Windy City Qualifier – Texas Right Sides 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 made 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 right side hitters could have big roles with their teams:
A long and potent right side hitter, Hickman will be in action with HJV 15 Elite in the 15 Open division. A lefty, she uses her length extremely well on offense, making contact with the ball at a very high point and hitting over the top of blockers or tooling them. Despite being very young, Hickman is impressively consistent and makes very few mistakes when she goes up to swing. Her blocking is also a big part of her game as it’s big, technical and has excellent timing. Hickman has good mobility for a player of her size and that often helps when she’s grinding on defense.
Avery Gemperle
Avery Gemperle
Gemperle will be a strong offensive option for AJV 16 Molten in the 16 USA division. A six-footer, she has excellent range on her offense and can efficiently swing from the right, the middle and the right back. A lefty, Gemperle has a very high contact point, but perhaps the main aspect of her offense is her ability to see the block and hit around it, minimizing errors and scoring at a high rate. She’s also a solid blocker and has very good ball control, which helps her contribute with her passing too when needed.
Gabriella Martinez Gabriella Martinez 5'11" | OH Cinco Ranch | 2025 State TX
Gabriella Martinez Gabriella Martinez 5'11" | OH Cinco Ranch | 2025 State TX
Martinez is a versatile offensive player, who can play on either pin, but will most likely be on the right when HJV 16 Elite gets on the court in the 16 Open division. She’s very dynamic and explosive on the court and has a very complete offensive game, which allows her to score on quicker or higher sets, using power or finesse. Martinez is capable of hitting some really sharp angles from the right and often catches defenders off guard with that shot. She has a very well-rounded game too and will often contribute with her blocking and making good plays on defense.
A Texas State commit, Emmerling will be one the main offensive options in her TAV Houston 17 Adidas team that will compete in the 17 Open division. She’s capable of playing on the left or the right and, in either position, will also help the team with her passing and defense. Emmerling uses her length very well and is very explosive with her offensive approach. She’s the kind of hitter that will bounce balls if the block isn’t ready, but also has all the resources to score in more challenging situations.
Highlights
Maxwell will be the heavy hitter in her HJV 17 Elite team that will compete in the 17 Open division. A player with excellent physical tools, she’s very difficult to stop when in system, but has also developed her offense in different ways and has become a very efficient player when out of system too. Her decision-making at the net is what makes of her such an efficient and productive player. Maxwell is also an excellent blocker, using her size and reading of the game to get in the way of opposing pin hitters and shutting them down.