H-Town Showdown #2 – 17s – All-Tournament Team
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The traditional club tournament H-Town Showdown had the second of its four scheduled stops of the year last weekend in Houston, with more than 100 teams competing in three age groups at three different venues in the region. I was…
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Continue ReadingThe traditional club tournament H-Town Showdown had the second of its four scheduled stops of the year last weekend in Houston, with more than 100 teams competing in three age groups at three different venues in the region.
I was at the FAST Complex on Saturday afternoon, following the 17s Division and got to watch the 16 best-seeded teams compete during the way and to see some of the finest volleyball talent in the state of Texas in action.
Several players stood out for their great level of play and I’ve been taking the week to feature some of them. With all of our positional standouts already out there, there’s no further to do before I reveal my All-Tournament Team selections:
This tournament was loaded with talented setters but I decided to pick Gonzalez because of how creative and crafty she was with Houston Stellar 17 Elite. It was absolutely impossible to do what she was going to do with her ball distribution and that put her hitters in a great position to score all day. Gonzalez also thrived in several of her non-setting duties, scoring in dumps and contributing on defense and from the service line.
Highlights
On the right, on the other hand, Maxwell set herself apart from the competition early on with her strong play with division winners HJV 17 Elite. Her power on the right made of her the team’s most consistent scoring option and Maxwell didn’t disappoint, putting the ball down in a variety of ways. A hitter with so many resources is always a handful for opponents and that was certainly the case with her at the H-Town Showdown #2. Maxwell was also one of the best overall blockers in the event and I saw her get a handful of beautiful stuffs.
It’s probably fair to say that Busch was the most complete player on the court on Saturday and her team Houston Stellar 17 Elite wouldn’t have made it to their bracket final without her. Busch is a very reliable offensive player, who has reach, power and finds excellent angles, but her production went well beyond that. She was extremely solid on the backcourt and made big plays in key moments, helping maintain the team’s mental stability.
In terms of offensive firepower and production, Corbeil was the only one to rival Maxwell. The Katy United 17 Adidas’ pin hitter was on fire and her setters wasted no time noticing that, turning to her every time they were in trouble. Corbeil didn’t back down and used her length and explosiveness to score points in difficult moments and carry the team’s offense. She was very effective from the left, the right and even the back and also took good care of her passing and defensive duties.
Humphrey was hands down the most impactful middle in the tournament, leading her team HJV 17 Elite to an undefeated campaign. She got quite a few stops at the net as the excellent blocker she is but her ability to alter opponents’ shots only her presence at the net is what really makes of her a very special player. Humphrey is very calm and focused and reads the game extremely well too. She’s a very efficient offensive player and her excellent footwork makes of her an attacking alternative even in transition plays.
Cameron Coleman
Cameron Coleman
Coleman played against teams ranked ninth to 16th in the division and that might have her life a little bit easier at the net, but the level of play she displayed with Houston Skyline 17 White was still impressive. Extremely athletic and efficient, she took games over, making big impact with her blocking and her offense, hitting some really quick sets down the middle. Coleman also had good moments with her serving.
Cox was a stud for her team HJV 17 Premier on the backcourt. Very active and mobile, she was really difficult to score on at her left back position, having great success when diving to get to tips or using her platform to control hard-driven swings. Her positioning was also spot-on as even when she wasn’t able to make a dig, she was right there in the right area. Cox was also very solid with her passing, freeing up the team’s pin hitters from having big serve-receive duties.