Nike Cross Court Classic – 16 Open – Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most traditional tournaments annually held in Houston, the Nike Cross Court Classic was played this past weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in downtown, with as many as 675 teams getting on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The gigantic tournament had 19 different divisions and Prep Dig was in attendance for the Saturday AM wave, paying special attention to the teams from the Lone Star State that were in action in the 15 Open and 16 Open divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nike-cross-court-classic-16-open-photo-gallery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Nike Cross Court Classic - 16 Open - Photo Gallery</strong></a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Several players stood out with strong performances for their teams and we'll take the week to recognize each of them. These are some of the liberos who did some solid work on the backcourt in the 16 Open division:</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":"Ezra Leifeste","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Harker Heights","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Texas Fury","_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":"Texas Fury 16 Legacy dominated the division, winning the gold bracket and there's certainly a lot to say about the team's offensive potential, but they wouldn't be nearly as strong if it wasn't for Leifeste keeping things tight at the back. Very quick and technical, she displayed great reflexes on defense and made some big digs from the middle back position. Leifeste also covered a huge chunk of the court in serve-receive and consistently delivered good passes to her setter. She also made some positive impact from the service line with her strong floater.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f74ac7d671"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":341730,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/IMG_4020.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341730" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Texas Fury 16 Legacy vs. Katy United 16 Molten</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254071"],"_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":"TAV Houston 16 Adidas' starting libero, Frazier was very reliable for her team on the backcourt. Always calm and focused, she's the kind of player that won't be caught out of position or won't make mistakes for a lack of attention, which is huge for a defensive player. Frazier has perfect gestures when making contact with the ball and is very precise with her passing and defense. She's always right there covering her hitters and, after playing the last high school season as a setter, displayed some improvement when required to set her teammates in transition.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f74ac7d70b"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1634626225237893123?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/1634626225237893123?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- 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":"Jordan South","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Tri County Volleyball Association","_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":"South's TCVA 16 Green Adidas was a very fun one to watch as, although they didn't have a lot of size, all their players were very skilled on the ball. The libero was certainly no exception and she played a big role for them on the backcourt. Because of her excellent ball control and unwavering focus, South rarely made any mistakes, giving a lot of stability to her team. She also displayed really good reflexes and touched a lot of balls on defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f74ac7d7d6"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Positional Breakdowns:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>* <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nike-cross-court-classic-16-open-outsides/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Outsides</a> * <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nike-cross-court-classic-16-open-right-sides/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Right Sides</a> * <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nike-cross-court-classic-16-open-setters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Setters</a> * <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nike-cross-court-classic-16-open-middles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Middles</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269816"],"_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":"Bishop's Roots 161 Green team advanced all the way to the golden bracket final and the libero had a lot to do with it. One could tell she was always very comfortable on the backcourt and her first contact was always very clean and precise. Bishop was very consistent with her passing but was possibly even more impactful with her defense. A taller libero at 5'8u0022, she used her length to get to balls and her superior ball control to make digs and keep them in play.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f74ac7d84f"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":341759,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/IMG_4338.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341759" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Katy United 16 Adidas vs. Roots 161 Green</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["187094"],"_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":"Melgren had to work hard on the backcourt as her Houston Stellar 16 Premier had a challenging weekend, winning two of its six matches in the event, but she responded well to the task, making good plays. She wasn't served a ton and delivered accurate passes every time that happened, but was really impressive on defense. Melgren picked really good spots in her left back position and was able to make some impressive digs in hard-driven diagonal swings, displaying great ball control as well.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640f74ac7d8ce"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":341767,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/IMG_4426.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341767" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Stellar 16 Premier vs. NOLA 16 Alyx/Marissa</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->