TX Teams Take On Sunshine Qualifier: Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sunshine Classic Qualifier will get underway this weekend. Week 1 features 13-15s from American all the way to Open divisions. There are a few Texas teams headed out to the sunshine state to grab an early bid. Below we will take a look at five Texas teams that are making their way to Florida this week and key players that will make them successful. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Areté 15 Navy Telos</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Competing in 15 Open this weekend is North Texas team Arete 15 Navy Telos. The team is led by stud outside hitter <strong>Brylee Moore </strong>who is lethal from either pin and setter <strong>Lizzie Dewey</strong>. Lizzie loves to feed her middles the ball and is overall very successful in her strategy. Middle <strong>Addie Lloyd</strong> can elevate for a kill, and she is very active in serve receive, trying to draw a block and create movement. Wrapping up a successful front line is pin hitter <strong>Emerson Boyd</strong>, who doubles as a setter as well. Emerson is an athlete all around and she is a player that can get it done offensively down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Austin Skyline 15 Royal</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Powerhouse Austin Skyline 15 Royal had huge success this weekend at Triple Crown NIT finishing 3rd overall in the Elite division. They are led by two towers on the pins <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='321291' first='Christa' last='Wilburn']</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='318198' first='Riley' last='Malloy']</strong>. They have taken the bulk of the offense for this team and lately, they are unstoppable. Austin Skyline 15 Royal is huge across the front row with middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='375211' first='Claire' last='Nelson']</strong> standing at 6'1. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318138' first='Sydney' last='Lund']</strong> is no stranger to the blocking game as well as she is 6'1 as well. This team has really meshed together over the last year and has proven they are one of the elite teams in Texas. They will be playing in 15 Open.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Roots 151 Green</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roots 151 Green from the Austin area will be making the travel this weekend. Prep Dig watchlist player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='245380' first='Kaitlyn' last='Hutchins']</strong> will be a huge part of this team's success this weekend. Playing in the 15 USA division, they have a good chance to make a push for a bid here. Another player I really like is setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318200' first='Ava' last='Carrasquillo']</strong>. She doubles as a setter and pin hitter and she plays aggressively in both positions. Roots 151 Green's defense is led by two defenders <strong>Laila Ornick </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340898' first='Ashley' last='Go']</strong>, who seem to be battling it out for the libero position. If Roots can control the ball and get their pin hitters going offensively, they will have a great showing at their first qualifier.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>STVA 15 Mizuno</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Texas Volleyball Academy is one of my favorite clubs to watch. Their scrappy play and quick defensive turnarounds are fun to observe. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318196' first='Danielle' last='McAllister']</strong> is a do-it-all player and has a lot of fight in her game. She has a nice jump set and likes to feed her middle <strong>Jill Hanson</strong>, who can absolutely put the ball away. She has a quick transition and can beat the block with her fast swing. Outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318206' first='Katherine' last='Combs']</strong> has been getting it done on the pin early this season. They will look to her to be a big playmaker. This team has versatility, and they can switch positions on the fly if needed which makes them a tough team to scout and beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>TAV Houston 15 Adidas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TAV Houston will be getting back in action this weekend after just finishing 27th in the Elite Bracket of Triple Crown NIT. TAV Houston has a core of two 6 rotation outside hitters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318566' first='Gabriela' last='Santiago']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235512' first='Hailey' last='Lotspeich']</strong>. Ball control is the name of the game when it comes to these two. You won't find either of them making very many mistakes on the back row. As far as offense, Gaby can straight-up elevate and tag balls and Hailey has a fast arm swing with incredible out-of-system accuracy. The team runs through two setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254134' first='Carly' last='Thomas']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254093' first='Cambrie' last='Cavanaugh']</strong>. This team usually runs in a 5-1 offense but can easily switch gears and add an extra hitter with lefty <strong>Josie Hoff</strong> off the bench. To wrap up the back row they have a slew of defenders that can get the job done. Libero <strong>Cali Reese</strong> was phenomenal during Triple Crown. This team is full of top-tier talent in the 2026 class, and they will play in the 15 USA division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->