Setters to Watch at the H-Town Showdown

The 2025-2026 club volleyball season is set to get into a much faster pace after the arrival of the New Year, with multiple tournaments being held every weekend in many different cities in the state of Texas.   The first weekend of the year will have a big one going on in Houston, with the first of three scheduled stops of the popular H-Town Showdown taking place across three different locations in the area on January 3.   Reuniting teams in the 16s, 17s and 18s age groups, the first stop will feature 34 teams, representing 14 clubs in the region, with matches going on at the FAST Complex and the Absolute Volleyball Academy and the [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] facilities.   Prep Dig Texas will attend the event and provide the best coverage of it, featuring the top performers in the days following the tournament. Before we get to that, however, let's know some of the most promising prospects that will be on the court on Saturday. First, the setters:    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.      Ford will be with the [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas team in the 18s division. Her athletic profile helps her in many areas of the game and makes of her an extremely valuable player for the team. Ford is a talented ballhandler who stands out for her precision and smart distribution, but she also works very well in out-of-system plays, moving smoothly to the ball. The setter has a well-polished defensive game, consistently coming up with big digs, and can also take on hitting duties, using her leaping ability and vision to put the ball down.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXDgdrHwRDg </div></figure>    Adams plays for AVA TX 18 Adidas and will be in action in the 18s division. The left-handed player is one of the craftiest playmakers in the area and has been playing at a very high level for some years now. Adams is very intelligent with her decisions and has great setting hands, keeping the team's offense flowing in a dynamic and efficient rhythm. She's a scoring threat with her setter dumps and also gets to contribute on the back row, getting opponents out of system with her tricky serves and appearing well on defense.      Ribakovs is a new face with Katy Stars 18 Adidas this season and will be with the team in the 18s division. A tall and technical setter, she has a strong all-around game and is often one of the cornerstones in the teams she plays. Ribakovs is very reliable and productive with her setting, doing a good job of pushing the tempo when in system. A lefty, she's a huge asset at the net, doing very well with her blocking and acting as a right side hitter and delivering at a very high level. Ribakovs can also be part of her team's serve-receive system if needed and plays solid defense.

The 2025-2026 club volleyball season is set to get into a much faster pace after the arrival of the New Year, with multiple tournaments being held every weekend in many different cities in the state of Texas.