Lone Star Classic Qualifier – Recap – Vision 16 Gold
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…
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Continue ReadingThe 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. 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.
Going into the tourney Vision 16 Gold was ranked as the best team in the Northern California Region according to AES results. They are also ranked 16th in the nation as well with an overall record of 47-14. Vision 16 Gold was seeded 3rd overall going into day one of the Lone Star National Qualifier. I was very excited to watch them play in person as they had a lot of hype going into the tourney having just qualified in the Open division at the Red Rock Rave National Qualifier by getting third place overall. They had a tough day one in which they got third and put them in division two for the remainder of the tourney. After that they didn’t drop a match for the next two days and finished in thirteenth place overall in the tourney.
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:
Maya Baker Maya Baker 5'10" | S Archbishop Mitty | 2025 State CA [2025] 5-10 Setter (HS: Archbishop Mitty/Club: Vision/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Maya is currently an unranked prospect in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because we do not have our 2025’s ranked yet. She will most definitely be on it once I am done with them. She plays for Valley Christian and also club for Vision Volleyball. She is no stranger to accolades or playing at a high level as she was named to the USA Volleyball National Team Development training program. This youngster is what we consider a phenom. Her movement on the court is elite as she is able to jump set every location and there is not a ball that she cannot track down. I am not sure if there is another athletic setter like her in the 2025 grad class. She moves so fluidly around the court like she was born to play the position. After watching her this weekend, I can honestly say that she is one of the most polished freshman setters I have seen in a while. The ball comes out of her hands so fast and smoothly to each location. It is beautiful to watch. Stay tuned for more on this young lady as we cover her career.
Taylor Williams Taylor Williams 6'2" | RS Saint Francis | 2024 State #160 Nation CA [2024] 6-1 Outside (HS: St. Francis/Club: Vision/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Taylor is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because we have not finished ranking them yet. Although, she is on our watch list already. She plays for St. Francis High School and club for Vision Volleyball. Her clubs quad is riddled with top players, but Miss Williams is the star amongst stars. Her offense is something that definitely is a game changer for this team. They can rely on her amazing athletic ability, long frame and golden right arm in both the front row and the back row. They actively go to her to score when she is playing middle back defense and she delivers time and time again. I was mentioning her name to many of my college coaching contacts all weekend long from what I witnessed in person. She was one of the most dynamic attackers that I saw in the age group during this tournament. We are going to love covering this young lady for the rest of her junior volleyball career.
Cleo Hardin Cleo Hardin 6'3" | RS Menlo School | 2024 State CA [2024] 6-2 Outside/Right Side (HS: Menlo/Club: Vision/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Cleo is currently an unranked prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings, but that is only because we have not finished ranking them yet. She will for sure make it to our watch list once I update them in a few months. She plays for Menlo High School and also club for Vision volleyball. The tall pin attacker showed out while I watched this past weekend at Lone Star. Everyone will notice her tall frame, but this youngster can absolutely ball on the court. Her overall level of play is going to attract a ton of college coaches based off of what I witnessed. Her bread and butter is the high tempo set to either the left or right side. Due to her high touch point, any would be blocker must either reach as high as she does and/or have amazing timing to slow her down. She excels in attacking and has the potential to be a stellar blocker due to her size and strength. This past weekend she was on fire as she unleashed bombs on every team she faced. Stay tuned for more on Cleo as we continue to cover her.
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. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig California Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us on Twitter as we are very active on there and discuss highlight players often to college coaches. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!