Texas Club Highlight: Xcel 151 – Mont Belvieu
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The Lone Star Region is full of amazing clubs that have been around for many years and continue to dominate not only the state of Texas but the nation as well. Every now and then someone comes along and joins…
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Continue ReadingThe Lone Star Region is full of amazing clubs that have been around for many years and continue to dominate not only the state of Texas but the nation as well. Every now and then someone comes along and joins the party and prove who they are amongst the tenured giants. This next article is to highlight a young up and coming club along with their amazing players and what they accomplished this past season. We at Prep Dig would like to give credit where credit is due and Xcel 151 out of their Mont Belvieu branch showed all season long just how good they truly are.
They started off the season battling right out of the gate as they earned a qualification to the prestigious Tour of Texas series by getting first place at the Qualifier in January. This means they were starting the season as one of the top 24 teams in the state. Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, they continued to show their prowess by winning the 15 Open Division of the Cross Court Classic, getting second place in the American division at the Lone Star National Qualifier, which is one of the hardest and biggest national qualifiers in the nation. They weren’t done as they ended up earning a bid at Lone Star Regionals by winning the entire tournament.. They ended the season getting 23rd in the National Division of USA Volleyball Girls Junior Nationals. These young ladies are just getting started…Let’s meet a few of their stars.
Peyton Fadal Peyton Fadal 5'9" | S Barbers Hill | 2024 State TX [2024] 5-10 Setter/Right Side (HS: Barbers Hill/Club: Xcel/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Peyton is currently ranked as the 80th best overall prospect in the class of 2024 but that will change once we update the rankings next month as she has proved to me in person that she deserves to be moved up. She is a huge reason why Barbers Hill will stay dominant in their district as they have over the last couple of decades. This young lady can truly do it all on the court for both her high school and club team. I love how she is able to track the ball off of the passers arms so quick and then use very quick footwork to beat the ball and still deliver a great ball to her hitters. This jump setting phenom is one to watch as her location is pin point accurate with every set whether it is in-system or out of system. The ball seems to float out of her hands so smoothly. If any college coaches are needing a silky smooth quarterback, they should look no further as this young lady is the real deal. We are going to have a lot of fun watching her career unfold. Stay tuned to see where she falls on the rankings when I update them. We will be writing more highlight articles on her for sure.
Tanishua Joseph [2023] 6-0 Middle (HS: Baytown Sterling/Club: Xcel/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ty is currently unranked in the 2023 class but that will definitely change once I am finished with the update to the rankings next month. She is a stud middle for her high school Baytown Sterling and is also one of the top middles in her club at Xcel. We have witnessed her impressive athleticism in person in Vegas and colleges should definitely have her on their radar soon. The angles at which she approaches her setter for quicks is amazing and it makes it hard for any blocker to slow her down. Once you match that with the length in her arms, her jumping ability, and the speed of her arm swing, she becomes a dominant force that you have to keep your eye on as an opposing defense. She is the type of player that you must account for before you come up with a defensive strategy. Her athleticism cannot be ignored and she will be one to watch for the foreseeable future for sure. Miss Joseph is exciting to watch and we cannot wait to see what she does this high school season.
Katy Barger [2024] 6-0 Outside (HS: Baytown Sterling/Club: Xcel/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miss Barger is an unranked prospect according to our Prep Dig State Rankings, but stay tuned to our next update in August as that could definitely change. Katy is a game changing six rotation outside hitter that is dominant for both her high school and club team. She plays for Baytown Sterling and Xcel out of their Mont Belvieu location. This high flying outside hitter absolutely crushes the ball on the left side pin. Once the defense gives her a little seam in the block, Katy destroys the ball through it. Opponents do not stand a chance to keep the ball alive when she gets ahold of it. I love her hand contact as she is able to get completely on top of the ball to murder it on the ten-foot line. And then just when the defense keys on her and seals a great block cross-court, Miss Barger will turn in mid-air and unload a monstrous line shot that scores with a thunderous applause from everyone watching. She is definitely a player that every college must have on their watch list moving forward. We think she has the potential to move up the rankings very fast. Stay tuned to see where she lands.
There are many more athletes from this team and club that we will highlight soon. Stay tuned to see more from Xcel as they have something good brewing in their area.
If you feel like you have a school or club that you think we should highlight, feel free to email me at nov8vb@yahoo.com. We would love to come out to your practices/clinics and get more information on your staff/athletes to help with our coverage.