H-Town Showdown #2 – 17s – Defensive Specialists
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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. In our last positional article, let’s highlight some of the most impactful defensive specialists in the tournament:
Miller made a positive impact on the backcourt for Katy United 17 Adidas when she was on the court. Brought in to replace one of the team’s outside hitters, she worked hard from her middle back position and made several big plays. Miller covered a big area in serve-receive and delivered accurate passes, but also stood out on defense with her impressive agility. She’s also a mentally strong player, who is very positive on the court and keep the same attitude when her team is winning or losing.
Alexis Waddy
Alexis Waddy
Waddy is used to having offensive duties with her high school team Klein but was brought it to add some defensive stability to Woodlands Revolution 17 Premier on some occasions last weekend. She made very good work on the backcourt defending on the right and also improved the team’s serve-receive with her calm and quality on the ball. A lefty, Waddy also caused some positive impact with her strong serving.
Cameron McDaniel
Cameron McDaniel
A new addition to HJV 17 Elite this season coming from Woodlands Revolution, McDaniel provided some defensive support in important moments for her team. Always very calm and confident, she certainly didn’t look like some who was playing one age group up for one of the top teams in the tournament. McDaniel was very clean with her touches and productive, generating remarkable impact with her passing and serving.
Lauren Technik
Lauren Technik
Technik came in to replace Texas United 17 Red’s right side hitter when at the back and helped strengthen the team’s defensive game. A lefty, she is a very good server and generated some easy transition opportunities to her team from the service line. Technik also made a big impact from her right back position, using her great reading of the game and length to get a lot of touches on defense. She was also very solid with her passing.
Isabella Rodriguez Isabella Rodriguez 5'11" | OH SA Antonian | 2024 State TX
Isabella Rodriguez Isabella Rodriguez 5'11" | OH SA Antonian | 2024 State TX
‘Izzy’ Rodriguez came in for one of HJV 17 Premier’s outside hitters on the backcourt and did a very good defending the middle position. Very active, she displayed great positioning and impressive quickness to react to tips or deflected shots. Rodriguez also did a solid job with her passing and showed some interesting mental strength, immediately recovering from errors.