Lone Star Classic Qualifier – Recap – A4 - 17 Joaco

The Lone Star Classic National Qualifier tournament held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas took place this past Easter weekend. There were over a thousand talented teams from across the country competing in this awesome tournament and hundreds of college coaches were in attendance. This is widely regarded as the tournament with the toughest competition in the nation. There were seven already Open level qualified teams entered in it and there were only three bids available. It was a weekend full of cutthroat volleyball and I was super excited to have covered it for California. This series of articles will be focused on Cali teams that played, how they fared and some of the fantastic players who stood out to me. A4 as a whole went into the tourney with a 25-17 overall record on the year and ranked as the 9thbest team in the Southern California Region according to AES results. A4 was seeded 11thoverall going into day one in this tough tourney and was looking to solidify themselves as an open level team. They were extremely competitive and didn’t drop a single set through three matches against some amazing competition. They even beat previously nationally ranked Alamo out of San Antonio who is already qualified in Open in two straight sets. By coming out first in their opening pool they overtook the number 6 seed overall in the tourney and looked to continue their winning ways onto day two.   Day two proved to be a little tougher as they faced teams who also got first or second in their opening pool. They went three with SA Magic Elite but lost. They also got bested by previously Open Qualified Austin Juniors and Houston Skyline 17 Royal who would eventually get second overall in the tourney. All of the losses were by only a few points in each set. They finished day three in their flight bracket with convincing wins versus Excel 17 National Red and Texas Image 17 Asics Black, both in straight sets. Overall A4 finished in 13thplace in one of the toughest open level qualifiers in the country.   There were a few special players who stood out when I watched them play. Although it is a team sport and many players contributed to their amazing showing, I will only highlight a few players that stood out when I watched. Let’s meet a few of the standouts:   Makena Lim [2023] 5-5 Libero (HS: St. Margaret’s Episcopal/Club: A4/Verbal: Uncommitted) <img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-191126" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/04/Makenna-Lim-A4-e1650306585918-194x300.jpg" alt="" width="194" height="300" /> Makena is currently an unranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is on our watch list for sure and will likey move into the rankings once they are updated in a few months. She plays for St. Margaret’s Episcopal High School and also club for A4. This dynamo is a libero who combines both speed and agility as she steadies the back row for her squad. I was super impressed with her chemistry as she talked to her teammates and hyped them up in between plays. Her court vision is superb as she was able to track served balls so well to always be in a good position to deliver a settable ball to her setter. She kept her team in system versus some amazing competition all weekend. What stood out to me the most was how fluidly she moved on the court. Her platform was super solid as she had no problems creating amazing angles and passing nails from open level hitters. She was born to play the libero position and wowed many college coaches who were in attendance. We will be watching her very closely as we rank the best players in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id="160364" first="Paige" last="Buzzerio"] [2023] 6-2 Outside (HS: Orange Lutheran/Club: A4/Verbal: United States Naval Academy) <img class="size-medium wp-image-191128 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/04/Paige-Buzzerio-A4-e1650306721273-193x300.jpg" alt="" width="193" height="300" /> Paige is currently an unranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because they have not been updated yet. She has been on our watch list for a while now as she is a standout attacker and blocker. She plays for Orange Lutheran High School and also for the A4 Volleyball Club. This young lady is no stranger to accolades or competing at the highest level in this wonderful sport. She can play at either pin and be very effective at both. Her quick arm swing and the fact that she truly contacts the ball at the peak of her reach makes it very difficult to slow her offense down. I was very impressed with her blocking as she was able to be super effective in both shutting down opposing right sides and making them change their shot, which helped her squad play great defense. She committed last year to the United States Naval Academy. She will be a great addition to the Navy program as she will bolster their front line being able to touch ten feet in the air with her approach touch. Paige had a great run at Lone Star from what I saw and we are happy to keep you updated on her volleyball career.   Chloe Karn [2023] 6-0 Middle (HS: Mission Viejo/Club: A4/Verbal: Uncommitted) <img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-191129" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/04/Chloe-Karn-A4-e1650306899668-171x300.jpg" alt="" width="171" height="300" /> Chloe is currently an unranked prospect in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but is now on our watch list after the performance she just put on in Texas. She plays for Mission Viejo High School and also club for A4 Volleyball Club. Miss Karn was super effective in the middle all tourney long. When I watched her, she impressed me with both her ability to hit great angles around the block and her court vision while approaching. A lot of middles hit exactly where they are facing and make it very easy to block them or slow them down. Chloe showed her court vision by seeing the block in front of her while she was in the air and going right around them easily. Time and time again she was able to hit with power and score to both corners on her quick attack. It didn’t matter which side the block came from as she was able to tip to that side and score very easily for her team with the off-speed shot. A middle like Karn on your roster will allow your team to be balanced offensively as she is always on time and ready to hit quick attacks. We are excited to cover the rest of her junior season and also her senior season. Stay tuned for more on this young lady.   As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. 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. 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