Explosive Texas Middles at the Triple Crown Summer NIT

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The club volleyball season is entering its final month, as in just a few weeks, the season-ending National Championships will be held in Dallas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clubs teams around the country which are set to contend for the national title by the end of the month are now focused on fine-tuning their games for the biggest moment of the season and this week, many sides from Texas will make the trip to Arizona to do so as they compete in the Triple Crown Summer NIT.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reuniting 112 teams from multiple states across five divisions, the tournament is going to be held at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, in Mesa, from Saturday to Monday, and will serve as a big part of the teams' preparations for the National Championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texas is sending 27 teams to Arizona this weekend, and between now and the start of the tournament, we're featuring some of the top players from the Lone Star State who will be on the court in Mesa. This time, our focus is on 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":"Esther Nwokeji","_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-6840653b56bd7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nwokeji is part of the HJV 15 Premier team that will be in action in Pool C in the 15s division. Her game is still a little bit raw, which is to be expected for players of her age, but it has many interesting features, indicating she has what it takes to develop into an elite player. Nwokeji uses her length extremely well, fully stretching her arms to make contact with the ball at a very high point and often hitting it over the top of opposing blockers. The middle also has a huge blocking presence, getting off the floor well and very quickly to get in the way of opposing hitters. She can also play on the right, making it extra hard for opposing pin hitters to score on her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21294611/662f3564727a5e39f698aa47' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6840653b56dc7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["534395"],"_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-6840653b56e21"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Carroll is a starter in the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 16 Royal team that will fight in the Power Pool of the event's 16s division. Extremely physical, but also well-rounded, she's a tremendous asset at the net, offering significant contributions on both sides of the ball. Carroll is a beast offensively, making her approach with incredible explosiveness and making excellent choices with her swings up at the net - she's very effective when hitting on the right and can score from the left too. The middle is also extremely efficient with her blocking, reading opponents extremely well, getting off the floor in no time, and aggressively placing her arms across the net to shut them down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTd7PuNXERI","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <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=hTd7PuNXERI </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["506368"],"_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-6840653b56e70"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sista will appear with the [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 17 Black side that is part of Pool D in the tournament's 17s division. Standing at 6'2", she has a big presence at the net and is very important for her team's play on both sides of the ball. Sista is a difference-maker on defense as she gets to cover the net's length extremely well with her incredible mobility and is capable of putting up a big wall to stop opponents above the net. Her offensive game is also a big asset for Skyline as she not only makes contact with the ball at a very high point, thriving in getting it past opposing blockers, but also hits it with tremendous power, making it harder for defenders to control her swings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Ziya_Sista8/status/1895219795999760498","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Ziya_Sista8/status/1895219795999760498 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254160"],"_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-6840653b56eb5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lee plays for the TAV 17 Black Jon team that will contend in the Power Pool of the tournament's 17s division in Arizona. She joined the club from [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] this season and immediately became a key piece for them with her high-intensity game at the net. A six-footer, Lee has great size, but the impact that she makes goes well beyond her height. The middle is extremely active with her blocking, moving very well at the net, and playing aggressively to get stops. Offensively, she uses her quickness and power to beat opponents and put the ball down - she can also score from the right or the left. One of the aspects of Lee's game that stands out the most for those watching is her work rate and how she manages to keep her intensity high at the end of long rallies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16988018/674f475a1a1ef8504fa52adc' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6840653b56ed5"} /-->