Cross Court Classic: 16 Open – Liberos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a busy weekend of club volleyball in Houston as the city hosted the 2024 edition of the Nike Cross Court Classic, one of the most anticipated and biggest tournaments of the season, from March 9-10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Almost 700 teams took the courts at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in downtown, competing for two days in one of the 18 divisions of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/03/cross-court-classic-16-open-photos/">Cross Court Classic: 16 Open - Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig was in attendance on Saturday, when we got to watch the pool play matches of the event. One of the divisions we covered was 16 Open, which featured 14 teams, coming from several different regions of Texas. Some players stood out to us for their performances and we're taking the week to report on them. It's time we give credit to the liberos who were on fire on the backcourt:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["270008"],"_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":"Flessas' hard work on the backcourt was of great help to her Texas Legacy 16 Elite that got four wins and one loss to finish third. A very technical and quick libero, she was extremely productive on the backcourt. Flessas was excellent at reading opponents and that helped her get digs in tips and setter dumps at the left back position. The libero was also tremendously consistent and reliable with her passing and was very disciplined at covering her hitters when they went up to swing. Flessas also registered several aces and got opponents out of system with her tough floater.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f27045a9"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18509226/65f04f53a680960acca8966e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f2704658"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254251"],"_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":"Hooper was a defensive force for MoCo Mavs 16 Red and played a big role in the team's seventh-place campaign, which featured two wins and three losses. She made some impressive digs on the backcourt, combining outstanding positioning and excellent ball control. Hooper was electric and very productive while playing defense and was truly a difference-maker to her team with her ability to make stops. Her passing was also very effective and she was able to maintain great consistency during the day.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f27046b0"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16811034/65edca7f0dc14503ec8aaf82' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f27046cf"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["340360"],"_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":"Trevino was one of the top players in her Valley Venom - 161 Red team that finished ninth with two wins and three losses. She earned a lot of respect from opponents around Texas after her impressive 15s season last year and now teams do everything they can to avoid serving her during matches. The electric Trevino found other ways to impact the game and was in excellent form playing defense on the left side, displaying impressive reflexes and outstanding ball control. With Valley Venom having somewhat of an undersized roster in comparison to most opponents they faced over the weekend, the defensive stability provided by Trevino was of great value for them.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f2704720"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/JulietTrevinoV1/status/1766677118979887552?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/JulietTrevinoV1/status/1766677118979887552?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":"Haley Wheeler","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_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":"Boerne","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Hill Country Strike","_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":"Wheeler and her HC Strike 16 Mamba team returned home with an 11th-place finish, earned with two wins and three losses. The libero was one of the bright spots in her side, playing with impressive consistency and efficiency on the backcourt. A very technical player, Wheeler had no issue dealing with most of the serves that went her way, handling precise passes to her setter. She also did a very good job playing defense, using her strong reading of the game to get in positions to dig swings. Very calm on the court, Wheeler was also solid when she had to set in transition.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f27047ec"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":518310,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/03/IMG_2934.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-518310" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Houston Stellar 16 Elite vs. HC Strike 16 Mamba</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":"Sophia Duarte","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'5u0022","_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":"Lee","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Alamo","_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":"Alamo 16 Gold got just one win in five matches, ranking 13th, but Duarte had some impressive moments during the day. An outside hitter with her high school team, she did a good job at libero, where her technical skills and defensive ability stand out in a stronger way. Duarte made some impressive digs at the left back position, and displayed excellent ball control to deal with hard-driven swings. The libero was also reliable with her passing, covering a lot of ground and remaining consistent during matches.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f07f270487a"} /-->