Setting the standard

Members of the Houston Juniors 13 Elite volleyball team (pictured) celebrate their win at the Northeast Qualifier in Philadelphia. The girls attend various schools, including Memorial Middle School, and also play for their school teams. As elite players, the girls have team practice at least twice each week for two hours each session. In addition, they attend sports-performance training twice each week, and many of them also take private lessons. The girls are kicking off a new season and will play in about 12 tournaments, all around the country. The Houston Juniors are (from left): Isabelle Plair, Maddie Morgan, Brooke Adams, Kayleigh Schultea, Emily Kmiec, Sophie Agee, Skylar Jackson, Julieta Valdez, Casey Batenhorst and Samantha Cousins.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at [email protected]. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.