FAST Pre Nationals: 17s - Middles

<p>With the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship less than a month away, preparation tournaments are taking place all over the country and a big one happened in the Houston area last week, the FAST Pre Nationals.</p>   <p>Hosted by the traditional club [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'], the event reunited 90 teams from the area and beyond for two days of action as clubs finalize their preparations ahead of the trip to Las Vegas.</p>   <ul> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/06/fast-pre-nationals-17s-photos/">FAST Pre Nationals: 17s - Photos</a></li> </ul>   <p>Prep Dig was in attendance on Saturday, following the 12 teams that competed in the Power Pools of the 17s division. There was a lot of talent on display and we'll feature some of the players who shone during the day. It's time we take a look at the middles:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Humphrey played a big role for her team HJV 17 Elite as they ranked first in the division with five wins and a loss. She was extremely dominant at the net and made her presence felt on both sides of the ball. Humphrey's reading of the game was impeccable and allowed her to make a major impact with her blocking, moving well and playing aggressively and intelligently with her arms above the net. The middle was also very productive offensively, unleashing when set in perfect conditions and getting creative to score in more difficult situations.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Rugley and her AVA TX 17 Adidas team were third last weekend, with four wins and two losses. The middle was huge for them, proving an excellent blocking presence with her ability to read the game and get into the right spots to make spots at the net. Rugley was very productive offensively as well, making contact with the ball at a very high point and swinging with incredible power, at times sending the ball inside the 10 ft line. The middle also had some good serving runs and got to make some nice digs at the left back position.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1802085251558097315 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Cowart was with the HJV 17 Premier side that got fifth in the tournament with three wins and two losses. Although she battled taller middles for most of the day, she used her athleticism to match them at the net with great success. Cowart was a solid blocking presence for her team, getting off the floor well and doing a good job of placing her arms aggressively to get in the way of opposing hitters. She was also very productive offensively, changing the pace with intelligence and going from hard-driven swings to tips.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">Winfrey stood out in her [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas team that got a fifth-place finish with three wins and two losses. A versatile player, she stepped up in the middle and made up for her lack of size with tremendous energy. Winfrey was very productive with her blocking, using her excellent footwork to move at the net and playing very aggressively with her arms. Offensively, she benefited from her great vertical to get into good spots to swing and didn't hold anything back, hitting with a lot of power. She was also a positive influence on her teammates, celebrating points with great enthusiasm and affecting the team's mood on the court.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/grtorres/status/1802121937683955784 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Having Alaniz in the middle, Houston Stellar 17 Elite finished ninth, with four wins and one loss. She played a major role for them with her blocking, using her length to dominate the net and handle overpasses. Alaniz was very quick to get to the pins and also to get off the floor, which allowed her to cover significant space with her arms, giving opposing hitters very small room to operate. She was also very consistent offensively, using her reach to overcome blockers and put the ball down.</p>

With the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship less than a month away, preparation tournaments are taking place all over the country and a big one happened in the Houston area last week, the FAST Pre Nationals.