Club Team Feature – Houston Skyline 18 Royal
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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.
Houston Skyline 18 Royal
The top team from the popular Houston Skyline club is stacked with talent in every position. There are plenty of options at the pin with Brooke Bentke Brooke Bentke 6'2" | OH Brenham | 2023 State #112 Nation TX , Tendai Titley, Skylar George Skylar George 6'1" | OH Stratford | 2023 State TX and Ella Folse Ella Folse 6'1" | OH Jordan | 2023 State TX , power in the middle with Ava Harrington Ava Harrington 6'2" | MB Episcopal | 2023 State #69 Nation TX and Alexis Bull, great play at libero with Molly Tuozzo Molly Tuozzo 5'7" | DS/L The Woodlands | 2023 State #38 Nation TX and Grace Lanier and a solid setter in Presley Powell. Their season began with a victory at the Legends Classic #1.
Key Players
One of the strongest and most consistent offensive players in the region, Bentke continues to be a force at the net. Her length is tough to match and she can hit the ball hard, but what makes of her an efficient scorer is the variety of shots she has. Bentke is also incredibly consistent and will rarely make a mistake. She has strongly developed her backcourt skills over the years too and is a true all-around player at this point, playing very good defense, strongly contributing with her passing and also causing damage from the service line.
Tremendously long and athletic, Harrington is a beast in the middle. Her physical tools are truly good enough to make a difference in a match and Harrington knows exactly how to make the most of them. She’s an outstanding blocker and that’s not only because of her size, but mostly because she’s very aggressive in placing her arms across the net and taking up space from opposing hitters. Harrington is also very versatile and efficient offensively, hitting quite a few different sets. She had an experience playing on the right a few seasons ago and eventually returned to the middle, but it feels like that helped her expand her game.
Highlights
Presley Powell
Presley Powell
A State Tournament finalist with her high school team Tompkins, Powell is the one tasked with running Houston Skyline 18 Royal’s offense. She certainly has all the tools to do that, combining great physical, technical and mental skills on the court. Powell has good size and is an efficient blocker and a threat on setter dumps while also having a clean touch on the ball. Her volleyball IQ is very high, leading her to make very good decisions, and she’s also always very calm on the court.
A new addition to Skyline coming from the Absolute Volleyball Academy, George has been an excellent fit with 18 Royal. She has excellent firepower at the pin, but is also very technical with her shots, a combination that keeps opponents guessing, never knowing what to expect from her. She’s also fairly consistent with her offense and does an excellent job when out-of-system. George is also very solid on the backcourt, generating transition plays with her defense and consistently delivering pinpoint passes, and has a very positive attitude toward her teammates on the court.
Tuozzo is coming from a spectacular high school season with The Woodlands and her great form carried into club as she made several good plays at the Legends Classic #1. Her impressive ball control is the first thing that stands out in her game but Tuozzo does all the right things, such as moving quickly to the ball and placing her body in the right position to make sure her first contact is always clean and precise. She’s also a very good server.