["212731"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A new face with Episcopal this season, Collins seems to be still integrating with her new teammates but it was already possible to see the kind of impact she can make on the team. The middle wasn't set quite a lot, but was extremely efficient when that happened, putting the ball down at ease and making very few errors. When she was able to make good contact with the ball and get the timing right, it was clear that she'll bring a level of offensive power the Knights currently don't have. She also came up with a pair of clutch blocks at the end of set three.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ded8cc3e1c7"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692330755383554496?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1692330755383554496?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["201034"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"St. John's top player had a good performance in a match in which the team struggled, extrapolating her role as a setter and helping in several other ways. Her offensive strategy was disrupted by her team's passing issues, but Animashaun did a very good job of using her physical tools to get to imperfect passes, be it jumping at the net to get to tight ones or quickly moving on the court to get to those who went off the net. She also took over hitting duties in some difficult moments, producing well at the net, and also got points with her agressive blocking and smart serving, besides getting quite a few touches on defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ded8cc3e22b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["220966"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Rio was probably the most efficient and consistent player among St. John's hitters. Very technical and intelligent, she did a good job offensively, often getting out-of-system sets and finding creative solutions to make the most of them - or, at the very least, keeping errors to a minimum. She also made some good plays on teh backcourt, keeping her passing consistent for the most part and making some important digs at the middle back position.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ded8cc3e27c"} /-->