Class of 2023 All-State Nominees – Setters – Vol 1
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The 2021 High School season has been amazing so far! Along with our readers, we have been on pins and needles watching teams battle all season long. There have been some amazing tournaments and great district battles. We have been…
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Continue ReadingThe 2021 High School season has been amazing so far! Along with our readers, we have been on pins and needles watching teams battle all season long. There have been some amazing tournaments and great district battles. We have been talking to coaches, reading tons of stats, and getting lots of video submissions from parents and players regarding how everyone has fared over the course of the season. As we are funneling into the end of district play and about to head into the playoffs, we will be discussing some players who are being nominated for our inaugural Prep Dig Texas All-State Awards. These 2023 setters we will be discussing have been tearing it up and proving themselves all season long. Let’s meet some setters that have been nominated for All-State consideration:
Ellie Mattox Ellie Mattox 5'11" | S Vandegrift | 2023 State TX [2023] 5-11 Setter (HS: Vandegrift/Club: Austin Juniors/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ellie is currently listed as the as the 107th best overall prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is a very lengthy and skilled setter from the Austin area. We profiled her a few times this year and this is what we stated about her, “She is a solid athletic setter who excels in setting location while jump setting all hitters across the net. She has a really quick release and replicates her hand placement well. This shows that she is extremely coachable and has had some really good training at the setting position. A lot of young setters are scared to jump set all hitters because it takes exact positioning of their hands and perfectly replicated hand contact in order to be consistent. Miss Mattox relishes in that and showcases true consistency in her hand contact and release. She was able to help her varsity squad claim a district title this year and is looking to lead them again next season further into the playoffs. This past weekend she was able to help her Austin Junior 16 Adidas team go undefeated and qualified for the Tour of Texas series of tournaments. We are excited to have her in the Prep Dig family and look forward to watching her progress. Please help us congratulate her on the honor of being ranked amongst the best in the state. We are very proud of her as she was able to earn All-tournament honors this past weekend at the Girls Junior National Championships in Vegas. She led her team well and ran a great offense all weekend long.” The ride to the top she has been on since the club season has not stopped at all as she has proven that she belongs in the discussion due to her play in high school. She is the leading the entire state in assists in her grad class. She already has 1193 assists on the season and still a lot of season left as she has her Vandergrift team on the cusp of a long playoff run. They are currently sitting at an overall record of 35-9 and a stellar district record of 13-1. Pleas congratulate her on proving just how good she is on the court and earning a nomination for our All-State awards.
Taylor Polivka Taylor Polivka 5'11" | S Keller | 2023 State TX [2023] 5-11 Setter (HS: Keller/Club: Excel/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miss Polivka is currently ranked as the 43rd best overall prospect in the 2023 Class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. Previously we wrote this about her, “After following Taylor over the last couple of months and truly analyzing her skills, she will be moving up the rankings in our next update for sure. She is a very skilled setter who has amazing accuracy on all locations and tempos. She has worked with some awesome coaches over her young career and it shows in her play. She is a very technical setter who showcases phenomenal attention to detail in her technique with contact and release. Her coaches should be proud of how hard she works and how much their training has transferred into game-like settings. The way she is able to get around on a ball that is out of position is usually only seen in older setters. I have a strong feeling that this young lady is destined for greatness in the setting position. However, don’t sleep on her attacking skills as she is a solid hitter in the front row as well. Everything about her is fluid and I cannot wait to see what she does in her high school career moving forward. Stay tune to see how far she moves up the rankings in November. I predicted a big jump and it came true. She has done some amazing work this year and deserved the push up the rankings. She had 300 assists this year playing varsity and led her team to a playoff showing. She was also recognized as a AVCA phenom watch list. Please help us congratulate her on the big jump in the rankings. This young lady has been on fire this entire year. She is currently sitting 3rd in the state for the class of 2023 in assists on the year. She has 1,140 assists and will continue to add to that number as her team is primed for a great run in the UIL State playoffs. On the year they are 26-12 overall, but in district they are unblemished at 12-0. She is proving herself on the court and has earned the right to be nominated for this year’s All-State awards. Stay tune to see if she earns one. But in the meantime, please congratulate her on the achievement.
Reagan Fifer Reagan Fifer 6'2" | S Liberty Christian | 2023 State TX [2023] 6-0 Setter/Right Side (HS: Liberty Christian/Club: Excel/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Reagan is currently listed as the 111th best overall prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She is a lengthy setter and right side out of the north Texas area. We profiled her this year and stated the following in a previous article, “The ball comes out of her hands well and she is able to locate with accuracy on all sets along the net. She is being taught very well to jump set and that will help as she progresses at the setting position. Since she plays front row as a hitter/blocker also, it definitely helps her stock in our rankings. Reagan is a very capable offensive player on the right side as she is a lefty who hits at the peak of her reach. She will only get stronger as she gains muscle and grows into her frame. We will be watching her progress very closely.” She has excelled on the court at Liberty Christian and has them primed for a run at the State Title. She has her high school team sitting at an overall 37-9 record and a district record of 5-0. What is incredibly impressive is that she currently has 1,078 assists, which is good enough to be the 4th most in the entire state, which includes other juniors in public and private schools across Texas. Reagan is a gifted volleyball player who has earned the right to be nominated for All-State consideration. Please congratulate her on the accomplishment.
There are many more amazing players that will be nominated. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes to see who ends up with a chance at one of the prestigious awards. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Texas Family!