Outstanding Middles at Tour of Texas 15 Invitational Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most competitive and anticipated tournaments in the entire club volleyball season in the state of Texas, the Tour of Texas kicked off last weekend in Houston, with three days of action that reunited each of the top teams in the Lone Star State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Held across seven facilities in the Houston area, the event reunited over 400 teams, spread across its ten divisions. Even club teams from other states, such as California, Georgia, Illinois and Utah, made the trip to H-Town to compete, further elevating the level of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Texas was in attendance on Saturday, when we were at both the FAST Complex and the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] facilities to watch the 12 teams that competed in the 15 Invitational Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/01/tour-of-texas-houston-15-invitational-day-1-photos/">15 Invitational Division - Day 1 Photos</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the first of the two Tour of Texas stops concluded, it's time we feature some of the players who had strong performances in the event. Today, we'll look into the middles:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- 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":"Nicole Jacobson","_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":"6'2u0022","_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":"McKinney North","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431308' first='Texas' last='Advantage']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb21444"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jacobson was one of the weapons of the TAV 15 Black Jason team that finished in first place with seven wins and two losses. She was dominant at the net and made a huge impact on the team's defensive system with her excellent blocking. Jacobson got numerous stops every match, reading the game extremely well, moving very smoothly at the net and aggressively placing her long arms above the net to take up space from opposing hitters. Jacobson also contributed offensively, taking advantage of her high contact point and firepower to put the ball down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFDxkQLRvxz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFDxkQLRvxz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"> <div style="flex-direction: row;align-items: center"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px"></div> <div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0"></div> <div style="height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px"> <div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"></div> <div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"></div> <div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"> <div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"></div> <div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"></div></div></div> <div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px"></div></div></a><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFDxkQLRvxz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Nicole Jacobson (@_nicole_volleyball)</a></p></div></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["722075"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb214e8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">George was a key piece in the Alamo 15 Premier side that ranked second with four wins and five losses. Her intensity at the net was rarely matched by opposing middles and helped her control the flow of the game. Tall and explosive, George was a handful on offense because she got off the floor really well, hit the ball with tremendous power and, most importantly, did an excellent job of finding angles to swing around the block. Another interesting aspect of George's offense was her versatile as she was able to score from each position at the net with great efficiency. She also had a solid blocking presence, reading opponents well and timing her jumps precisely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20708455/6792485e5666429479ecd0b7' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb217a8"} /--> <!-- 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":"Elsa St. Rose","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"Tompkins","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb21893"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">St. Rose was with the HJV 15 Elite team that ranked fifth with four wins and three losses. An outside hitter with her high school team Tompkins, she smoothly transitioned back to her original middle position with HJV and was an important piece in the team's playing system. St. Rose did a solid job with her blocking, taking advantage of her excellent mobility and her long arms to close out the space up at the net. She was also an interesting offensive weapon for the team, hitting different sets in the middle with great efficiency. St. Rose also offered above-average contributions on the backcourt for a middle, serving well, playing great defense and even hitting from the middle back position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tour of Texas- Houston highlights❗️It was a fun weekend playing middle blocker again against some tough competition 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonjuniors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@houstonjuniors</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxPreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaxPreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PDTexas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PDTexas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepVolleyball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VBAdrenaline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VBAdrenaline</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OTHSVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTHSVolleyball</a> ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/mchase2028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mchase2028</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/iMYvs5RvxH">pic.twitter.com/iMYvs5RvxH</a></p>&mdash; Elsa St. Rose (@ElsaStRose2028) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElsaStRose2028/status/1882167676723945679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["580029"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb2190f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Spencer was one of the standouts in the [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 15 Adidas team that secured a ninth-place finish with six wins and two losses. Few opposing middles were able to match her physicality at the net, giving her team the edge on some occasions. Spencer was very strong offensively and was able to put the ball down in most of her swings, be it by finding the floor or tooling the block with her heavy right arm. The middle also supported the team's defensive system with her strong blocking presence, getting some stops and touching on many swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DFCA7N2IHh-/">Highlights</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["537904"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-679261eb2197a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gandy played a solid tournament with the TW Skyline 15 Royal team that ranked 13th with two wins and five losses. Her vertical was among the most impressive in the entire field and made of her a very effective offensive weapon for the team. With her ability to make contact with the ball at a very high point and her quick and powerful right arm, Gandy was very difficult to stop in the middle. A player with long arms and big hands, she also made an impact with her blocking, moving well and getting very high at the net to make stops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DFHHwMlsdeJ/">Highlights</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->