AAU Houston Grand Prix – 17s – Outsides

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was at the Katy United facility on Saturday, checking out the 17s division, which featured 19 teams from Texas, Louisiana and Utah. During the week, I'll be bringing my positional articles, highlighting the players that shone the brightest in their position. This time we'll feature some outside hitters that made a good impression.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/02/aau-houston-grand-prix-17s-photo-gallery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO GALLERY OF THE EVENT</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["251146"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The talented Koch was a key piece in the Katy United 17 Adidas team that finished first in the Gold Division. Her excellent ball control made a difference in serve-receive for the team, allowing the setters to operate in system most of the time and giving stability to the team. Koch was also used at a fairly high rate on offense and displayed some interesting versatility, scoring at a good rate from the left, the right and the back. She also had some good serving runs during the tournament.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2b86a"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1627057714525540353?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1627057714525540353?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["246323"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"An outside hitter with a well-diversified skillset, Cote helped TX Legacy 17 Elite advance all the way to the final match of the Gold Division. Cote's consistent production was pivotal for her team as, besides making strong contributions on the backcourt with her passing and defense, Cote was also very efficient at the net, combining explosive swings and intelligent tips and shots that kept opponents guessing. Very technical and smart, she kept her errors at a very low level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2b8df"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16324914/63f483410c5e340bdc9bd2b9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2b924"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Other Positional Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/02/aau-houston-grand-prix-17s-setters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Setters</a> * <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/02/aau-houston-grand-prix-17s-middles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Middles</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Addison Zamzow","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Goliad","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Texstar","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A defensive specialist with her high school team Goliad, Zamzow was used at the pin in portions of the tournament and her presence on the court solidified Texstar 17. A very strong defensive player, she fit perfectly with a team that had impressive offensive options everywhere and generated several transition opportunities with her digs. Despite her main contributions coming on the backcourt, Zamzow also handled her own at the net, siding out effectively.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2b9cd"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dgitqoZzOg","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dgitqoZzOg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["189269"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Hayes was a big part of her team [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 National. A player with excellent technical tools, she contributed on both sides of the ball and was one of the team's most consistent and productive players during the event. Hayes had a prominent role in the team's serve-receive system and also played a big part in [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 National's offense with her smart game. Besides being very technical, Hayes is also extremely agile on the court, covering a lot of ground with her movement and making a quick and strong offensive approach.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2ba2e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14024121/63f258655eec2607f040eaa1' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2ba4e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["229068"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Playing one age group up, Loyd made a big impact on Club South 17-1's game. A very complete pin hitter, she was set quite often and sided out at a good rate, even when the conditions weren't ideal. Loyd was steady all day and also played good defense, generating transition opportunities and keeping the ball alive. She also displayed a strong game from the service line, getting opponents out of system and firing a few aces.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f53cfe2ba9e"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":322747,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/IMG_1464.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-322747" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->