Photos courtesy of Calvin Best, Breckenridge ISD

Haigan Thompson’s Big Country-leading 10.9 digs per set begins with studying video of opponents with first-year Breckenridge coach Paula Taylor.

“The very first thing is we try to study our opponents’ tendencies – especially where they like to hit the ball and where certain players like to hit the ball,” Taylor said Monday. “We talk to our assistant coaches during the matches about where they’re hitting the ball, and we listen to Haigan about what spots they’re hitting to.”

Thompson, a 5-foot-4 junior libero, also reads and reacts based on keys from the opponents’ hitters during matches.