Players to Watch – Lone Star Classic Qualifier – 16 Open – Vol 3

<p>It is here!  The Lone Star Classic National Qualifier tournament held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas will be played this weekend April 15-17^th.  There will be over a thousand talented teams from across the country competing in this awesome tournament and hundreds of college coaches in attendance.  Texas will be well represented with 17 teams in the 16 Open Division.  This is widely regarded as the tournament with the toughest competition in the nation. There are already five Open level qualified teams entered in it and there are only three bids available.  It will be a weekend full of cutthroat volleyball and we couldn’t be more excited.  We will be previewing a few of the players that will be showcasing their abilities for the Texas teams that are not yet qualified.  They are some of the best players in the 2024 grad class. Let’s meet a few of the talented players who college coaches need to watch this weekend.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>Just for reference, the following teams are already Qualified for USA Junior Nationals in the Open Division and will be competing at the Lone Star Classic also:</p> <p><strong>AJV 16 adidas</strong></p> <p><strong>Drive Nation 16-Red</strong></p> <p><strong>Flyers 16 APX-Dylan</strong></p> <p><strong>MADFROG 16’S N GREEN</strong></p> <p><strong>Vision 16 Gold</strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p>Lets take a look at some players that we think college coaches should be watching this weekend from some teams who have not qualified yet: </p> <p><strong>Tejas 16 Black</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="124133" first="Ava" last="Houser"], Anika Malapati, Madison Bird and Caroline Tredwell are a few names to know on this team.  I am excited to watch their middles Rachel Sturton and Bella Smith as I have heard some great things.  This team is currently 26-13 overall on the year and are looking to add to the win column over the course of the three day tourney.  I haven’t seen this team in action yet this season so I am anxiously awaiting their performance.  Sty tuned for more on them as I am curious to see if there is anyone to add to our State Rankings watch list. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>TAV 16 Black</strong></p> <p>This juggernaut of a team is currently ranked as the top seed overall in the 16 Open Division and rightly so when you watch them play. They have some studs who are in the top five of a lot of college coaches.  Outsides [player_tooltip player_id="142201" first="Jadyn" last="Livings"] and [player_tooltip player_id="124104" first="Mikala" last="Young"] are lethal on the pins and play with a lot of fire.  Middles [player_tooltip player_id="142220" first="Favor" last="Anyanwu"] and [player_tooltip player_id="155117" first="Ayden" last="Ames"] are two of the best in the state in their age group. Libero [player_tooltip player_id="180174" first="Gillian" last="Pitts"] is currently ranked as the top libero in her grad class.  Setter [player_tooltip player_id="124135" first="Bethanie" last="Wu"] and [player_tooltip player_id="124130" first="Camille" last="Edwards"] are pinpoint accurate to all locations and don’t crack under pressure.  This team has not qualified yet, but this tournament is set up perfectly for them to earn that coveted bid.  They are one of the best teams in their age group and every college coach in the gym will be by their court at one point or another over the course of the three day weekend.  I will be by to watch report how they fared.  Stay tuned. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>EXCEL 16 National Red</strong></p> <p>Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="142212" first="Madison" last="Baker"] is one to watch for sure. [player_tooltip player_id="142643" first="Rylee" last="Jackson"], [player_tooltip player_id="124143" first="Scout" last="Everett"] and [player_tooltip player_id="142211" first="Catherine" last="Young"] are a few we are excited to see in action this weekend. This team has done very well this season and are currently 23-12 overall on the year.  We will be by their court to watch in person as we have not seen them at all this season.  Excel always puts together a solid squad and is very competitive every year.  Stay tune for more on this team as they can certainly keep their winning ways going in Dallas. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I will be in attendance and will try to cover as many players/teams as I can.  Be sure to share your schedules with me on Twitter.  There are some other great players that we will be covering during the three-day weekend.  Stay tuned to see who plays well and deserves kudos as we will be writing articles on how they perform.  We will have some good pictures of their play also.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>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 Texas Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments.  Keep them coming!</p>