Red Rock Rave Qualifier – Texas Liberos to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Qualifying for the 2023 USA Girls Junior National Championship continues to be the main goal for club volleyball teams from the entire country, who have been flying around the US to compete in qualifiers and hopefully secure their spot in the biggest event of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This coming weekend, some of the top teams from Texas will make the trip West in order to take part in the traditional Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas, which will be held from Saturday to Monday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The event will serve as a qualifier for the Open, American, Liberty and USA divisions in the 16s, 17s and 18s age groups. As we get ready for it, let's know some of the most talented players from the Lone Star State who will be in action in the Open divisions. Here are some liberos who will do great defensive work for their teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["184660"],"_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_0_evaluation":"Armstrong is the libero for the TAV 16 Black team that will compete in the 16 Open division in Vegas. She's a very technical and calm player, who thrives with her consistency and reliability. Armstrong is an outstanding passer and much of it is due to her effort to, as much as possible, keep the ball in front of her body and try not to stretch her arms too much when making contact with it, which helps with her accuracy and avoids shanks. The libero also makes a big impact in the game by playing defense on the left thanks to her excellent positioning and great ball control.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e4f6"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn7rYlidFDU","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=Cn7rYlidFDU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["179896"],"_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_0_evaluation":"One of the top liberos in her age group in the entire state, Black will be the defensive rock for her HJV 16 Elite team in the 18 Open division. She has a great command of the backcourt and is one of the leaders of her talented team. Although Black is extremely technically-gifted and very quick and athletic, it's her mental strength that sets her apart. Besides reading the game very well and being able to anticipate plays, she also works very hard for each point and never gives up on a play. Black is also very solid with serve-receive and has become a more confident and consistent player on the court as her game continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e559"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13629257/63f597350c5e340bdc9de69d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e59d"} /--> <!-- 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":"[player_tooltip player_id='519527' first='Mykayla' last='McMillian']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Episcopal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Houston Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"McMillian has made a fast rise in the Houston area over the last year and is now the starting libero of her strong Houston Skyline 17 Royal team that will be in action in the 17 Open division. The first things that stand out about her game are her quickness on the backcourt and the high level of energy she brings to the court. McMillian is really fast to react and will very rarely be scored on with a tip or a ball that deflects off the block and falls into her zone. She's very control with her ball control too and that shows when she's dealing with a hard-driven swing and passing. The libero is also very good with her out-os-system setting and when covering her hitters.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e644"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13629225/64047b004df64e0b1830e22f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e667"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["153290"],"_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_0_evaluation":"Gildon had a huge role with her high school team Liberty this past season, playing on the right and ending the season with north of 1,000 assists and 150 kills. At the club level, however, she plays libero and does it very well for her TAV 18 Black team which will appear in the 18 Open division this weekend. Gildon is very technical on the ball and has excellent ball control to deal with swings. The way she positions her body makes a great difference as she uses it really well to take some pressure off the ball and direct it where she wants. She's also very consistent and reliable, two things every coach would love to have in a libero.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e6b2"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14286929/61775a05e97ae80728524c3e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e6d1"} /--> <!-- 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":"Bella Diaz","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Cinco Ranch","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Diaz was elevated to the starting libero position with her [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 18 Adidas team halfway through the season, when the versatile [player_tooltip player_id='87560' first='Kirby' last='Kliafas'] moved to the pin. She did a great job as a defensive specialist earlier in the season and that certainly prepared her for the enlarged responsibility she's dealing with now. Diaz is very good technically and has a very strong combination of moving quickly to the ball and placing her body in the right spot to make plays. She's also really efficient when she needs to make one-handed digs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e75f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16953269/63fe6c5fa6772405287852ee' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640610a81e77e"} /-->