Club Team Feature – HJV 17 Elite
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The club 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…
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Continue ReadingThe club 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 the month, so we’re taking the week to feature some of the 17s teams from the Houston area that we believe have the potential to make really good things over the next few months.
HJV 17 Elite
The team from the always-strong Houston Juniors club has a very deep roster, with Charli Crowson Charli Crowson 6'1" | OH Brenham | 2024 State TX and Taryn Gilreath Taryn Gilreath 6'0" | S Cy Ranch | 2024 State TX offering great options at setter, Dominique Phills Dominique Phills 5'10" | OH Dawson | 2024 State TX , Aspen Maxwell Aspen Maxwell 6'1" | MB Summer Creek | 2024 State TX , Lauren Battle Lauren Battle 5'8" | OH Ridge Point | 2024 State TX and Mariana Buchanan Mariana Buchanan 5'10" | RS Cy Falls | 2024 State TX all available to help at the pin and Zoe Humphrey Zoe Humphrey 6'2" | MB St. Pius X | 2024 State #32 Nation TX , Adell Murray Adell Murray 6'0" | MB FB Austin | 2024 State TX and Jackie Onyechi ready to battle in the middle. They were the winners of the 17s division at the FAST Warm Up with seven victories.
Key Players
One of the most dominant and promising middles in her age group, Humphrey makes of HJV 17 Elite a fearsome team to play against. The prospect of battling against Humphrey certainly gives chills to opposing middles as she’s incredibly strong on both sides of the ball. Tremendously athletic, Humphrey is really difficult to stop, even when she can’t make a full offensive approach, as she uses her length well, can hit a variety of sets and, when given the opportunity, hammers the ball straight down, giving no chance to defenders across the net. Her blocking is also nothing short of great as she combines size, mobility and great timing at the net.
Not many liberos have the ability to consistently make a difference for their teams, and Volpe is one of them. Be it with her high school team Bridgeland or with HJV 17 Elite, it’s a nearly impossible task to catch her on a bad night. Volpe is very technical and quick on the backcourt, but, above anything, she approaches every single match with the absolutely best mindset – remaining focused the entire time and doing her best to help her team. She’s capable of almost single-handedly making a serve-receive system work, will dig a handful of balls you won’t believe every match and will still make an impact with her serving.
Crowson is a player who can do it all on the court and that allows her to have multiple roles with her teams and play different positions. With HJV 17 Elite, she’s typically a pure setter, possibly the best option for her skill set. She’s taller than most players in the position, but moves really well on the court and understands the game better than most. She has a great touch on the ball and is capable of remaining accurate with her locations no matter what. She has made a big impact while splitting her time between setting and hitting during the last high school season with Brenham and I’ve also seen her play great defense and serve tough in the past.
Phills has made a big impression in one of our recent Prep Dig Top 250 Expos in Houston. Her strong play and her ability to score points in a variety of ways are assets any team would appreciate and HJV 17 Elite is fortunate to have her. Phills is a heavy hitter first and foremost, but also knows when and how to get creative and mix things up on offense. She’s also very solid with her other skills, being a solid and productive blocker and a reliable defensive player. She’s also very versatile and capable of playing all three positions at the net.
Maxwell is somewhat of a similar player to Phills when you think she also hits the ball very hard and can play multiple positions across the net. She came up as a middle, but has long adjusted to playing at the pins and has been more used on the right with HJV 17 Elite. Maxwell is extremely physical and uses that to her advantage, jumping well and making contact with the ball at a very high point when hitting and putting on a big and balanced block in front of opposing hitters. She can also hit quicker or higher sets with great success.