18s GJNC Preview: TAV Houston 18 Black

<p>The most important tournament of the year for the class of 2021 players is just in front of us as the 2021 USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship is set to happen from April 23-25 in Columbus, Ohio, and as many as 280 teams from the entire country are expected to compete in the five divisions.</p> <p>Texas will, of course, be represented in the event and we will take the time between now and the start of the tournament in Ohio to present the teams that will carry the Lone Star State flag in Ohio, analyzing their campaigns in the club season so far and highlighting their most important players.</p> <p>This is our final preview in the series as we present <strong>TAV Houston 18 Black, </strong>one of the contenders in the 18 Open Division:</p> <p><em>Based out of the TAV Houston Volleyball Club, which is located just north of the city, TAV Houston 18 Black has registered 19 wins and 11 losses so far in the season. The team coached by Keanne Burt has won the Houston Force #2 in January and finished fourth in the Tour of Texas Pre-Qualifier in March.</em></p> <p>Here are their key players:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87428" first="Megan" last="Wilson"] – Outside Hitter – Middle-Blocker – HS: Kingwood - 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87428" first="Megan" last="Wilson"]’s 6’4” frame leaves little questions about who’s TAV Houston 18 Black’s go-to scoring option in tournaments. Mostly used as an outside hitter Wilson can play as a middle-blocker but is more effective when placed at the pin, where she can make the best use of her impressive reach and power. Stopping her at the net is really complicated and, while her game can still be polished in certain areas, she can also add to the team in terms of blocking and digging. Wilson ranks 39^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and is headed to a collegiate career at Oklahoma.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13189471/5e69b9b0d45ff0137c6d8ec7" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99548" first="Temi" last="Areola"] – Right Sider/Middle-Blocker – HS: Kingwood – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99548" first="Temi" last="Areola"] is another TAV Houston 18 Black player who stands out for her game at the net. Areola can play both right sider or middle-blocker and on both spots, her athleticism is her best tool to score points. The 5’11” prospect has quick feet and can jump high, a combination that makes her life a lot easier at the net and places her ceiling very, very high. Areola currently ranks 95th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and is still uncommitted.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTAVHoustonVB%2Fvideos%2F374590833498372%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560" width="560" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99557" first="Jordan" last="Rambo"] – Setter – Kingwood – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="99557" first="Jordan" last="Rambo"] has a great deal of chemistry with TAV Houston 18 Black’s top hitters as she plays with them also during the high school season with Kingwood. That helps, but the 5’8” setter would make the most of them anyway because of her high volleyball IQ and great hands. Her placement is very steady, especially on the pins, and that for a team with strong hitters such as Wilson and Areola is very nice to have. A great leader, Rambo is listed as the 104^th-best prospect in our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings and is ready to play at the next level for the Carson-Newman College.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13545034/5e8bad9f664bc10b7cc63824" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>