August 11, 2023

The second day of the MISD Methodist Mansfield Medical Center Invitational was a fun one to be sure. And like Day 1 I was only able to watch matches at two locations. It was fun to see Colleyville Heritage take the court with a few new faces. As did Midlothian. And leading into the Championship bracket Saturday only four squads remained undefeated: Mansfield, Colleyville Heritage, El Paso Franklin and Midlothian. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS Colleyville Heritage: The defending state 5A champions faced the challenge of rebuilding their lineup after losing several key seniors. Returning starters junior S/RS Suli Davis and senior OH Maddie Bird have added transfer libero Sarah Mendoza along with the younger Davis sister, Onita, in the mix. Their presence has provided a new look and injected renewed energy into the squad. With their talents and capabilities, Colleyville Heritage is poised to continue their success and defend their title. Mansfield: This squad boasts a group of experienced seniors who have been instrumental in leading the squad. Senior Mia Clay excels as a dynamic outside hitter, while Lauren Demuth dominates in the middle, providing a strong presence at the net. Oral Roberts commit setter Rachel Resta is a constant presence on the court and sophomore Kylie Meche adds athleticism and power on the outside. Their collective leadership and talent are instrumental in shaping the squad’s early success. Midlothian: The roster has a new look after losing a senior heavy starting lineup from last season. Junior 6-2 outside McKenzie Berg is one to keep your eyes on heading into the season. She has a high contact point on the pins and is hard to read when she connects. Senior Oklahoma Baptist commit Angelina Masojc holds down the middle along with sophomore outside Kameron Rector hammering on the outside. *** DAY 2 SHOW STOPPERS Sarah Mendoza, JR L, Colleyville Heritage- Mendoza, a 4-star recruit, is a new addition to the reigning 5A state champion squad. She is steady out of serve receive and reads/anticipates well. Suli Davis, JR S/RS, Colleyville Heritage- Davis, a 5-star recruit, splits time on her high school squad setting and swinging. She has a great touch on the ball and when she attacks, well, she brings the heat. Nadia Peña, JR RS, El Paso Coronado- Peña is a undersized lefty who has a whip of an arm and a no fear attitude. Alina Strickler, JR OH, El Paso Coronado- Strickler is a bit undersized but doesn’t ever back down. She’s an aggressive attacker who knows how to challenge and tool blocks for points. Karizma Trevino, JR L Hereford- Trevino is a speedy and talkative libero who plays with good energy. Brooklyn Kinsey, JR OH, Canyon- Kinsey is another outside who is a bit undersized. But Kinsey has an aggressive approach to her attacking and isn’t afraid to challenge blockers. Trinity Nunley, SR RS, Richland- Nunley, a UT Tyler commit, can hammer on the right side. She is a reliable and consistent scorer. Serenity Nunley, JR L Richland- The younger Nunley sister brings athleticism and a won’t-back-down attitude to the libero position. Holland Hickman, SR MB, Creekview- Hickman is a bit raw but has incredible upside with her length and athleticism. Memorie Wilson, SR MB, Creekview- Wilson can get up in a hurry. She is an athlete and when she does, she can rip the ball. Kassidy Meyer, JR MB, Whitehouse- Meyer puts up a solid block as well as presenting a good scoring option. Ashley Rhame, JR S, Whitehouse- Rhame has nice hands and sets a clean ball. She’s also spot on with her location, including a good connection with her middles. Grace Maxwell, SR S, Mansfield Legacy- Maxwell is a constant hustler. She also knows how to move the ball around without fear. Jordan Henderson, SR MB, Mansfield Legacy- Henderson makes her presence felt defensively with her blocking. MJ Piggee, SR MB, South Grand Prairie- Piggee has some major physicality to her. She gets up pretty well and is capable of crushing one down when the option is there. McCall Sims, SR L, West Plains- Sims is a gamer with her hustle. She moves around the court quickly and covers a lot of ground because of it. Angelina Masojc, SR MB, Midlothian- Masojc, an Oklahoma Baptist commit, is a two-way contributor with her blocking and effective scoring with an ability to vary her shots. McKenzie Berg, JR OH, Midlothian- Berg, a six-rotation outside, has a lively arm and high contact point and it makes her a very difficult hitter to block. Kathryn Dietrich, JR RS/S, Mansfield- Dietrich is a right side who can jump in and set in a pinch which adds to a different level of connectivity with her teammates. Mia Clay, SR OH, Mansfield- Clay, a St. Edwards commit, is a six-rotation outside who brings calmness on the court. That being said when she connects with the ball she definitely brings the heat. Kiana Babaei, JR S, Frisco Memorial- Babaei has solid hands to go with a strong ability to move the ball around to her various hitters with reliable accuracy. Faith Roulston-Aliu, SO MB, Frisco Memorial- Roulston-Aliu is still a bit raw but has incredible upside with her length and athleticism. She will be fun to watch grow in this position. Freshman Standouts Sheridan Riles, S Midlothian Chloe Flowers, DS Colleyville Heritage Claire Bundy, S Colleyville Heritage

It was a great opening day for a pair of local high schools and one which made the trek to Honolulu for the first time as the Ann Kang Invitational kicked off Thursday in Hawaii. Host school ‘Iolani was one of three teams to post a 3-0 mark, with Punahou and Cornerstone Christian TX also making it out of Day 1 without a loss. Punahou arguably had the best day of the trio, as the Honolulu school upset Mira Costa CA – which is ranked No. 4 in vballrecruiter.com’s initial Top 50 National High School Rankings. Mira Costa is playing without setter and 5-star Wisconsin commit Charlie Fuerbringer, who is away playing with the U19 USAV squad. Punahou pulled out one of the more dramatic victories Thursday as it clipped Mira Costa in three, 15-25, 27-25, 18-16. Punahou also beat Oaks Christian CA and Baldwin HI to finish 3-0. Baldwin is located on Maui and was able to make it to O’ahu despite the wildfires devastating the island. Punahou, the only team in Pool A at 3-0, also narrowly escaped against Oaks Christian, winning in three, 25-16, 16-25, 16-14. Cornerstone Christian, which is making its Ann Kang debut, joins Mira Costa as another Top-10 school in the field. Cornerstone opened the season at No. 8 in our Top 50 National Rankings. The San Antonio school finished last season ranked No. 2 overall in the nation. Despite losing three high-level Division 1 players, the program remains strong with 5-star junior outside Megan Fitch (Texas AM) and 4-star senior right side Grace Carroll (Baylor) helping leading the charge. Cornerstone finished off its day with a tight victory over No. 17 Sierra Canyon CA in three, 26-28, 28-26, 15-12. ‘Iolani joined Cornerstone in going 3-0 in Pool B after beating Huntington Beach CA, Kapolei HI and Orange Lutheran CA. ‘Iolani and Cornerstone are not set to play each other however until the final match of pool play on Saturday morning. *** TEAM SPOTLIGHTS Cornerstone Christian TX: The Warriors were among the top teams in the country last year, winning both Volleypalooza and the Nike TOC Southwest tournaments. Their only loss came to Westminster Christian FL in the final of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament. The school also handed Prestonwood Christian TX – which opens this year ranked No. 1 in the nation – its only loss of the season. The team lost three key pieces in middle Nayeli Gonzalez, setter Taylor Anderson and libero Alyssa Manzitas, but as we stated above does have Fitch and Carroll back among others. Other contributors returning also include junior 3-star setter Kaia Thiele and junior 3-star right side Macey Hughes. Maria Avendano, a senior, was suiting up at a libero to help fill out the lineup, as well as junior 3-star outside Aniya Hall. Hall could be a key piece as she can really help elevate the attack. The Warriors used three players in the middle in seniors Savannah Smith and Olivia Parker and junior Elly Stewart. Thiele was running a 6-2 along with senior setter Natalia Jackson. Cornerstone might not quite be competing for a national championship last season, but with the schedule they are facing it’s not out of the question if they could somehow run the table. The program is not only playing here at Ann Kang, but is also set to travel to both Nike TOC events as well as the Durango Fall Classic, plus another yet-to-be-announced event. Not many schools can match that type of schedule. Sierra Canyon CA: The biggest loss for the Trailblazers from a season ago was 5-star right side Olivia Babcock, who is at Pitt. They also lost their other outside in Jaida Sione but mostly everyone else returns and that’s good news. The back row is anchored by 4-star libero Lauren Lynch (San Diego). The offense is still directed by 3-star setter Sade Ilawole, and the middle still has a key part in 3-star Hawaii commit Madeline Way. Also back is 3-star Boston College outside Danica Rach. That alone is enough to keep Sierra Canyon very competitive, but there’s more pieces that will play a role this fall. Among them are three newcomers in Halie and Hanna McGinest and Taylor Treahy. Hanna, a freshman, was playing Thursday on Day 1 on the outside and already making an impact. As for her older sister, Halie, the CIF Southern Section is still ruling on whether or not she’ll need to sit out the 30-day period or not. The CIF-SS office has already ruled that Treahy, a 6-4 lefty right side transfer, will need to sit out the 30 days and will be eligible on Sept. 12. No matter what happens with Halie, Sierra Canyon will have both available by then and will add plenty of depth to the roster. As for Thursday, senior Lola Brown was making contributions in the middle, and 6-0 sophomore right side Mia Stewart was making plays in her role too. Like Cornerstone, Sierra Canyon will also be attending the Durango Fall Classic next month. *** DAY 1 SHOW STOPPERS Keoni Williams SO MB Boswell TX: Boswell went 1-2 on the first day. Williams, a 5-star recruit who helped Skyline 15 Royal to the 15 Open USAV gold medal this summer, was impactful at the net. Boswell struggled passing at times and getting Williams clean looks, but she made up for it with her length and size to still be a factor with her blocking and out-of-system plays. Rylinn Roberts SO RS Boswell TX: Roberts was another bright spot for Boswell. The sophomore is lanky with a nice arm and was contributing nicely to the offense when called upon. Kennedy Caton SR S Boswell TX: Caton was showing she can move the ball around and put her hitters in a good spot when in system. Olivia Foye JR L Huntington Beach CA: Foye – a 3-star Princeton commit – is among the standout liberos in the field. She had a breakout club season starring