AAU Houston Grand Prix – 17s – All-Tournament Team
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All eyes in club volleyball this past weekend were turned to the Triple Crown NIT, one of the most anticipated tournaments of the entire calendar, which is reuniting the very best teams of the country in Kansas City, MO. Prep…
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Continue ReadingAll eyes in club volleyball this past weekend were turned to the Triple Crown NIT, one of the most anticipated tournaments of the entire calendar, which is reuniting the very best teams of the country in Kansas City, MO. Prep Dig will continue to have for the next several days extensive coverage of the event, but we’ve also continued to follow very closely all the local tournaments that took place during President’s Day weekend.
One of these for the state of Texas was the AAU Houston Grand Prix, a massive event that reunited 170 teams in seven different age groups across three venues in the Houston area.
I was at the Katy United facility on Saturday, checking out the 17s division, which featured 19 teams from Texas, Louisiana and Utah. I’ve been bringing my positional articles during the week, highlighting the players that shone the brightest in their position, so it’s time we put them all together and announce my All-Tournament Team selections.
There were some really good setters in action last weekend at the tournament, but Blaine was the one to shine the brightest with her TX Legacy 17 Elite team. She has always been a very good playmaker, who also has great size to go with her technical tools, but there’s something different about her game now. Blaine seems more confident on the court and that has made of her more of a leader in her team. Her play was excellent, as usual, and helped her team make it to the Gold Division Championship Match.
Highlights
Ryland Pledger
Ryland Pledger
Pledger had a hybrid role with Waco VBC 17 UA Red, setting while on the back and hitting when at the net, but I’d take her for her offense only in this team. A very long player, she was extremely efficient when hitting from either pin and sided out in big moments for her team. She carried Waco VBC to a solid campaign in the tournament and played a huge leadership role with the team. Pledger is also a very solid blocker, who closes the space at the pin very well.
Arguably the tournament’s most gifted offensive player, Tribe was in excellent form with Texstar 17. Very long and athletic, she had no problem in carrying her team’s offense with her strong game at the pin. Tribe is a played that can side out in any situation and she showed it again this past weekend at the Houston Grand Prix. She also played some good defense on the backcourt and did a very good job leading her teammates.
A very complete and technically-gifted player, Davis was one of the cornerstones of her TX Legacy 17 Elite team. She played a big role with her team on both sides of the ball as, at the same time she was instrumental in serve-receive, she was also their main hitter. Davis is not the tallest pin hitter out there, but is very explosive and has apparent endless resources to score from the left. She can find really good angles and swing with power, making it hard for defenders to stop her. Davis also made some big defensive plays over the weekend.
Highlights
Other Positional Standouts:
Addison Oglesby
Addison Oglesby
Oglesby formed a strong middle blocker trio at division winners Katy United 17 Adidas with Katelyn Schrader and Madeline Tecson. Very dynamic, she made a big impact at the net by blocking and hitting at a high level. Oglesby, who joined Katy United this season coming fro Texas Tornados, hit a few different sets at a very good rate and also got some stuffs in big moments for her team.
Adison Ozuna
Adison Ozuna
Even though she was playing one age group up, Ozuna was probably the most dominant middle in the division. Very strong on both sides of the ball, she was a key player for Texstar 17 and delivered some strong performances throughout the day. Ozuna was very effective with her offense, scoring at a high rate from the middle and also from the right, where she was used in one rotation. She also had a good presence at the net with her blocking and had good moments with her serving too.
Ilagan was one of three players to be used as a libero for Katy United 17 Adidas during their campaign but the fact that she was the one wearing the blue shirt in the most important match of the weekend speaks volumes about her performance. Ilagan played at her usual high level and her defensive solidness was pivotal for her team’s success over the weekend. A very complete libero, she was solid with her passing and defense and also made some impact with her serving.