John Turner Classic: Thursday’s Games to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's almost time for the Annual John Turner Classic! Starting Thursday in Pearland, the John Turner Classic will get underway where over 40 teams from all across the state will come to compete for the title. A lot of top teams from every classification will be there, and below we will dive into some of the biggest matchups. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Barbers Hill vs. Kingwood</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barbers Hill is looking better than ever this year, more specifically their block. Coach Veen has been working hard to get her blockers to be a presence at the net, and it's paying off so far. It will have to match up with McNeese State commit <strong>Emma Montes</strong> from Kingwood. A middle moving to the outside position, expect her to be a huge part of the offense. Her sister <strong>Abby Montes</strong>, who is one of the best right-side blockers in the region will also be a great match-up. Barbers Hill's block consists of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141251' first='Avery' last='Wilks']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180088' first='Chloe' last='Morgan']</strong>. Both are really good middles who put up a great block. Barbers Hill and Kingwood will play Thursday at 12:00 pm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Friendswood vs. Fulshear</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fulshear is looking a little different this season with a roster full of young starters, but don't worry, these girls can hang. Sophomores for Fulshear include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179896' first='Sydney' last='Black']</strong> on the back row and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179898' first='Bailey' last='Warren']</strong> on the front row and these two can flat-out play. As a freshman, Bailey had over 300 kills, and Sydney's defense is absolutely amazing. Friendswood will have to combat that with senior libero <strong>Cierra Pesak</strong> and middle blocker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181367' first='Kaitlyn' last='Gotsch']</strong>, and Grand Canyon volleyball commit. Fulshear will look for some leadership from middle blocker<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='141118' first='Victoria' last='Powell'], </strong>who was a part of two state appearances. Look for her aggressiveness in the middle position this season. Friendswood is not all upperclassmen this year, as they may look to freshman outside hitter <strong>Nadiya Shelby</strong> for some offense. Catch this game at 1:00 pm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Shadow Creek vs. Bryan</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shadow Creek and Bryan is a good 6A match-up from teams that would normally not see each other. Bryan's senior outside<strong> Alexis Burton</strong> will take on more offensive responsibility as well as middle<strong> Allison Layton.</strong> Shadow Creek's block will be a big one with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212731' first='Mackenzie' last='Collins']</strong>, who just in her freshman year totaled over 100 blocks. <strong>Kelly Kelsick</strong> is an all-around athlete who can provide ball control, setting, and hitting. Pin hitter <strong>Dominque Phills</strong> will be back and ready to hold more responsibility at the net. Bryan will need to counter all of that offense from Shadow Creek with some ball control from their own defensive specialist <strong>Kennedy Porter</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Clear Creek vs. San Antonio Reagan</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reagan is going to be really good again this year, and Clear Creek is the perfect match-up for them. They just got a huge win over Manvel on Tuesday night, and are the talented scrappy team that Reagan wants to compete against. Clear Creek's <strong>Mia Sauers</strong> will be the defensive match to Reagan's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212726' first='Mya' last='Allen']</strong>. Mya is really smart, has a high volleyball IQ, and can really fly at the net. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153301' first='Stratton' last='Sneed']</strong> will also get in on the offensive action for Clear Creek and Reagan's <strong>Ady Perez</strong> will be there to combat that on defense. Reagan's<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='142207' first='Gabriella' last='Reeves']</strong> may be the difference maker in this tight game, with her ability to run a really efficient offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can catch all of these games and more at the John Tuner Classic in Pearland Thursday-Saturday. Stay tuned for the best match-ups for Friday!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->