Tour of Texas #2: 15 Invitational – Middles
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One of the most traditional and competitive club volleyball tournaments in the Lone Star State, the Tour of Texas had its second stop of the season this past weekend in Houston, bringing the top talent of the region to H-Town…
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Continue ReadingOne of the most traditional and competitive club volleyball tournaments in the Lone Star State, the Tour of Texas had its second stop of the season this past weekend in Houston, bringing the top talent of the region to H-Town for two days of action.
It was a great opportunity to see the elite of the sport in Texas battling it out and Prep Dig was at the Katy United facility on Sunday, where we got to watch all 20 teams that competed in the 15 Invitational division in action. There’s a serious level of talent in this group and we’ll now feature the prospects that stood out during the day.
These middles made their presence felt at the net:
Mariah Akinsola Mariah Akinsola 6'0" | MB Reedy | 2027 State TX
Mariah Akinsola Mariah Akinsola 6'0" | MB Reedy | 2027 State TX
Akinsola’s strong play in the middle helped TAV 15 Black Jason rank first with six wins and one loss. With her and Nyla Livings Nyla Livings 6’2″ | MB PRestonwood Christian | 2027 State TX , the team had one of the strongest middle duos in the field and used it to beat opponents. Akinsola played with great energy at the net and did a very good job offensively, hitting different sets with a very high level of efficiency. She also played a big role with her blocking, moving quickly to the pins and playing aggressively above the net.
Abby Parkinson
Abby Parkinson
Parkinson was one of the building blocks of her Excel 15 National Red team that secured a second-place finish with five wins and two losses. She dominated the net with her physical game and had a big role role with the team. Parkinson’s blocking was extremely effective as she got a lot of touches and one of the reasons for it was her incredibly strong first step, which helped her get to the pins in no time. The middle also did a very good job offensively, scoring in most of the sets she got.
Jacey Carroll Jacey Carroll 6'0" | MB St. John's | 2027 State TX
Jacey Carroll Jacey Carroll 6'0" | MB St. John's | 2027 State TX
With Carroll in the middle, Houston Skyline 15 Royal ended the weekend in third place with four wins and two losses. One of the most physical players in the event, she was unstoppable at times offensively, hitting all sorts of different sets in the middle with tremendous power. Although her team had plenty of reliable scoring options, Carroll was on some occasions their go-to player at the net and she responded well to it. She also did a good job with her blocking, placing her arms across the net very aggressively and with great intelligence.
Gabriella Skopljak
Gabriella Skopljak
Skopljak helped Madfrog 15’s N Black win two out of their five matches in the weekend to secure a solid fifth-place finish in Houston. The six-footer was on fire offensively, hitting a handful of different sets down the middle and displayed excellent vision and power to put the ball down. She was set in critical moments of matches, being truly the team’s primary scoring option, and used her high contact point and her arm power to score.
Ratcliff and her Madfrog 15’s N Green finished in the top five, in fifth place, with two wins and three losses. The dynamic middle impressed with her amazing leaping ability, which allowed her to battle taller middles all day long at the net. Ratcliff hit a very quick set down the middle that was hard for opponents to stop and her footwork was another asset that she used extremely well, including when she had to move at the net to block. She also displayed good versatility, playing some sets on the right.
McKenna Gobbin
McKenna Gobbin
With Gobin in the middle, STVA 15 Mizuno had a solid weekend, triumphing in five of their six matches to rank ninth – their only upset was a dramatic three-setter to Madfrog 15’s N Green. The middle left a strong impression with her game, playing a big role on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Gobin used her long arms to her favor and hit the ball with a lot of power to score points. She was also a very productive blocker, getting to the pins quickly and playing aggressively above the net.
Flowers and Peak 15 Black Bryar had a strong weekend, getting five wins and one loss to finish ninth against some of the top teams in the state. The middle was easily the most physical player in her team and used her tools very well to impact the game. Flowers had a very strong offensive approach, which culminated with an impressive jump and a powerful swing down the middle. Her blocking was also very effective as she read the game well and timed her jumps in a way that allowed her to cause a lot of problems for opposing hitters.
Highlights
Natalie Kitts Natalie Kitts 6'4" | MB Tompkins | 2027 State TX
Natalie Kitts Natalie Kitts 6'4" | MB Tompkins | 2027 State TX
HJV 15 Elite had a difficult weekend, with one win and four losses and a 13th-place finish, but Kitts was one of the players in the team to show interesting potential. Standing at 6’4″, she has a massive presence at the net and gets to affect opposing hitters with her blocking, placing her long arms above the net. Kitts’ offense is still coming together, but she has some positives on that too, including good footwork and the ability to make contact with the ball at a very high point. Although she still lacks some consistency on that side of the game, the middle gets to score at a decente rate when set at the net.