Club Team Feature – HJV 18 Elite
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The club school season is already underway in the state of Texas and hundreds of teams have already been in action and done great things over the first weeks of play in the Lone Star State. Everyone is taking a…
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Continue ReadingThe club school season is already underway in the state of Texas and hundreds of teams have already been in action and done great things over the first weeks of play in the Lone Star State.
Everyone is taking a little break for the holidays and will get back to full power on the first weekend of January, so we’re taking the week to feature some of the 18s teams from the Houston area that we believe have the potential to make really good things over the next few months.
HJV 18 Elite
The club from the famed Houston Juniors club has lost some important players this season, but they continue to be a force, as they showed in their victory at the FAST Warm Up. From a solid setter in Claire Dewine Claire Dewine 6'1" | S The Woodlands | 2023 State TX , a prolific scorer in Cindy Tchouangwa Cindy Tchouangwa 5'11" | OH Tompkins | 2023 State #45 Nation TX and a reliable blocker in Arissa Smith Arissa Smith 6'1" | MB Ridge Point | 2023 State #105 Nation TX to a solid libero in Bianca Byerly Bianca Byerly 5'7" | S Cy Fair | 2024 State TX , HJV 18 Elite has it all.
Key Players
Playing on the right, Tchouangwa has carried her high school Tompkins team to the State Championship match. She returned to her original outside hitter spot for her last club season with HJV 18 Elite and is probably an even better player now that she added new dimensions to her offense. Tchouangwa is a fantastic jumper who can score in a variety of ways and she became more and more consistent as the years went by. She also worked really hard to further develop her backcourt skills and has gotten plenty of digs and passes during the last high school season.
Smith has been a standout blocker during her entire high school/club career and only got better with time. Few players of her size are as physical as she is while also displaying great mobility and reading of the game. The sum of those factors makes of her a blocker no hitter wants to see across the net. Smith plays the game with a lot of energy and has been a great leader as a senior in her high school team Ridge Point. She’s really difficult to stop offensively too because of her size and the amount of power she’s capable of putting on the ball when goes up to hit.
One of the most complete setters in the state of Texas, Dewine is the one making things happen offensively for HJV 18 Elite. She checks every box when it comes to being an elite setter as she has the size of a middle and the all-around game of an outside hitter. She’s very clean and calm on the ball and typically makes good decisions with her ball distribution. She’s also a good blocker and can play excellent defense. Dewine has grown to have a big role as part of the offensive system of the teams she plays for and it’s no different with HJV 18 Elite as she takes up hitting duties when at the net, providing another scoring threat for the team.
HJV 18 Elite has a handful of talented defensive players who could be picked to serve as the team’s libero but it was Byerly, who’s playing one age group up, who got the call. It should actually be no surprise, considering how talented and hard-working she has proven to be, reuniting two important traits for a player in the position. Besides having excellent ball control, Byerly is also very smart with her movement, which allows her to cover a lot of ground on the backcourt. Thrown in the added bonus that she’s a setter at the high school level and can send the ball wherever she wants in transition and you have the ideal libero.
Highlights
Farah Farooq
Farah Farooq
One of the most interesting tactical tweaks displayed by HJV 18 Elite at the FAST Warm Up was the idea to use Farooq as an outside hitter. She was originally a middle before joining from Asics Willowbrook, but indicated she has the tools to thrive on the new position. At 6’2″, Farooq is obviously capable of adding a lot at the net and with HJV 18 Elite having numerous players capable of coming in for her at the backcourt, the team could potentially have the best of both worlds with the move. Her great footwork has helped her adjust to the higher sets at the pin besides of adding another tremendous blocker to their starting lineup.