Tour of Texas Stop #1 Preview – Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-2025 club season is now underway and there are a few big tournaments that teams will be competing in to try different lineups and see how their season will shape up.&nbsp; One of the biggest tourney's in the state of Texas usually brings together the best competition that there is to offer from all over and it is called The Tour of Texas.&nbsp; The level of competition is so great that teams from all over the country fly in for it.&nbsp; There are teams from Georgia (A5), California (WAVE), Illinois (1st Alliance) and Utah (Club V) who are slated to join the best teams in Texas for a huge showdown.&nbsp; The level of talent in these gyms that are spread across the Houston area will be top notch.&nbsp; Let's take a look at what teams and players you should watch out for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Invitational Power Pools</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Power Pool #1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can this be called the Pool of Death?  These four teams could easily be the final four at nationals this summer.  Two of them were in the semifinals last year. Let's start off with the number one seed 1^st Alliance 17 Gold.  They were the USA Open division national runner up this past summer.  They are led by Niolija Bulatovic, Elle Schara and Carolyn Tarnow.  These three earned All Tournament honors at nationals this summer and are all back and stronger than ever.  Seeded second in this pool of death is the team who got third overall at nationals last season and won the whole thing the year before...Dallas Skyline 17 Royal Ping  The entire roster is littered with talent.  Keoni Willliams, [player_tooltip player_id='452239' first='Taylor' last='Clarke'], [player_tooltip player_id='253981' first='Ashlyn' last='Seay'], [player_tooltip player_id='241932' first='Madison' last='Victoriano'], [player_tooltip player_id='254300' first='Simone' last='Heard'], [player_tooltip player_id='327912' first='Kiley' last='Brooks'] and crew all entered The PINGDOM this season, which means they will be led by legendary coach Ping Cao.  Let's see if this team can stay at the top of the pyramid after this cut-throat pool of talent.  The third seed in this pool is TAV 17 Black Jon who has some deadly weapons of their own.  With stars like [player_tooltip player_id='318202' first='Layla' last='Austin'], [player_tooltip player_id='300846' first='Danielle' last='Whitmire'], [player_tooltip player_id='235445' first='Julianna' last='Hernandez'], [player_tooltip player_id='320954' first='Kylie' last='Kleckner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='295124' first='Kinsley' last='Young'] ready to battle, it is ashamed that there must be a non-winner in each match.  This squad is ready to battle anyone and I would not be afraid of anyone if I had them next to me.  Normally I would feel bad for any fourth seed going against this list of athletes, however this is not a normal four seed.  Austin Skyline 17 Royal. Is comprised of the some big stars. One of their big weapons is widely regarded as the number one recruit in the entire nation, [player_tooltip player_id='318127' first='Henley' last='Anderson'].  She has some assassins by her side helping her out like [player_tooltip player_id='318198' first='Riley' last='Malloy'], [player_tooltip player_id='434231' first='Maggie' last='McCarroll'], [player_tooltip player_id='321291' first='Christa' last='Wilburn'], and [player_tooltip player_id='306916' first='Rileigh' last='Butler'].  They reloaded with two stars [player_tooltip player_id='318200' first='Ava' last='Carrasquillo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='318132' first='Joy' last='Udoye'] who will be huge additions.  Reading the list of stars in this one pool alone has me feeling like I am walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  There will not be an empty seat around this court, so I strongly suggest if you want to watch, you better camp out early.  There will be no losers in this pool at all.  Every match will be very intriguing and will help these teams to solidify their lineups getting ready for qualifier season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Power Pool #2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's start out with the top seed in the pool which is Wave 17 Juliana.&nbsp; They are led by superstars [player_tooltip player_id='533581' first='Kalea' last='Lee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='391079' first='Finley' last='Krystkowiak'].&nbsp; These two alone could carry a champion to any gold bracket.&nbsp; However, they also have stars like [player_tooltip player_id='712163' first='Sophia' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='455792' first='Emma' last='Kingston'], Charlotte and [player_tooltip player_id='486781' first='Katherine' last='Nowak'], [player_tooltip player_id='542502' first='Marina' last='Vosloo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='391081' first='Presley' last='Thompson'] as teammates.&nbsp; This team will definitely give everyone fits and be one of the teams to beat in the entire three-day weekend.&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] 17 National Green out of the North Texas region will be flying to the Houston area with their player's verticals.&nbsp; Everyone on their team can flat out fly above the net.&nbsp; They might be one of the most fun teams to watch because of their athleticism.&nbsp; While they might not be as tall as others when it comes to height, they for sure will have the highest combined verticals out of any entire roster in the gym.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='235287' first='Kennedy' last='Crayton'], Jaiden Hartsfield, [player_tooltip player_id='318142' first='Bella' last='Lopez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='226072' first='Dawn' last='Moore'] all have frequent flier miles on their passports and use them with every attacking attempt.&nbsp; They might have the best backcourt duo in the nation with Aubrey Fernandez and [player_tooltip player_id='302598' first='Gabriella' last='Rodriguez'].&nbsp; The ball will not fall anywhere near these two.&nbsp; They will be very fun to watch and I feel sorry for anyone who serves at them on purpose.&nbsp; The third seed in pool two is [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 17 Royal.&nbsp; If you haven't been scared of any attacking duo that we have listed so far, this next one might just do the job.&nbsp; The amount of kills that [player_tooltip player_id='197468' first='Jayden' last='Robinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson'] have accumulated over the last few years is astronomical.&nbsp; They might be one of the most feared pair of assassins that there are in the country.&nbsp; When they connect on the ball, I feel sorry for the ball.&nbsp; Libero Henlee Moszkowicz and [player_tooltip player_id='530380' first='Jenna' last='Thedford'] are beasts in the back row.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='318129' first='Blair' last='Thiebaud'] delivering the ball is special.&nbsp; The wall of Lacy Tinnel and [player_tooltip player_id='318140' first='Nadiya' last='Shelby'] are second to none out of the middle.&nbsp; The fourth seed in this special pool is [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'] 17 Elite.&nbsp; They have stars like [player_tooltip player_id='268779' first='Zora' last='Bello'], [player_tooltip player_id='269795' first='Gemma' last='Hopkins'], [player_tooltip player_id='220966' first='Kiran' last='Rio'], [player_tooltip player_id='326514' first='Emma' last='Elsasser'] and [player_tooltip player_id='226814' first='Jasmyn' last='Walker'].&nbsp; Superstar right side [player_tooltip player_id='269826' first='Sarah' last='Hickman'] steals the show and can score on anyone.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='323202' first='Audrey' last='Cook'], [player_tooltip player_id='254092' first='Callie' last='Funk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='269777' first='Amaya' last='Love'] round out some other stars to know on this stellar roster.&nbsp; I am not sure who will come out on top of this pool, but whoever it is will surely be battle tested.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am not sure about you, but after writing this article with all of these stars in action, I am very excited.&nbsp; As I said before, there will be no losers of this tournament as it will definitely set the tone for what is to be an amazing season of volleyball.&nbsp; I will see you on the court.&nbsp; If you see us, say hi!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply reposting on X or Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->