Lone Star Regionals Watch List: Volume 1

<p>The Lone Star Region is wrapping up its bid tournaments this weekend with Lone Star Regionals held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. There are quite a few bids up for the taking, and several really great Lone Star teams are hoping to snatch one up. Volume 1 features Alamo 15 Premier, STVA 16 Navy, and HJV 16 Premier, and highlights players who are making them successful.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">Alamo 15 Premier</span></strong></span></p> <p>Alamo 15 Premier is on our watch list for this weekend in the 15 Bid division. They have been dancing around a bid all spring, and this weekend might be their chance to secure one. They are led by setter <span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>Kaia Thiele</strong>, <span style="color: #000000;">who has been absolutely phenomenal this season. She is aggressive, passionate, runs a fast offense, and is not scared to attack a tight ball on the net.<span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong> Ashtan Dodson</strong> </span>is holding down the middle of the net for Alamo 15 Premier. She is an agile middle and is able to hit the ball from the pin as well with some force. <span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>Allison Butrum</strong></span> holds down the back row for Alamo. You will often see her playing multiple defensive positions, showing her versatility on the defense.</span></span></p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>STVA 16 Navy</strong></span></p> <p>STVA 16 Navy has been on the radar this year competing pretty well in Lone Star Region and in USA divisions. They have a team full of fight and passion you can see while stopping by their court. Heavy outside hitter <strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">Taylor Alston</span></strong> is leading this team in heavy swings and big energy on the court. She has pretty good elevation, but a very fast arm swing as well. <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/kaylee-cavazos/"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">[player_tooltip player_id="179158" first="Kaylee" last="Cavazos"]</span></strong></a> helps round out this team with her ability to really do it all. She is stellar in serve receive and defense and is able to make plays on the outside as a hitter. <strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">Carly Dosset</span></strong> is a setter I really like from this team. Her defense is a stand-out, and her jump setting is above par. We will keep an eye out for Carly as the rest of the season develops.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff; font-size: 18pt;">HJV 16 Premier</span></strong></p> <p>HJV has fielded a great 2nd national team. It is loaded with talent from top to bottom. Head coach Melissa Stinson has done a great job allowing her team to develop and compete in both Open and USA divisions this season. Offensively, <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/carrington-cook/"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="179873" first="Carrington" last="Cook"]</strong></span></a> is leading the way on the outside. Standing at almost 6'0, she puts a lot of power behind the ball. If she gets a set in system, expect her to crush the ball. You can often see her playing a bit of back row as well. Another player I like for HJV is <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/kinslee-smith/"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">[player_tooltip player_id="177531" first="Kinslee" last="Smith"]</span></strong></a>, a true utility player for the team this year. I have seen her serve receive, block, hit pin to pin, and even set. She has a lot of ball control when swinging and is not afraid of a big block. <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/jaylynn-mcneill/"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">[player_tooltip player_id="124147" first="Jaylynn" last="McNeill"]</span></strong></a> is another under-the-radar player for HJV, who has really developed over the season. Her offense is getting better and she is much quicker in transition. She is a solid middle blocker for her team. Maybe this weekend we will get a sneak peek of her potential on offense.</p>