Adidas Lone Star Classic 18s: The High-Usage Outside Hitters

<p>The George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston was for the second week in a row the stage for a big and important volleyball tournament this past weekend as the facility hosted the 2021 Adidas Lone Star Classic 18s, a national qualifier for USA Girl’s Junior National Championship.</p> <p>Clubs from Texas and several other states were in action for three days at the venue with a total of 180 teams competing across three divisions. Prep Dig was at the event and followed closely the Texas teams competing at the 18 Open Division, the most competitive one, and brings to you this week the reports on the prospects that stood out at the Lone Star Classic.</p> <p>Outside hitters are typically among the most important players in their teams given their varied duties and these young prospects certainly embraced their roles and excelled on them this past weekend.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87392" first="Ellie" last="Echter"] - Houston Skyline 18 Royal – HS: Fulshear – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87392" first="Ellie" last="Echter"] showed once again why she’s currently the fourth-best prospect on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings. The 6’1” outside hitter was tremendous for a Houston Skyline 18 Royal team that lost just one of their nine matches in the event and showed the high level of volleyball that generated interest from LSU, where she’ll play collegiate volleyball. Echter is very long and athletic and the combination of those skills helps her making contact with the ball at a very high point. However, she’s even more lethal when hitting a quick set at the pin. Her angle hit is very</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9658447/605ef8bae985240d84e4bb07" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87404" first="Elise" last="McGhee"] – SA Juniors 18 Adidas – HS: Clark - 2021</strong></p> <p>At 6’4”, [player_tooltip player_id="87404" first="Elise" last="McGhee"] was easily one of the tallest players in the tournament and her game didn’t leave anything to be desired. Ranked 16^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings, McGhee took full advantage of her tremendous size to hit over the top of opponent’s blocks and was a very effective offensive option for a SA Magic 18 Adidas team that lost only two of their nine matches during the weekend. She’s got immense power on her arm but is also smart enough to know when to unleash it or to use finesse to score points. Another thing that makes her game even better is her versatility. McGhee played the tournament as an outside hitter but has frequently been used by her high school team, Clark, as a middle-blocker or a right sider. We’ll see which position she’ll play at the collegiate level with Baylor, but she’ll succeed either way.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87421" first="Avery" last="Lowe"] – Excel 18 National Red – HS: Plano West - 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87421" first="Avery" last="Lowe"] was part of a very strong outside hitter duo for Excel 18 National Red with [player_tooltip player_id="87454" first="Kennedi" last="Sutter"]. The 6’1” Lowe was a force at the net and showed a very complete offensive game, one that featured her tremendous athleticism, a heavy right arm and the ability to score from anywhere on the court, including the back row. Lowe is also a very good defender and passer, giving her the perfect skill set to play in the position. She’s ranked 33rd on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and will continue her career at Gonzaga.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13449608/6041fa27b01886029027eafb" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87424" first="Nikki" last="Steinheiser"] – Skyline 18 Royal – HS: Prosper – 2021</strong></p> <p>Nicole ‘Nikki’ Steinheiser has such a great personality to play sports. She’s confident about her game in a good way, meaning she won’t let a mistake or two affect her, and grows when challenged, be it by a big block standing on her way or a match against a strong opponent. She always delivers when it matter and these types of player typically go a long way. The six-foot Steinheiser has a great all-around game, being strong at the net with either her hitting or blocking skills and very efficient on the backcourt with impressive passing and digging abilities. Steinheiser is currently ranked 36^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and will continue her journey at Boston College.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Skyline Juniors’ outside hitter Nicole Steinheiser is one of the most powerful players in the tournament <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepDigTX</a> <a href="https://t.co/YJoabyDCzX">pic.x.com/YJoabyDCzX</a></p> — grtorres (@grtorres) <a href="https://x.com/grtorres/status/1375471681788055560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87428" first="Megan" last="Wilson"] – TAV Houston 18 Black – HS: Kingwood – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87428" first="Megan" last="Wilson"] had a relatively late start in volleyball after she entered high school as a soccer player, but she certainly caught up with the state’s top players. Ranked 39^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings, she’s a force at the net and can play outside hitter or middle-blocker. Wilson stands at 6’4” and actually looks even taller due to her long arms and athletic frame. She uses her physical tools very well to score and even when the sets she receives are not in an ideal spot. She’s a very good blocker too and can play some defense. There’s still some room for improvement on her technique, but Wilson has already reached a very high level with her game and Oklahoma certainly thinks so after recruiting her.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13189471/5e69aaa023473e142c6060b2" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>