H-Town Showdown #1 – 18s – Outside Hitters
Last weekend was a big one for club volleyball in the state of Texas as the season started to get some steam with multiple tournaments popping up all around the state and providing prospects from the Lone Star State with…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend was a big one for club volleyball in the state of Texas as the season started to get some steam with multiple tournaments popping up all around the state and providing prospects from the Lone Star State with a great opportunity to develop and showcase their games.
Although the Tour of Texas Qualifier held in Austin was hands down the highlight of the weekend, the Houston area also had some really good competition at the H-Town Showdown #1, a tournament that reunited 100 teams from three different age groups across three venues in the area.
I was at the Texas Tornados club on Saturday afternoon following the two top brackets of the 18s Division and got to see some familiar faces confirm my thoughts about them and several new ones make a strong impression. I’ve been featuring five players in each position who were in top form on Saturday during the week and the outside hitters are the ones I’ll present this time.
Presley Bunting
Presley Bunting
Bunting didn’t have a very productive high school season with Katy but looked like an entirely different player on Saturday with Texas Tornados 18 Adidas. She’s a very efficient offensive player, combining a variety of different skills that make of her very versatile too. Bunting isn’t super tall, but is explosive and jumps well. She had good firepower, but is also skilled enough to tool the block and tip and is effective from the left and the right. She’s also very clean on the backcourt, passing and serving well and playing good defense.
Neveah Donahue
Neveah Donahue
Donahue has made great strides with her game over the last two seasons and the performances she was able to put on with HJV 18 Premier this past weekend only reflect that. Her offense has always been the most important part of her game and that continues to be the case, but Donahue is now more complete and consistent as a scorer. She jumps well, makes contact with the ball at a high point and does a very good of avoiding the block. The outside hitter, who’s also efficient on the right, has developed solid blocking skills too.
Josephine Jackson
Josephine Jackson
Jackson played a very important role in her Houston Skyline BCS 18 Royal team, providing strong contributions on both sides of the ball. She’s very technical on the backcourt and works very hard, giving the team great stability when it comes to passing and defense. Offensively, she’s very explosive, gets off the floor really well and swings hard, always going around the block. Jackson also plays with a lot of passion and it’s easy to see how it positively impacts her teammates.
Sophia Nagera
Sophia Nagera
Nagera impressed me with her ability to do everything at a very good level with her Renegades 18 Adidas team. A little bit undersized, she jumps well and, most importantly, makes very good decisions when she goes up to swing. Nagera fully stretches her arm, expanding her range, and hits around the block and towards the end line, avoiding errors. She’s also very skilled on the backcourt, getting a lot of touches on defense and consistently passing well.
Madison Grekstas
Madison Grekstas
Grekstas is another prospect who developed nicely over the last few seasons. When I last watched her during the last club season, she played on the right and was mainly limited to hitting and blocking, in an attempt to make the most of her 6’2″ frame. Her all-around game has developed impressively since then and she now holds her own at the pin for TAV Houston 18 Molten, also incorporating passing duties. Grekstas’ offense has also improved in the process as she’s now smarter and more efficient with her choices and is much better with her footwork.