Lone Star Classic 18 Open: Texas Team Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lone Star Classic 18's Qualifier is this weekend in Austin Texas. This is one of the early chances for the 18s teams to secure a bid. Below we will highlight some Texas teams who have a good chance of securing the bid or taking home the gold ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>H-Town Showdown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Houston Skyline 18 Royal and [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'] 18 Elite are not in the same pool, they are ranked 5th and 1st respectively in the open division, and could easily end up playing each other on the final day of play. I will be interested to see HJV's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87549' first='Cindy' last='Tchouangwa']</strong> match up with H Skyline's <strong>Alexis Bull</strong> both offensively and defensively on the blocking side. Both teams have stellar liberos with HJV's <strong>Kennedy Gustafson</strong> and H Skyline's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='195826' first='Molly' last='Tuozzo']</strong>. Both liberos are lockdown defenders, and with the offensive load each team carries, it will be well-needed. Another player who I think could make a huge impact for H Skyline is <strong>Grace Lanier</strong>, a solid DS with a ton of experience playing 18s at the open level. She is a positive force on the court who likes to compete at the highest level. <strong>Tendai Titley</strong> is a power player who brings a lot of energy and can easily sway the tone of the game in her favor. She is hard to stop when she gets the hot hand. The Houston area has a good chance of bringing home an open bid between these two powerhouses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Dallas Area Teams Could Easily Bring the Gold Ball Home</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drive Nation 18 Red has a good shot at winning the open division this weekend. Their very strong passing and diverse offense make it hard to compete against them. I am really impressed with setter [player_tooltip player_id='122897' first='Lily' last='Nicholson']. She uses her size and length to move the ball around the court fast and efficiently. Add in libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141123' first='Landry' last='McEachern'],</strong> and you are looking at a solid first two touches on every play. Landry is a taller libero that covers a lot of ground in the backcourt, but she is also very solid in serve receive which allows her setter to run the offense. Two offensive playmakers are lefty right-side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141126' first='Samantha' last='Hoppes']</strong> and middle<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='141120' first='Reese' last='Robins']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Dallas team that could give the first-place gold ball a run is TAV 18 Black. If these teams meet up it could turn into a battle of the setters with TAV's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141134' first='Audrey' last='Clark']</strong>, who is phenomenal all the way around. She is strong and athletic and pushes the ball all over the court even on tough passes. TAV's middles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141128' first='Hannah' last='Pfiffner']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87543' first='Stephanie' last='Gutierrez']</strong> are both very good and could be what sets them over the top of other teams. Both are efficient at the slide and run a quick tempo all over the court. If they can control the blocking game, they have a good shot at winning the bid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Alamo 18 Premier Is On Fire</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Alamo 18 Premier isn't a number 1 seed in any pool, they are 100% a contender. They just finished first place at the Countdown City Classic in 18 Open. Alamo is known for their feisty play and solid defending and passing and 18 Premier is no exception. Alamo is just plain hard to score on. They make you work for every ball and are smart offensively. Setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='122893' first='Jenna' last='Garza']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87532' first='Taylor' last='Anderson']</strong>'s connection with their hitters is a site to see. Anderson is headed to Purdue, and once you see her speed, tempo, and athleticism you will see why. Heavy-hand <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='141247' first='Maya' last='Jones']</strong> puts incredible power behind her swings and libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='99495' first='Alyssa' last='Manitzas']</strong> is so exciting to watch dominate the court. If all of the pieces come together, Alamo 18 Premier could secure their bid this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->