The Avoli Award is not something you hand to a player who simply outperformed the field. It goes to the one who made the field better and at the Prep Dig Houston Showcase on July 25th in Spring, that player was Aliyana Serbones without any real debate.

She is 6’2″ in the class of 2030, which is the kind of physical profile that makes you look before she has touched a single ball. But what makes Ali Serbones genuinely special has very little to do with how tall she is. The smile comes first. It is there before the whistle, it is there after a tough rally, and it is there in the exact moments when most players her age let the competitive pressure close them off from the people around them. It never left her face on July 25th and the players who shared the floor with her responded to it in real and visible ways throughout the entire event.

On the technical side, the tools are exceptional. As a setter, she processes the game quickly for a player at this stage of her development, and the release point she generates at 6’2″ creates a deception at the net that hitters at the next level spend years trying to find in a setter. When she moved to the right side, the attacking range and length she brought to that role were the most physically imposing things in the gym and the efficiency with which she swung from the right pin showed a player who understands how to use her frame rather than just occupy the position with it. Court coaches evaluating both roles throughout the day came away with the same conclusion: she was the most complete player on the floor.

We have watched Ali Serbones grow, and the growth has not just been physical. The leadership she carries onto the court now is earned rather than assumed, and the way her teammates gravitate toward her energy is something that cannot be coached into a player. Every coach in the country would want her in their program, and not only because of what she can do with a volleyball. The Avoli Award belongs to the player who defines the culture of the room and on July 25th in Spring, Texas, that was her. College staffs in the 2030 class need to put her name at the very top of their list.Please help us congratulate this awesome young lady for earning this prestigious prize. 

Serbones (pictured) provided outstanding touches on every set she took. She hustled on and off the court in between repetitions and put up crisp jump sets. Serbones involves a number of hitters on her sets and uses her excellent court IQ to put hitters in position to terminate balls. Serbones does not lock her arms on the sets and executes a variety of sets including back sets. Serbones also steps to balls and makes crisp two to three-point passes. Serbones constantly energized others throughout the day with her encouraging words.

Ali Serbones is a 2030 six foot tall left handed setter and right side from Cornerstone Christian High School who also competes for Alamo Volleyball Club out of San Antonio, Texas, and our readers in Texas know her name well because we have highlighted her multiple times after previous showcases. The fact that she has earned Top Performer recognition at every event she has attended with us speaks volumes, especially considering different coaches have independently nominated her each time. That kind of consistency is no accident. She is the real deal, and her blend of size, skill, and athleticism will have college coaches extremely intrigued as they evaluate long term prospects. A six foot left handed setter is a rare profile, and that uniqueness alone creates matchup problems for opponents. What truly separates her, however, is her competitiveness and physical strength at the net, where she is more than willing to battle opposing hitters. Her ability to block and attack effectively keeps her on the floor, reduces the need for substitutions, and allows her team to maintain offensive continuity as she sets all the way around. Please join us in congratulating Ali on earning another Top Performer Award at the Sunshine Classic Showcase.

Miss Serbones is currently an unranked prospect in the 2030 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released them yet.  She plays for Cornerstone Christian School and also plays for the Alamo volleyball club.  After watching her for the second time this year, we are certain that she will for sure be a star to watch for the foreseeable future.  It seems as if she has grown a few inches since we last saw her this past summer and that is scary for her opponents.  This young lady is a very talented volleyball player who can set, hit and block at a very high level.  We really enjoyed her personality on and off the court as well.  She is truly the life of the party and that equates to being a great teammate.  If you do not know her name yet, please write her name down as a player to watch.  She will be making a name for herself this coming club season.  Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award at this showcase. 

Miss Serbones is currently an unranked prospect in the 2030 class according to our Texas State Rankings, but that is only because we have not released her class.  She will play volleyball next year at Cornerstone Christian High School and currently plays for the Alamo volleyball club.  Ali was nominated for a few awards at this showcase due to her amazing personality and strong volleyball skills.  I noticed how positive and bubbly her personality was and immediately handed her a microphone to wear as she went through some drills.  She was very entertaining and extremely positive to other players even when she wasn’t in the drill herself.  This shows me just the kind of chemistry that she is able to build with peers on and off the court.  That will be huge in the coming years as college coaches watch her grow into someone they want on their roster.  I was thoroughly impressed with her strong frame and movement on the court.  Not many taller players like her are able to be swift and coordinated at a high level.  What also stood out was how she was able to transition from setting to blocking and hitting on the right side.  This kind of versatility will be huge for any team she is on.  Please help us congratulate her on earning a Top Performer award at our showcase.