NLQ: Texas Teams Dominate the 15s Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wow! What a successful weekend for Texas teams at the Northern Lights Qualifier! Below we have highlighted 5 Texas teams who showed up and showed out to bring home a bid in their respective division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Houston Skyline 15 Royal - Open bid - Northern Lights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Houston Skyline 15 Royal got their first Open bid of the season at the Northern Lights Qualifier over the weekend. They went 8-2 over the weekend to finish 2nd place. This team is led by two stud class of 26 outside hitters, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197468' first='Jayden' last='Robinson']</strong>. Six rotation outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson']</strong> was unstoppable over the weekend, making very few errors. Her 6'0 frame makes her a formidable option for the back row attack and her consistency was key for her team.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='197468' first='Jayden' last='Robinson']</strong> came up huge in tight situations and was a real game-changer as far as momentum goes. Six rotation setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318129' first='Blair' last='Thiebaud']</strong> ran the show on offense, dishing the ball at a fast pace and making excellent setting decisions down the stretch,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Austin Performance 15 Adidas - Open bid - Northern Lights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Austin Performance 15 Adidas has started out so strong this season already securing their open bid over the weekend. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='306916' first='Rileigh' last='Butler']</strong> was a digging machine over the weekend. She brings so much energy to the floor and was a very effective passer over the weekend, helping her team go 7-2 over the weekend. Outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='449828' first='Laney' last='Hennessee']</strong> was a beast at the net, she grabbed so many blocks it was hard to count, and she played with a lot of poise and passion. Austin Performance's other 6 rotation outside option <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318127' first='Henley' last='Anderson']</strong> did not disappoint either. Her 6'4 size makes her one of the tallest in her age division, but she didn't rely on her height this weekend. She challenged opposing blocks, not taking any easy swings, and was a force on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>TAV 15 Blue - USA bid - Northern Lights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TAV Dallas 15 Blue finished 3rd over the weekend securing their 15 USA bid. They are led by a duo of passers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220464' first='Sienna' last='Franks']</strong> and <strong>Kendall Strosnider</strong>. Both are very strong defensively and have a great serve. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='478989' first='Cheyenne' last='Gunner']</strong> was really a standout player for TAV 15 Blue. She showed discipline on the block and hit or blocked everything that was across the tape. She did her job well out of the middle, hitting a variety of shots and quick sets. Six rotation setter <strong>Chloe Marenic</strong> ran the offense for her team and showed her athleticism by setting and blocking well on the front row. Outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='644449' first='Kameron' last='Rector'] </strong>sealed the deal from the outside position for TAV 15 Blue as she showed lots of confidence and aggressive swings from the pin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>TX Storm 15 Smack - Liberty bid - Northern Lights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texas Storm 15 Smack faced a lot of challenges this weekend and won the Liberty division with just only 7 players! We love seeing that Texas grit. They are led by libero <strong>Isabella Meneses</strong> whose determination helped propel her team to success over the weekend. She made great reads on defense and seemed to be all over the court and where ever the ball was. Other key players on the team were setter<strong> Natalia Cano</strong>, outside hitter <strong>Amerie Rodarte-Clemente</strong>, and right-side<strong> Genna Gandara</strong>. While this team does not pack a lot of height, they more than makeup for it with their defense and ball control.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last='']' last=''] 15 National White - Liberty bid - Northern Lights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last='']' last=''] 15 National White finished 2nd in Liberty and secured their bid after an all-Texas showdown in the championship match. Outside hitter <strong>Olivia Biggs</strong> was great all weekend as well as libero <strong>Sophie Wilson</strong>. Sophie played a solid middle-back defense and was very accurate with her out-of-system setting to keep [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last='']' last=''] swinging. Middle blocker <strong>Kate Nordyke</strong> used her size and length at 6'0 to protect the net and in doing so grabbed several blocks. After seeing some highlights from [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last='']' last=''] 15 National White, I will definitely be keeping up with them more often as they have a lot of athletic potential on their team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->