Ava Shepard, setter for Houston Juniors, stands out with her defense-first approach and strong court awareness. She reads the game well and positions herself early, doing an excellent job of moving to the ball before ever putting her hands on it. That preparation allows her to stay balanced and in control, even during chaotic plays, leading to consistent and reliable sets for her hitters. Her defensive mindset keeps her engaged in every rally, while her ability to anticipate and react quickly helps maintain the flow of the offense.

Shepard sets for the HJV 16 Premier team that will compete in the 16s division. She has great setting hands, always being very precise with her locations, and also thrives with her distribution, doing a good job of keeping all her hitters involved and picking the right moments to use each one of them. Shepard likes to move her hitters around when in system, but also performs at a very high level when working with passes off the net, moving quickly to the ball and delivering accurate sets. She’s also a standout on the back row, causing a lot of damage with her serving and playing very good defense.

Tompkins’ offense kept firing on all cylinders throughout the entire match, and that was a reflection of the great work done by the team’s setters. Shepard split her time on the court with junior Drew Merrell, and the two were excellent at running the team’s offense, as they not only distributed the ball very well but also consistently moved their hitters around, making it very difficult for Jordan’s blockers to get in their way. The sophomore did very well on the few occasions when she had to work with passes off the net, quickly getting to the ball and putting her hitters in great positions to score. Shepard also had some good serving runs and contributed on defense, ending the match with a team-high 14 assists, six digs and one ace.