Countdown City Classic: Five Outsides Hitters to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most traditional end-of-year club volleyball tournaments in the state of Texas, the Countdown City Classic will be held in San Antonio this coming weekend, from Friday to Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will be a massive event, with as many as 483 teams from around the Lone Star State competing in 16 divisions from U11 to U18 at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Open divisions will be particularly strong, reuniting some of the most talented prospects in Texas and as we get ready for the start of the action, let's take a look at a few names that have what it takes to stand out from the competition. Keep an eye out for these outside hitters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["443017"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Wright was one of the most exciting prospects to emerge in the Houston area during the last high school season and will now try to have the same success at the club level with [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 15 Adidas. She stood out for her offensive power and that was for good reason as Wright displayed a high level of maturity that's not often seen in freshmen. She used her length well and made very good decisions with her swings, consistently beating the blockers and defenders that tried to stop her. She's also quickly developing her backcourt skills and will very soon be a complete player.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e99ab"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17213369/654c502b688ec50298aa0a18' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e99f4"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["456747"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kropewnicki raised her stock during our Top 250 Expo events held over the last few weeks and became a prospect that will definitely remain on our radar during the club season as she plays for SA Magic 161 Elite. She has an excellent all-around game and a very strong mindset every time she gets on the court. The outside hitter gets the job done on the backcourt with her strong ball control and is also very efficient at the net, using her reach and power to score points. Kropewnicki is always very determined and focused on the court and seems to love learning new things.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9a50"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/C0vSxiCMS9g/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/C0vSxiCMS9g/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["245380"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Hutchins had excellent performances at the last club season and looks set to another big year with Roots 16-1 Green as she's now the team's undisputed leading scorer. A pin hitter with great explosiveness and power, she's really hard to stop and is capable of scoring for as long as it takes to help her team win games. Hutchins' shot selection is excellent and she'll rarely make a mistake or be blocked when up at the net. Her defensive game is also solid, which makes of her a very useful piece to any coach or team.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9aac"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owrKFgC4m-E","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owrKFgC4m-E </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["182110"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the most lethal hitters in the state of Texas, Fitch will be leading the offense of her team Alamo 17 Premier this weekend in San Antonio. A pin hitter with extraordinary length, she's very smart with her shot selection and uses each of her numerous tools, extremely well, picking the right one to each situation. Fitch can beat blockers and defenders with her pure power, but will also find gaps and open spots to score when challenged. She's very smooth on the court and plays with great confidence, dealing well with pressure.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9afb"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17307332/658176edf31e1f07dc4c6547' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9b18"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Cori Babb","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Hutto","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Austin Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Babb will be one of the outside hitters representing Austin Skyline 18 Royal in this weekend's event. She's a very efficient offensive player, who reads the game well and makes good decisions at the net. It's not unusual to see pin hitters who are beasts in system but can put the ball if not in perfect situations, but that's certainly not the case with Babb. She can score with just a half-approach, timing her jump well and extending her arm to make contact with the ball at the highest point and open up more possibilities to her swings. She's also very calm and clear-minded when hitting against a big block and thrives by finding gaps to get the ball through them.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9bca"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17948168/65431732665630068c124ed3' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6589a4a8e9bec"} /-->