LSC NQ Recap – The Force was Strong in Liberty Divisions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the hardest National Qualifiers of the year was in full swing in Dallas, TX this past weekend.&nbsp; Being held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in downtown Dallas, this qualifier brings the best teams from all over the nation under one roof toward the end of the season.&nbsp; I was able to cover the tourney in person and here is a report of a few teams who earned their bid in the 16 and 17 Liberty divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>San Antonio Force 17 Darkside had two very tiny hiccups during pool play in three tough sets that toughened them up for the playoffs.&nbsp; Once they began the challenge bracket, they didn't look back and dominated on their way to the championship.&nbsp; Setter [player_tooltip player_id='541807' first='Kamryan' last='Johnson'] showed off some great athleticism out of right back as she played defense and set the ball to her hitters.&nbsp; The ball comes out of her hands so quickly and she has tons of power to push it to the pins when out of system.&nbsp; Her counterpart in the six-two offense, [player_tooltip player_id='530833' first='Leighton' last='Hale'] was also magical with the ball in her hands.&nbsp; Libero [player_tooltip player_id='550013' first='Taylor' last='Fenton'] used her hands well when digging and covered her hitters exceptionally well.&nbsp; Pins Sophia Fisher and [player_tooltip player_id='507926' first='Cayleigh' last='Monson'] were very aggressive and it proved to be a huge difference maker in each match.&nbsp; The long arms of Maiya Henry on the right side and Sophie Guerrero out of the middle definitely helped their defense slow down the attack of their opponents.&nbsp; Although the deflections off of the block don't get counted in any stat books, they are absolutely crucial to keeping the aggressiveness on their own side of the court.&nbsp; This squad stepped up their game in the Gold bracket and took care of business together on their way to the title.&nbsp; We are very proud of their efforts and how they represented themselves in one of the toughest qualifiers in the nation.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16 Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Corpus Christi Force 161 Crosssfire did the impossible this weekend.  In the toughest qualifier in the nation, they not only didn't drop a match all weekend long, but they didn't even lose a single set on their way to the championship.  Their point percentage was 1.6035 for the tournament, which means they dominated the competition.  Only five individual sets happened in which the opponent reached twenty points out of the twenty-two total sets played.  They really brought out the big guns for three days straight and one of the biggest guns that we have seen from them belongs to lefty opposite [player_tooltip player_id='580057' first='Nya' last='White'].  She has been on our radar for a while with the arsenal she has put on full display since the high school season.  They run her early and often for a reason…she can flat out score the ball at a high clip.  [player_tooltip player_id='721814' first='Emily' last='Richards'] and [player_tooltip player_id='766310' first='Kristina' last='Rodriguez'] run a solid six-two offense and they keep it flowing very well when one subs in the game.  I love how they also connect with their middles.  [player_tooltip player_id='486925' first='Alyssa' last='Thornton'] is loaded and ready for quick attacks no matter where the pass takes the setter.  She puts up a great big target and both setters do a great job of beating the ball to the net to stay in system.  [player_tooltip player_id='546747' first='Addison' last='Yendrey'] also did a solid job battling at the net, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  She is the type of player that doesn't take a play off and is always competing hard.  Libero [player_tooltip player_id='482063' first='Addison' last='Mayo'] really understands her role and plays it to perfection for this squad.  She even throws in some very deceptive and sneaky libero dumps when she takes the second contact.  This team plays very well together and earned the championship in dominating fashion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are very proud of their efforts and are so elated that they accomplished one huge goal of theirs to earn the elusive bid to USA Nationals.&nbsp; There are many more amazing teams and players that will be written about.&nbsp; 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; You can also DM me on Instagram or X by searching @CoachMikeDZ.&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, Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->