Adidas Lone Star Classic 18s: The Middles Who Dominated The Net

<p>The George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston was for the second week in a row the stage for a big and important volleyball tournament this past weekend as the facility hosted the 2021 Adidas Lone Star Classic 18s, a national qualifier for USA Girl’s Junior National Championship.</p> <p>Clubs from Texas and several other states were in action for three days at the venue with a total of 180 teams competing across three divisions. Prep Dig was at the event and followed closely the Texas teams competing at the 18 Open Division, the most competitive one, and brings to you this week the reports on the prospects that stood out at the Lone Star Classic.</p> <p>It’s time we look at some of the best middle-blockers to appear in the event and these ones listed below did a great job in helping their teams winning their battles at the net.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87390" first="Shaylee" last="Shore"] – Skyline 18 Royal – HS: Prosper - 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87390" first="Shaylee" last="Shore"] is the second highest-ranked middle-blocker in our 2021 Prep Dig State Ranking at the 8^th spot and she certainly lived up to the expectations over the weekend. She was an instrumental piece in Skyline 18 Royal’s campaign and made great use of her 6’2” frame at the net. Shore’s main asset as a player is most likely her unparalleled speed that not only helps her moving around the net when blocking but also makes her available for her team every single time in transition. She’s got a heavy right arm and, most importantly, knows exactly when she needs to use it to score points on her reliable offense. Shore will continue her career at the collegiate level with Rice University.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10373004/606001c0d2258208807618da" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87427" first="Chloe" last="Thomas"] – Madfrog 18’s N Green – HS: Allen - 2021  </strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87427" first="Chloe" last="Thomas"] was pure power for Madfrog at the middle of the net. The six-foot middle-blocker was one of the most athletic players in the entire tournament and wasn’t shy about using all her power to help her team. Thomas is not only super strong, but she’s also a long-armed prospect and that further increases her reach a little bit more. Another thing that makes it very difficult to stop her at the net is the fact that she can hit the ball to any direction and is nearly unpredictable on offense. Thomas, who ranks 38^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings, showed to be a very good blocker and a capable defender too and she will take those talents to UNLV this summer.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">[player_tooltip player_id="87427" first="Chloe" last="Thomas"] is pure power for <a href="https://x.com/MADFROGVBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MADFROGVBALL</a> at the middle of the net. Keep that name in mind <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepDigTX</a> <a href="https://t.co/FmPCzQlHNV">pic.x.com/FmPCzQlHNV</a></p> — grtorres (@grtorres) <a href="https://x.com/grtorres/status/1375478672833056778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99538" first="DeAndra" last="Pierce"] – AJV 18 Adidas – HS: Austin – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99538" first="DeAndra" last="Pierce"] is another middle-blocker who could file a claim for the “most athletic player in the tournament” award if there was such a thing. However, she’s a completely different player when compared to Thomas in the sense that she’s so light and fast instead of purely strong. Pierce is 6’1” and she leap a lot higher than you could possibly imagine. She’s also a very dynamic player on offense and can hit a variety of different quick sets, being a true nightmare for opposing middles that have the daunting task of shutting her down at the net. Pierce ranks 53^rd on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and recently committed to the University of Texas at Austin.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13027941/5db46108b019230df40fc1f0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99555" first="Elizabeth" last="See"] – TAV Houston 18 Black – HS: Caldwell – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99555" first="Elizabeth" last="See"] has all the skills you’d be looking for in an elite middle-blocker. She has the size (6’1”), the speed, the technique and the volleyball IQ needed to perform and that made of her one of the core players of TAV Houston 18 Black in the tournament. See’s game at the net is very well-polished as she’s got good movement and hands placement when blocking and is a very intelligent offensive player, one that doesn’t hesitate about shooting the ball instead of hitting it if she thinks that would lead her to score an easier point. See ranks 100^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and has committed to the Sam Houston State University.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10633086/5e8968de664bc10b7cc5c24f" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>