Texas Star Setters at the Lone Star Classic

<p>The largest tournament in the club volleyball season in Texas, the Adidas Lone Star Classic will have its fourth and last week of action this weekend, in Dallas, with teams in the 15s, 16s and 17s age groups playing from Friday to Sunday.</p>   <p>The event, which in 2025 celebrates its 38th anniversary, is the largest USA Volleyball National Qualifier held in the entire country, attracting teams from almost every other American state to compete at the <a href="http://www.dallasconventioncenter.com/">Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center</a>.</p>   <p>The host state, Texas obviously gets to have a massive number of teams on the court, with clubs from all over the Lone Star State competing for the bids. The top prospects in the state will be in action this weekend and we'll highlight some players worth everyone's attention, beginning with the setters:</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">Niu sets for the AJV 15 Adidas team that will compete in the 15 Open division this weekend. Despite her young age, she has every trait of an elite setter and has continued to develop her game throughout the season. Niu is very technical and does an excellent job of running her team's offense, displaying great connection with each of her hitters and superior intelligence to distribute the ball. A tall setter, she uses her 6'1" frame extremely well, be it to get to tight passes at the net or to offer a huge blocking presence on the right when at the net. The playmaker is also very active and productive on the backcourt, playing excellent defense and serving very efficiently. Niu is always very calm and positive on the court and that allows her to make good decisions even when under pressure.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DGT1HtnBfHN/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Penberthy is part of the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 15 Royal team that will be in contention in the 15 Open division in Dallas. Despite playing one age group up, she's a key piece in one of the strongest teams in the state, bringing a lot to the table with her amazing all-around game. Her ball-handling is excellent, and she does a great job of keeping all of her hitters involved, which makes Skyline's offense very difficult to predict and stop. A lefty, Penberthy can also contribute offensively if needed, picking her shots with great intelligence and consistently putting the ball down. She plays with great composure and confidence and very rarely makes a technical error.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DFGIDbiP5sS/ </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Mullican will lead the offense of [program_tooltip program_id='510733' first='Drive' last='Nation'] - 16 Red in the tournament's 16 Open division. She joined the team this season, coming from Excel, and has taken their offensive system to another level with her quality on the ball and creative playmaking. Mullican has a great touch on the ball and does a good job of keeping all her hitters involved, but what makes her game special is her ability to read what's happening on the court and adjust the strategy on her own, without much input. A lefty, she has a long frame and can also score points off of setter dumps or even by turning into a right-side hitter, again using her high volleyball IQ to make good selections with her shots.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPIEMC5CrPY </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Watson is the starting setter of the 1United 17N Blue team that is entered in the 17 Open division of the Lone Star Classic. She has excellent setting hands and is capable of putting her hitters in good positions to score from anywhere on the court. Watson also does a very good job of keeping her setting motions steady, not giving up any hints on where she's going to send the ball, and making the lives of opposing blockers much harder. She plays excellent defense at the right back position, displaying great positioning and ball control, and can cause problems to opponents from the service line with her tricky floaters.</p>   <p><strong><a href="https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/allie_watson?video=5006588">Highlights</a></strong></p>     <p class="text-gray-700">McCarroll and her Austin Skyline 17 Royal team will be in action in the 17 Open division this weekend. Austin Skyline have some of the most talented hitters in Texas in the age group and the talented setter gets the most of them with her intelligent and efficient playmaking. A six-footer, she uses her long frame extremely well to run a fast-paced offense and is impeccable with her ball distribution. McCarrol is impressively well-rounded and can take up hitting duties at the net and play defense on the backcourt at the same (high) level.</p>     <p></p>

The largest tournament in the club volleyball season in Texas, the Adidas Lone Star Classic will have its fourth and last week of action this weekend, in Dallas, with teams in the 15s, 16s and 17s age groups playing from Friday to Sunday.