Cross Court Classic – 15 & 16 Open – The Productive Middles

Cross Court Classic – 15 &#038; 16 Open – The Productive Middles

Guilherme Torres March 15, 2022 @ 10:12 AM

Some of the best club volleyball teams in the state of Texas were elsewhere this past weekend, with several of them earning bids to the Nationals at either the Salt Lake City Showdown or the Northeast Qualifier in Philadelphia. The Lone Star State, however, has hosted an important tournament too with the George Brown Convention Center in Houston staging the 2022 Nike Cross Court Classic, a mammoth of an event with 645 teams, 88 courts and 19 divisions. We were there on Saturday and focused our efforts on the 15 Open and 16 Open divisions, paying close attention to the 20 teams that competed across them. As usual, we're featuring the most impressive prospects in their positions across the week and this time we'll focus on the middle blockers.   Lusia Langi – United VBA 16 Purple – HS: Hays – 2024 It's hard to not notice Lusia Langi's electric presence at the net for her United VBA 16 Purple team. The 5'11” middle blocker is extremely dynamic on the court and makes a great impact on the game. Blocking is probably her best skill as she combines excellent reach and leaping ability with a tremendous reading of the game and timing. Her footwork is also excellent, which makes of her a very explosive player on offense. Langi was a stud for her high school team Hays during the last season producing 171 kills and 97 blocks.   Greta Carlson – Roots 15 UA Green – HS: McCallum - 2025 A 5'10” middle blocker with long arms and excellent athleticism, Greta Carlson knows her way around the net. The Roots 15 UA Green middle blocker is an excellent two-way player, combining a powerful offense with intelligent and efficient blocking. Carlson is also very resourceful and has great timing at the net, which makes her win the vast majority of the 50-50 balls she plays for at the net. She had a good freshman high school season with McCallum, tallying 130 kills and 65 blocks.   Andrea Nunez – Laredo Jrs 15-1 Navy – HS: Alexander – 2025 A talented middle blocker from the Laredo area, Andrea Nunez impressed with the intensity she plays the game. She stands at 5'10” but plays taller than that with her excellent blocking and eye-catching offensive skills – she can hit the ball straight down to any direction. Nunez has very good footwork and is also very effective from the service line, having had quite a few good runs from there.   Katelyn Schrader – Katy United 16 Adidas – HS: Tompkins – 2024 Katelyn Schrader's game is still a work in progress, but she's already quite impactful on the court. Schrader stands at 6'2” and is also a track and field athlete, meaning she has excellent physical tools. She's capable of putting up a big block in front of opponents and can also hit the ball hard. One potential area for improvement would be her footwork and mobility. Giana Brown – Impact 161 – HS: Brennan – 2025 Giana Brown's physical tools make of her a player definitely worth our attention. The Impact 161 middle blocker stands at 6'1” and can jump as high as anyone. Brown is really hard to stop because she hits a very quick set and makes contact with the ball at a very high point. The middle blocker has very good footwork too and is a solid presence at the net. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> TCS Finals 2022 Highlights 🏐❤ <a href="https://t.co/ezwC7TXF8H">pic.x.com/ezwC7TXF8H</a> — Giana (@Giana_12_20) <a href="https://x.com/Giana_12_20/status/1500697478240350208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>   Ashlynn Axtell – Roots 16 UA Green – HS: Anderson – 2024 Ashlynn Axtell provides her Roots 16 UA Green team with a reliable player at the net. She stands at 5'10” but has long arms and is very athletic. Axtell moves well at the net and has good blocking technique. She's also a productive offensive player and a good server. Axtell registered 154 kills and 61 blocks in the last high school season with Anderson.