Lone Star Classic Week 3: Five Middles to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest tournaments held in Texas during this year's club volleyball season, the 2024 Adidas Lone Star Classic continues in Dallas, entering its third and last weekend of action from Friday to Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in Dallas, will now host nearly 1,000 teams, which are split into ten divisions in the 15s, 16s and 17s age groups, all looking to earn a bid for the upcoming USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship, in July.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spots in the Open division are the most coveted ones and Texas will have 60 teams battling for them across the three age groups. As the event approaches, let's highlight some of the top talent of the Lone Star State which will be in action this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check these middle blockers out:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["433677"],"_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":"Flowers will appear in the middle with Peak 15 Black Bryar. She's a very athletic player, who knows how to use her physical tools to make an impact at the game and get involved with everything that happens at the net. Flowers' blocking is extremely well-developed as she not only makes the most of her leaping ability and long arms, but also displays a very high volleyball IQ to read opposing hitters and time her actions well, getting a lot of touches above the net. The middle is also an interesting offensive weapon, swinging with power in the middle.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea166"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17749552/660615e50f6542e01ee1b007' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea209"} /--> <!-- 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":"Shelby Aikens","_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":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Johnson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431257' first='San' last='Antonio Magic']","_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":"Aikens will appear in the middle with her team SA Magic 15 Elite this weekend in Dallas. She has good size and a heavy arm and uses that combination to hit different sets in the middle with great success by making contact with the ball at a high point and hammering it. Aikens also has very good footwork, which makes of her an offensive option in transition plays and gives her the mobility she needs to make an impact with her blocking. A versatile prospect, she can also be used on the right.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/shelby_aikens?video=3728394u0022u003eHighlightsu003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea2b9"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["326514"],"_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":"Elsasser will be one of the options in the middle for her HJV 16 Elite team. She first got on our radar last winter, during our Top 250 Expo in San Antonio, and has continued to improve by leaps and bounds since then, earning a starting spot in her strong club team. Elsasser is very tall and physical and does a very good job of dominating the net, especially on the defensive side of the game with her big and technical blocking. She's also an interesting offensive weapon with her ability to hit different sets and her quick right arm. Besides her technical and physical skills, Elsasser also contributes with her positive energy on the court, pushing her teammates.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea317"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18524059/65d7658d176c5b0fc4392e9d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea335"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["314733"],"_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":"Euston will be in action with AP 17 Adidas this weekend in Dallas. Few middles of her size are as agile and powerful as she is and that translates into a high-energy, high-efficiency game at the net for her. Euston puts a lot of energy in each step of her offensive approach and that typically culminates with a powerful swing that beats blockers and defenders. Her blocking is also very effective as she uses her size and her smart moves about the net to take up space from opposing hitters very effectively.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea385"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17950675/660ce8f6d97c0d1f3eb2ede2' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea3a1"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["220413"],"_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":"Shanahan will appear with her NRG VBC 17 AMPD Navy team this weekend at the Lone Star Classic. Expect her to be one of the team's main offensive weapons and to carry their scoring on some occasions. Shanahan likes to hit a very quick set in the middle and is very hard to stop because of how fast her arm is, but can also score off of higher sets at the pins. Her blocking is also typically a factor in games as she moves very well at the net, reads the game well and plays aggressively with her arms to get stops and touches.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661834daea3f0"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/AveryShanahan4/status/1737178263443722712","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/AveryShanahan4/status/1737178263443722712 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->