Windy City Qualifier – Texas Middles 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 among them is the traditional Adidas Windy City National Qualifier, which will be held at McCormick Place, in Chicago, from Friday to Sunday.
Several teams from the Lone Star State will make the trip up North and we’ll preview the tournament by featuring some of the players who will have key roles with their teams. These middles can take matches over at the net:
A very steady and productive middle, Funk is an important piece in her HJV 15 Elite team that will compete in the 15 Open division in Chicago. A starter in the strong Tompkins team that compete in the last high school State Tournament, she delivers a lot in the middle with her consistency and reliability. Blocking has always been Funk’s main strength as she uses her length and excellent mobility to make her presence felt at the net, but she has been significantly expanding her offensive game too, adding more weapons to her arsenal and scoring with more consistency too.
Liz Goodspeed
Liz Goodspeed
Goodspeed is a rare case of a middle who dominates without being exceptionally athletic. The Skyline 16 Black team she plays for will be in action in the 16 USA division and will count on her smart play at the net to battle some tough teams. Goodspeed stands at 5’11” and uses her length well to hit sharp angles and send the ball into open spots on the court. When it comes to blocking, it’s her reading of the game and excellent timing that make of her a very efficient player.
An incredibly explosive and athletic player, Collins is a very active player at the net for her HJV 16 Elite team that will be competing in the 1t 6 Open division. Very strong and an excellent jumper, Collins is also very quick, a skill that helps her on both sides of the game. She hits a very quick set down the middle and is really difficult to stop when in rhythm. Her blocking is very impactful too as she goes up really high and makes a lot of pressure on opposing hitters with her hands. Collins played outside hitter in the last high school season and improved some areas of her game, including her ball control.
Caitlyn Cornell
Caitlyn Cornell
A six-footer, ‘CC’ Cornell is a very strong offensive player for her Excel 17 National Red team that will compete in the 17 Open division. She makes a really strong offensive approach, jumps well and can hit the ball hard in any direction. Cornell is even more effective when she gets good contact with it, sending the ball straight down. She’s a very strong blocker too, getting excellent reach with her arms fully stretched and getting up at the net at the right time to make stops and win jousts.
Sadie Gruber
Sadie Gruber
Gruber will be holding the middle for Tejas 17 Black in the 17 USA division in Chicago this weekend. She has excellent length and is a reliable point-scorer in the middle for her team, hitting a handful of different sets with great efficiency. Her blocking is also very steady and she times her jumps and movements over the net very well. Gruber also has excellent ball control and makes good defensive plays getting the first contact on deflected swings near the net and also getting some digs on the backcourt.