May Madness – Middles to Watch
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The club season is starting to wind down around the country with all qualifiers completed and teams now starting their preparations for the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6. There…
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Continue ReadingThe club season is starting to wind down around the country with all qualifiers completed and teams now starting their preparations for the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6.
There are, however, still some good tournaments going on around the state of Texas and one of them will take place this weekend, when TAV hosts the May Madness in Lewisville. Besides the top teams from the popular home club, other strong clubs from the region, such as Drive Nation, Madfrog ‘ last=”] and Dallas Premier will also be represented in the 15s, 16s and 17s divisions of the two-day event.
We’re taking a look at some of the most promising names that will be in action during the weekend in Lewisville and today let’s present some middles who are poised to have great performances:
The top middle in Texas according to our Class of 2026 Prep Dig State Rankings, Perry will be in action with Drive Nation 15 Red. Her physical tools are the foundation of her game but it’s how well she’s able to utilize them that makes of her such a special talent. Few players in her age group are capable of doing with Perry’s power, vertical and quickness and that’s very easy to see on offense, as she’s very difficult to stop even when opponents know she’s going to get on the ball. Perry can hit the ball hard and overpower blockers, but also knows how to hit around them when needed. She’s a solid blocker too, contributing on defense with the same efficiency.
The towering Wayne has been making great progress with her game lately and has moved all the way up to third place among the players in her position in our Class of 2025 Prep Dig State Rankings. The Madfrog ‘ last=”] 16’s N Green middle has a massive presence at the net with her 6’4″ frame and has been getting better and better at making the most of it. Wayne is very quick and explosive for a player of her size and does an excellent job in terms of transferring the energy generated by her runs to her jumps and swings. She can hit every single set in the middle well and is particularly strong when set the slide.
Highlights
One of the top middles in the region in her age group, Jones moved from Frisco Flyers to Drive Nation 17 Red, strengthening what already was one of the best teams in the area. She’s a middle that contributes on both sides of the ball and the impact made by her blocking goes far beyond what the stats tell as, besides getting a handful of stops every match, Jones also does very well when it comes to getting touches and turning powerful swings into easy digs for the players behind her. She’s a prolific offensive player too, using her length and arm power to score consistently down the middle.
Highlights
TAV 17 Black’s Boatner is vastly recognized as one of the top middles in the entire state and her ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball is extremely valuable for her team. Her blocking is truly amazing as, besides going up at the right spot and placing her long arms well over the net, she also directs her hands to the center of the opposing court, making it much more difficult for opponents to tool her. Boatner has a very quick arm swing too and can put the ball down when hitting every single different set in the middle.