MLK Invitational: 15 Open – Top Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past weekend, Houston hosted a massive national-level club tournament, the 2024 MLK Invitational, which featured more than 250 teams from several states, with two of the three days of the event taking place at the NRG Center in Downtown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texas was represented with multiple teams in every division and some of the most exciting prospects of the Lone Star State got to go on the court and battle teams from other states over three days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/01/mlk-invitational-15-open-photos/">MLK Invitational: 15 Open - Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, Prep Dig was at the British International School of Houston, where the 15 Open division was played, and got to watch seven Texas teams compete. Several players caught our attention and this week we'll feature them - now it's time to give some love to our hard-working liberos:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["443038"],"_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":"Hotaling was extremely solid on the backcourt for her Xcel VB 151 Adidas team that got two wins in eight matches and ranked 14th. Her game was very consistent and her actions on defense generated transition plays for her team quite often. Very quick with her movement, Hotaling also displayed excellent ball control to pass precisely and get digs. The libero also had good moments with her serving and responded well when she was called to set in transition.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a95829808f2"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/peyton_hotaling/status/1746342467392143621?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/peyton_hotaling/status/1746342467392143621?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486952"],"_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":"Gonzalez led [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 15 Adidas' backcourt efforts over the weekend and helped the team get a second-place finish in the division with seven wins and just one loss. She covered a lot of ground in serve-receive and was very technical every time she made contact with the ball, keeping the team in system and allowing the setters to run a fast-paced offense. Gonzalez also communicated very well with her teammates, keeping things organized on the back. The libero also served very well and had some long runs at the service line that generated multiple points.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9582980960"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1746180707452383366?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1746180707452383366?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486929"],"_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":"'AG' Cockrill was among the most impressive liberos in the tournament, making a difference for Texas Leagacy 15 Elite with her game and playing a major role in the team's campaign of three wins and four losses that placed them in seventh place. Her defense was excellent as Cockrill combined great positioning, impressive reflexes and superior ball control, stopping many plays from opponents. Very stable with her passing, the libero also created problems for opponents with her serving.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a95829809b5"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/grtorres/status/1746186979186708811?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1746186979186708811?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- 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":"Jenna Lindquist","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Clear Springs","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Absolute Volleyball Academy","_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":"With Lindquist at libero, AVA TX 15 Adidas finished seventh in the division with a record of two wins and five losses. Very quick and technical, she was extremely active defensively at the left back position and was particularly good at chasing tips and deflected shots. Lindquist also displayed a great fighting spirit, working hard to keep the ball out of the floor and recovering some shanked passes from her teammates and keeping them in play.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9582980a5a"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17141359/65a7fc88f56a0812f86a0f56' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9582980af8"} /--> <!-- 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":"Danika Martinez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Valley Venom","_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":"The electric Martinez was one of the standouts in her Valley Venom - 151 Red team that had four wins and four losses over the weekend, ranking tenth. She was always very active on the backcourt and displayed great determination and effort to handle the team's defensive duties. Martinez was always a positive influence on her teammates with her energy on the court and communicated very well with them. She was also very precise when she had to set from the back.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9582980b83"} /-->