Lone Star Classic 15 Open: Which Pools Are A Gauntlet

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lone Star Classic is easily one of the most challenging qualifiers during the season. Most upper-level Texas teams travel to this tournament and that makes qualifying extremely hard. The 15 Open pools are full of high level 15 open teams. I have identified 3 pools below that could go any direction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool 4</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool four of 15 Open consists of 4 high powered open level teams consisting of. Austin Skyline 15 Royal, Drive Nation 15 Red, Northern Lights 15-1, and Arizona Rev 15 Premier. This pool could go anyway at any time. Austin Skyline 15 Royal Has been lights out lately with big play makers like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='321291' first='Christa' last='Wilburn'] </strong>on the outside. Her size and aggressiveness really give her team an edge in close sets. Drive Nation's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254291' first='Ryea' last='Jackson']</strong> brings a whole new level to the term "middle blocker" because she brings so much more to the table. Her intagables of intensity and grittiness make her a force to be reconed with. I think these two teams will be battling it out for first place, and it will come down to ball control. Austin Skyline has a duo of passers that are very reliable with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318192' first='Julia' last='Solodky']</strong> and Sophie <strong>Haskell</strong>. Drive Nation's <strong>Sara Carrizales</strong> has been a stud in the back court all year and will definity be a 2026 to watch over the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool 6</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another pool to keep an eye on is pool 6, which consists of Houston Skyline 15 Royal, Triangle 15 Black, Excel 15 National Red and KC Power 15 Black. Triangle and KC Power are two out of state powerhouses that will hold their own in this pool. Houston Skyline 15 Royal will have to use their trio of power offensive players outside hitters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197468' first='Jayden' last='Robinson'] </strong>and setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318129' first='Blair' last='Thiebaud'].</strong> Excel 15 National Red has one of the best defenses in the North Texas area. They are well coached and full of energy. Their discipline at the net helps to secure a solid back row. Middle blocker<strong> Mary Esler</strong> helps control the net for Excel. Another notable playmakers for Houston Skyline are middle blocker <strong>Lacy Tinnel </strong>and right side hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318140' first='Nadiya' last='Shelby']</strong>. Excel's defense is head up by libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='253496' first='Kendall' last='Johnson'].</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pool 8</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alamo 15 Premier, Arete 15 Navy Telos, MN Select 15-1, and Union 15-1 UA all make up pool 8. MN Select is the sneaky one of this group, they could come in and disrupt the top 2 Texas teams in this pool. Alamo 15 Premier will have to rely on their fast paced offense and stud outside hitters of<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='318131' first='Paisley' last='Pavliska']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='318145' first='Jaylyn' last='Tuiasosopo']</strong>. Both of these athletes are high flying and quick to the set. They will come at you fast and hard from the outside position. For Arete, outside hitter <strong>Brylee Moore</strong> is totally capable of taking over a game. Her 6'1 size gives her an edge at the net. Setters <strong>Lizzie Dewey</strong> and <strong>Emerson Boyd </strong>run the offense in a 6-2 and both bring different looks to the offense. Other must watch players are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='225200' first='DaMya' last='Mann']</strong>, Alamo, and <strong>Zoe Alsup</strong>, Arete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->