Nike Cross Court Classic – 16 Open – Middles

<!-- 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've taken the week to recognize each of them. Here are some middles who did a lot of heavy work at the net in the 16 Open Division:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["344328"],"_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":"A middle with excellent length and athleticism, Bernard had a strong presence in the middle for division winners Texas Fury 16 Legacy. It seemed there was nothing her long arms couldn't touch when blocking, especially because of her excellent reading of the game and great timing to get off the floor. Her long legs and arms also helped her move around at the net and it was really rare when she couldn't get to the pins in time to make an impact. She also displayed a solid offensive game, hitting different sets at a good rate.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf34c1"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/R6FDenise/status/1634600978522550278?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/R6FDenise/status/1634600978522550278?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":"[player_tooltip player_id='456265' first='Imerie' last='Jones']","_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":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Concordia Lutheran","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"TAV Houston","_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":"Jones' intense play was a strength for her TAV Houston 16 Adidas team. Her excellent footwork and her outstanding athleticism made her have a big impact from her middle position as she a frequent offensive option for her team while also getting a lot of touches with her blocking. Jones sided out at a very good level, remaining consistent throughout matches. Her blocking was also a factor as she always placed her long arms well across the net to take up space.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf3569"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17220069/640f82e76e8292054446a37e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf35ce"} /--> <!-- 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":"Molly Muller","_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":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_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":"WD Nation","_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":"Muller was one of the most active and productive middles of the division, playing for Louisiana's WD Nation 16 Blue. Very long, she made a huge impact at the net with her blocking. Very mobile, Muller would move very quickly from pin to pin and she was also able to place her hands over the net in no time. On several occasions, she would deflect a swing on her way up and still have the reaction and the ball control to make the first contact afterwards. Her offense was also very consistent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf365c"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":341740,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/IMG_4196.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341740" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">TCVA 16 Green Adidas vs. WD Nation 16 Blue</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- 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-liberos/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Liberos</a> * <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></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":"Angel Debekeme","_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":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tompkins","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Katy United ","_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":"Debekeme was a bright spot in her Katy United 16 Adidas team. Although her overall game is still a work in progress, she made some really good plays on defense with her blocking. Tall, long and athletic, Debekeme was able to make an impact at the net, especially because of her excellent timing and aggressive posture when trying to block her opponents. She got some kills during the day too and still has some room for improvement in her offense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf36e7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19044481/640dec95a677230f2094ce92' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf3706"} /--> <!-- 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":"Lia Beverly","_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":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Metairie Park Country Day","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"NOLA","_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":"Louisiana's NOLA 16 Alyx/Marissa had one of the most impressive middles in the division in Beverly. She had a strong blocking presence all day with her excellent size and long arms and was also very aware of her zone at the net, sending overpasses right back down. Beverly also displayed good footwork to make her offensive approach even in transition plays and during rallies and sided out consistenly.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64124bdcf3785"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":341764,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/IMG_4405.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-341764" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Stellar 16 Premier vs. NOLA 16 Alyx/Marissa</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->