Big South Qualifier – Texas Setters to Watch
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The qualifying season continues at full pace as teams from all around the country attempt to secure their spots in the 2023 USA Girls Junior National Championship. Texas club teams are no exceptions, as they are flying all across the…
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Continue ReadingThe qualifying season continues at full pace as teams from all around the country attempt to secure their spots in the 2023 USA Girls Junior National Championship. Texas club teams are no exceptions, as they are flying all across the nation to play in those events and book their tickets to Chicago from June 28-July6.
This coming weekend will present several opportunities with National Qualifiers taking place in different locations and one of them is the Big South Qualifier, a 24-division event that will take place in Atlanta from Friday to Sunday.
Some Texas teams will make the trip East and we’ll preview the tournament by featuring some of the players who can have big roles for their clubs. We begin with the setters:
Cook emerged as a promising freshman during the last high school season, earning considerable playing time in a loaded Stratford team. She’s been tested during the club season and has been a solid player for her Houston Skyline 15 Black team that will appear in the 15 USA division in Atlanta. Cook is very technical and intelligent and knows how to operate in each situation. She’s really good at faking and fooling blockers with her ball distribution when in system, but keeps things simpler when the pass is off the net. The also contributes a lot on defense with her great positioning and excellent ball control.
Highlights
A setter with excellent potential, Sawyer has been developing very quickly with her Houston Stellar 16 Elite team that will compete in the 16 USA division. Her right-side duo with Brianna Dunn Brianna Dunn 5’8″ | RS Clear Falls | 2025 State TX is one of the team’s main strengths and Stellar will rely a lot on them in Atlanta. The first thing that stands out in Sawyer is obviously her size, but she’s much more mobile and smoother on the ball than anyone would imagine. Another great thing about her setting is how well she uses her long arms to make contact with the ball at a high point and accelerate the game. Sawyer also has very good ball control and makes big plays on the back.
Highlights
Madeline Stuesser
Madeline Stuesser
‘Maddie’ Stuesser is another tall setter with a big role for her team team – she’ll lead Roots 171 Green in the 17 USA division in the event. She’s very agile on the court and extremely clean on the ball, accelerating the game anytime she can. Stuesser is crafty and thrives when forced to improvise, but is also very analytical and balanced with her ball distribution, keeping all her hitters involved. She also had a good blocking presence at the net and can be used as a right from the right if needed.
A very intelligent and reliable setter, Medford will be running the offense of Woodlands Revolution 17 Premier in the 17 USA division. She’s coming from a strong high school season with Conroe when she once again displayed impressive progress, adding new facets to her game. Medford is great when setting against the flow and manages to remain precise in any situation. She also makes a strong impact on the backcourt, serving well and playing solid defense.
Highlights
Expect Valadez to be a vocal leader when her team Alamo 17 Elite is on the court in the 17 Open division. She’s great at communicating with her teammates and keeping them aware and engaged in matches. Valadez is also a talented playmaker, who makes great decisions with her ball distribution and facilitates the work of every single hitter around her. She also works as hard as anyone on the backcourt and makes good defensive plays from her right back position.