Personally, it’s been a historic start to the high school season. Two weeks ago I was in Hawaii covering the Ann Kang Invitational for the first time. Now, I’m in Austin covering the massive Volleypalooza for the first time. If you love watching and covering volleyball there’s no other places to be to begin the year. The opening day of Volleypalooza, hosted by Rouse, lived up to expectations and then some. Knowing the level of Texas volleyball, the bar is set high and the best thing is the action only heats up the next two days with a field featuring almost all the top teams in the state from 5 and 6A.
Day 1 consisted of 17 pools of four, with the top two teams advancing and remaining in contention. The top half of Day 2 features 7 pools of 4 paired with 2 pools of three. The winners of the four-team pools each earn a spot in the eight-team gold bracket on Day 3, along with the crossover winner between the top teams in the three-team pools.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the top headlines from Thursday, followed by team spotlights and under the radar players.
— Most of the top seeds advanced but were hardly untouchable. Boswell – seeded No. 15 – was the lone top team in its pool not moving on however with upset losses to Westlake – which won the pool at 3-0 – and to Stratford.
— Prosper – seeded No. 4 – and No. 5 The Woodlands both lost their final outings to finish 2-1 but will move on. Prosper was surprised by a scrappy Clear Springs group while Sachse swept past The Woodlands to win Pool 5.
— Lake Travis – seeded No. 8 – went down to Cypress Ranch in the 1 v 2 contest, allowing Cypress Ranch to win the pool at 3-0 and place Lake Travis second at 2-1.
— In Pool 11, the No. 2 team in Bishop Lynch topped the No. 1 team in Lovejoy to go 3-0.
— Keller – seeded No. 13 – also went 2-1 after losing to Round Rock in the 1 v 2 clash.
— Barbers Hill – the No. 2 team in Pool 16 – uprooted No. 16 O’Connor to grab first at 3-0.
— Lastly, Pool 17 was the only one featuring a three-way tie. Friendswood, the No. 1 team, tied at 2-1 with the No. 2 team Cedar Park and the No. 3 team Southlake Carroll. Southlake Carroll ended in first thanks to the tiebreakers and joined Stratford as the only other No. 3 team to advance on Day 1. Friendswood wound up in second, which meant Cedar Park was third and eliminated. It started with Southlake Carroll downing Friendswood, which closed out the day by beating Cedar Park. In between, Cedar Park defeated Southlake Carroll.
***
TEAM SPOTLIGHTS
Let’s shed some light on a few teams of note:
CLEAR SPRINGS – We begin with the Chargers after they pulled off the biggest upset of the day in downing Prosper. The roster doesn’t have one player listed above 5-11, so this isn’t a group built on bullying opponents into submission. However, Clear Springs demonstrated sound chemistry and clearly cherish the underdog role. Ashley Richardson showed off her big arm pounding balls on the right. The other right side in lefty Carissa Young extends nicely and can get on top of the ball. Anzley Rinard was solid on the left while Abigail Fuller displayed her scrappiness at libero.
CORNERSTONE CHRISTIAN – We’ll know plenty about the top seed here by the time the season is done. The Warriors are slated to also participate in both Nike TOC events – one in Tampa and one in Phoenix. The roster is loaded with high-level talent which includes 4-star recruit and outside Nayeli Gonzalez, 4-star recruit and setter Taylor Anderson, plus 5-star prospect in sophomore outside Megan Fitch. Alyssa Manitzas is a 4-star libero while recent Baylor commit Grace Carroll is a 4-star lefty right side.
PRESTONWOOD CHRISTIAN – The Lions are the No. 2 seeds and the scary thing is the roster features just one senior – MB/RS Emma Kate Mullican. That means Prestonwood is going to be a national power next year, if it isn’t already. One of the highlights is the arrival of 5-star recruit and sophomore outside Macaria Spears. Spears played club this past season for Metro out of DC but made the move to Texas and transformed the look of the lineup. Also among the players to know is junior outside Jadyn Livings, a 6-2, 5-star recruit. Another premier pin hitter is Mikala Young, a 4-star recruit who is 6-0 and was hitting on the right side for the Lions. At setter, is recent Michigan commit Camille Edwards. Added to the that, the team gets the services of middle Kennedy Washington, a 4-star recruit who becomes eligible to play for the Lions beginning Friday.
HIGHLAND PARK – The Scots are seeded No. 3 overall and coming off a victory at last weekend’s Northwest ISD tourney. Three seniors lead the way in outside Sydney Breon, middle Ceci Gooch and libero Zoe Winford. Breon is a 4-star recruit committed to UCLA. Gooch – who played on the right side for Drive Nation during club – is a 4-star recruit heading to Michigan. Winford – a 3-star recruit – is committed to Georgia Tech. There’s underclassmen talent on the roster as well. Alex Richter, a 6-2, 4-star OH/RS, is one of them. She’s joined by 4-star outside and fellow sophomore Bella Ocampo. There is also 6-2 right side Nicole Mauser, a 3-star recruit committed to Cal Baptist. Setters Harper Hall and Gracie Braner get to work with all those options.
ROUSE – As the host, we highlight Rouse. The Raiders have some size to work with, especially in the middle with 6-3 junior Jadyn Wilgus and 6-1 junior Naara Tanco. Tabby Allen, a 6-1 senior, stands in at opposite while the 6-0 senior Karley Black was on the outside. Savannah Skopal also fits in the mix, a 6-0 junior setter and 3-star recruit. Defensively, Rouse is helped out by sophomore libero Mary Schirpik, a 3-star recruit.
***
UNDER THE RADAR PLAYERS
We’ve watched many of the top tier players during club season and are very likely to see the top teams in action on Days 2 and 3, so instead of highlighting those girls as part of our normal Show Stoppers, let’s mix it up a bit and present a few players who fly under the radar but caught our attention on Day 1 nevertheless.
Laura Ely, SR L, Vista Ridge – Ely was hustling all over the court and was very talkative in communicating with her teammates. Vista Ridge doesn’t have much size and Ely stood in against some big hitters to make plays.
Annabelle Lanik, JR OH, St. John Prep – An undersized outside, Lanik isn’t afraid to go at bigger blocks. She stayed aggressive attacking and was able to deliver a couple of kills that were noteworthy.
Carly Dossett, JR S, Steele – Dossett sets a clean ball consistently. She was putting it in spots and giving her hitters chances to make plays on a regular basis.
Kitana Tuufuli, SR OH, Steele – Tuufuli is the only member on the roster who is over 6-0. She’s a strong, physical hitter who is capable of putting pressure on defenses to make plays.
Madelyn Whitehead, SR RS, Pearland – At 5-10, in the world of volleyball Whitehead can be considered a bit undersized. However, she’s a steady, reliable option who can carry Pearland at times. She hits all the way around.
Rachelle Reed, SR OH, Pearland – Like Whitehead, Reed is listed at 5-10. She jumps very well though and was another key component of the offense.
Sakari McNeal, SR MB, Churchill – This is the third player in a row who is 5-10. McNeal didn’t get set a lot but when she did she delivered. She has a big arm and hits a heavy ball making it tough on defenses to dig her.
Kayla Lopez, SR OH, Rouse – Lopez is undersized at 5-6 but she’s a gamer. She gets off the ground well and goes for it hitting against taller blockers.
Payton Woods, SR OH, Lake Creek – A 6-0 outside, Woods is a key cog in the lineup. She’s a solid attacker and is looked upon to provide consistent offense.
