MLK Invitational: 16/17/18 Open – Top Setters

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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-16-17-18-open-photos/">MLK Invitational: 16/17/18 Open - Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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're featuring them - these were the setters that ran productive offenses:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["369839"],"_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":"Fisher steered CC Force 161 Crossfire to a third-place finish in the 16 Open division with a campaign of four wins and four losses. The skilled playmaker was rock solid during the day, keeping her level of play extremely steady and that reflected positively in the team's offense, which was similarly steady and balanced. Fisher tried to keep all her hitters involved, but made good decisions with her distribution in big moments. She also played an important leadership role with the team, instructing her teammates and pushing them forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479b71"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/Lola_shannon___/status/1748065612360778112?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/Lola_shannon___/status/1748065612360778112?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["203987"],"_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":"Dumas was excellent at running AVA TX 17 Adidas' offense and helped her team win seven of its nine matches and secure a third-place finish in the 17 Open division. She was running her middles very well and that facilitated her entire offense, giving her pin hitters more room to operate. The left-handed setter was also a strong presence at the net, contributing to the team's offense with her setter dumps and playing aggressively with her blocking. She was also very active defensively and got several touches on defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479c06"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13817688/65a94847a022c808a8287266' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479ce6"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["192056"],"_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":"With LeRoux calling the shots, [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Adidas triumphed in three of their eight matches to rank fifth in the 17 Open division. The tall setter was extremely good with her playmaking, making her team play at a fast pace when in system, but keeping her precision steady. LeRoux was also very intelligent and effective with her distribution, sharing the ball among her hitters and keeping every option open. She also made an impact from the service line, serving well and generating points and easy transition plays.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479d60"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":500829,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/01/IMG_8938.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-500829" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Adidas vs. Adidas KIVA 17 Red</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- 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":"Caroline Dawson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32561","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"George Ranch","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']","_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":"Dawson was the main playmaker for the [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas team that had a campaign of four wins and three losses that placed them ninth in the 17 Open division. I watched her in action in a particularly difficult match against PVA 17-B, in which the team's passing was a bit of an issue, and was impressed with how well she was able to run the team's offense in that situation as she had to run a simpler offense, but remained very accurate. Dawson was very smooth on the ball and moved well on the court, which helped her track down passes off the net.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479e46"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["124132"],"_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":"Durgens helped AVATX 18 Adidas make it to the final of the 18 Open golden bracket and end the weekend in second place with six wins and two losses. She was very smooth with her setting and made very good use of her hitting options during the day. When her team had difficult moments, Durgens played a big role in steering the ship with her calm posture on the court and her solid and reliable play. She was also a big asset on defense, getting several balls up from her right back position.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479eb7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13496766/65a74cf3c123eb032c3336fe' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a9c31479edd"} /-->