Club Team Feature – Texas Tornados 17 Adidas
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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.
Texas Tornados 17 Adidas
The top 17s team from the Texas Tornados Club had ups and downs at the start of the season, ranking 19th in the FAST Warm Up with a campaign of three wins and two losses. With talented players such as Kennedy Jones Kennedy Jones 5'10" | OH Langham Creek | 2024 State TX , Taylor Williams Taylor Williams 5'8" | OH Langham Creek | 2024 State TX , Temi Sam-Olibale, Madison Presley Madison Presley 5'9" Cypress Woods | 2024 TX , Emily Killam and Brinleigh Davis Brinleigh Davis 5'9" | S Richmond Foster | 2024 TX , they have everything to produce better performances and results as the season progresses.
Jones is another of those cases of extremely athletic pin hitters who stand out offensively but also do an excellent job in improving every area of their game. She’s an incredible jumper and can stay in the air for a while and the two skills make of her a formidable hitter. Jones is pretty powerful with her swings but can also surprise defenders with intelligent tips and roll shots. She never backs down from a challenge and tends to play better in big moments, being the player her team wants on the ball when the match is on the line. She has made great strides on her backcourt skills too and became an all-around player who can also play on the right.
Highlights
It’s not usual to see a 5’9″ middle make as much impact on the game as Presley does. Although a bit undersized, she’s very dynamic and smart and battles toe-to-toe with anyone across the net. Presley has excellent footwork, which gives her great mobility and speed, and can also jump well. She uses her long arms well to close her area when blocking and often comes up with a last-second move to get the stuff. Her offense is also pretty effective as she’s capable of hitting different sets and also to adjust to difficult sets and make no mistakes.
There aren’t many outside hitters who have good technical and physical skills and are still somewhat unpredictable, but Williams is one of them. Her athleticism is great and allows her to jump high to swing and get to balls on defense, but her technical skills are just as good as she can also get a lot of digs and pass consistently well. Williams is also very crafty and that helps her in finding solutions to unplanned situations and surprise opponents with her play. She also plays the game with a lot of energy and a positive attitude on the court.
Highlights
A very complete setter, Davis is very smooth with her game and makes the team play at her pace with little effort. She’s very calm on the ball and smart with her decisions, which typically places her hitters in a good position to score. Davis has a great touch on the ball and, although she likes to run a fast-paced offense, she typically doesn’t overcomplicate things. She has a good size for the position too, being able to stand in the way of opposing outside hitters at the net with her blocking, and also makes very good plays on defense. Davis is also very good with her setter dumps and sometimes bails her team out of tough situations.
Highlights
Addison Lanning Addison Lanning 6'0" | RS Stratford | 2024 TX
Addison Lanning Addison Lanning 6'0" | RS Stratford | 2024 TX
A lefty with tremendous potential, Lanning has made great progress with her game over the last few months. As a six-footer, she has great presence at the net and does a very good job when handling overpasses and blocking opposing hitters. Her offense is also quickly coming together as she added more firepower to her swings but also improved the placement of her shots and her understanding of the game. Lanning is a player that will use her length and power to score in-system but who can play smart, and sometimes even score without getting off the floor, when not. She also got better with her ball control and can make some plays on defense.