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<p>his 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>
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<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>
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<ul><!-- wp:list-item -->
<li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/01/mlk-invitational-16-17-18-open-photos/">MLK Invitational: 16/17/18 Open - Photos</a></li>
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<p>On Monday, Prep Dig was at the NRG Center, following the Texas teams that competed in the 16 Open, 17 Open and 18 Open golden brackets. Several players caught our attention and this week we'll feature them - let's now take a look at the middles that dominated the net.</p>
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his 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.
HEIGHT
6'1"
POS
MB
CLASS
2026
School:
Victoria West
Club:
CC Force
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HEIGHT
6'0"
POS
MB
CLASS
2025
State:
Texas
School:
Pearland
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HEIGHT
5'11"
POS
MB
CLASS
2025
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HEIGHT
6'0"
POS
MB
CLASS
2025
School:
Deer Park
Club:
Houston Stellar
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HEIGHT
6'2"
POS
MB
CLASS
2024
State:
Texas
School:
Bridge City
Club:
Absolute Volleyball Academy
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