Cross Court Classic – 15 & 16 Open –The High-Scoring Right Sides

<p>Some of the best club volleyball teams in the state of Texas were elsewhere this past weekend, with several of them earning bids to the Nationals at either the Salt Lake City Showdown or the Northeast Qualifier in Philadelphia.</p> <p>The Lone Star State, however, has hosted an important tournament too with the George Brown Convention Center in Houston staging the 2022 Nike Cross Court Classic, a mammoth of an event with 645 teams, 88 courts and 19 divisions.</p> <p>We were there on Saturday and focused our efforts on the 15 Open and 16 Open divisions, paying close attention to the 20 teams that competed across them. As usual, we’ve been featuring the most impressive prospects in their positions across the week and in our last positional breakdown, we’ll feature the right sides that drew out attention.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="185848" first="Taylor" last="Helms"] – United VBA 16 Purple – HS: Navarro – 2024</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="185848" first="Taylor" last="Helms"] has the potential to be one of the most intriguing names of the Class of 2024 in the state of Texas. The 6’2” prospect plays on the right for a solid United VBA 16 Purple and has developed very well the two main areas of the game for a player in her position. Helms’ outstanding reach helps her tremendously on offense, but she’s also shown the ability to find good angles and hit the ball hard when in-system. Her blocking might be even better as she not only puts a big block in front of opponents but also uses her hands really well to seal the space and direct the ball toward the opposing court. Helms, who can also play as a middle blocker, was a key player for her high school team Navarro last season producing 231 kills and 138 blocks.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15405659/622e81e4da52a00a94172aed" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Elizabeth Van Heerde – SA Juniors 16 National – HS: Samuel Clemens – 2024</strong></p> <p>A 5’10” outside hitter with great offensive potential, Elizabeth Van Heerde brought some much-needed scoring punch to her SA Juniors 16 National team. She has some interesting power at the net and uses it really to tool opposing blocks. She’s able to put pressure on the ball even when conditions are not ideal and makes contact with the ball at a fairly high point. Van Heerde is a ‘big moment’ kind of player as she scores points when the match is on the line and also contributes with her great blocking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187266" first="Aubrey" last="Lyssy"] – SA Magic 15 Elite – HS: James Madison – 2025</strong></p> <p>A 5’10” pin hitter with long arms and excellent explosiveness at the net, [player_tooltip player_id="187266" first="Aubrey" last="Lyssy"] thrived when playing on the right for her SA Magic 15 Elite team. She showed excellent power on her offense and an interesting ability to attack in any direction. Lyssy had a very dangerous topspin jump serve and can set while on the backcourt.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qcKhktFcxh0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Alexandra Schwartz – Houston Stellar 16 Elite – HS: Pearland – 2024</strong></p> <p>Alexandra ‘Allie’ Schwartz helps her Houston Stellar 16 Elite team in more than one way as she flips back and forth between the right and the middle. A six-footer, she certainly has the physicality to play both positions and her excellent reach on offense helps her score from anywhere on the court. Schwartz has an excellent presence at the net with her long arms, outstanding blocking technique and great reading.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15260230/62288faaab9d170f709f124b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Alex Beauchamp – Roots 16 UA Green – HS: Vandergrift – 2024</strong></p> <p>Capable of playing at either side of the net, Alex Beauchamp is an unorthodox type of player when placed on the right because her offense is built on her technique and not on her power. Instead of facing opposing blocks or tooling them, the 5’9” Beauchamp prefers to hit around them and is fairly successful on her strategy. She can also help with serve-receiving, adding an extra option for coaches to work with.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Jenna Suchadoll – Houston Stellar 16 Premier – HS: Summer Creek – 2024</strong></p> <p>A lefty with a very high ceiling, Jenna Suchadoll is yet to reach the peak of her game, but the signs are certainly promising. She has the size to make an impact at the net at 5’10” and had displayed great ability to hit around opposing blocks. Suchadoll has also developed well her blocking, making it difficult for opposing hitters to score on her zone.</p>