FAST Pre Nationals – 17s – Outsides

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams from the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas had a great warm-up for the upcoming 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, which will take place in Chicago, from June 28-July 6, this past weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home of the popular [program_tooltip program_id='431166' first='Houston' last='Juniors'] Volleyball Club, the FAST Complex hosted the traditional FAST Pre Nationals tournament, which typically serves as the last step of preparation for teams that will make the trip to compete for the national title in just a few weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/06/fast-pre-nationals-17s-photo-gallery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Check out the best photos of the FAST Pre Nationals</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig was following the action on Saturday, paying close attention to the 13 teams that competed in the power pools of 17s divisions and will now bring reports on the players that stood out and seem to be peaking in the most important moment of the season. These outside hitters were difference-makers for their teams:</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":"[player_tooltip player_id='442331' first='Aaliyah' last='Smith']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Ridge Point","_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_0_evaluation":"Smith and her HJV 16 Elite team were very successful on Saturday, winning three matches against older opponents. The team certainly had the physicality to battle the older rivals, but wouldn't have done so it well if they didn't have Smith to provide the balance they needed. A very complete outside hitter, she contributed on both sides of the ball, helping stabilize the team's backcourt while also being a viable scoring option at the net. Smith had major passing duties and responded well, while also playing very good defense and making an impact from the service line. On offense, she used her power to score when in system and her finesse to hit around the block or tool it when conditions weren't ideal. Smith also had good moments with her blocking.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1cff"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15377781/64852ea79680780468f489a1' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1d5a"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["287248"],"_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":"Although her AVJ 16 Adidas team won only one of their three matches, Duncan was nothing short of impressive on Saturday. She was battling older opponents but it really didn't feel like it since she was often able to overpower whoever stood in her way across the net. Duncan puts a lot of energy in every step of her offensive routine, from approach to swing, and that made of her one of the most explosive hitters in the division. She was set at every location on the court and score at a very good rate from each of them. Duncan also did a solid job with her passing and didn't slow down offensively even when opponents targeted her with their serves.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1dbc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16906791/64879837688ea609ecb38567' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1ddb"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["307455"],"_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":"It was a tough day for Impact - 171 as the team dropped all three matches they played, but that didn't stop Gregory-Obiedo from showing a very interesting game. A very complete player, she was very effective on both sides of the ball and was one of their few players to side out at a consistent rate. The outside hitter switched gears with great intelligence on offense, going from hard-driven swings to well-placed tips and keeping defenders unsure of what she was going to do next. Gregory-Obiedo was very good with her decision-making in general and made very few mistakes. She was very consistent with her passing and made some good plays on defense too.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1e2a"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":399754,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/IMG_7383.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-399754" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Impact - 171 vs. TAV Houston 17 Adidas</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- 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":"Desiree Beverley","_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":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Steele","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"United VBA","_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":"Beverley and her United VBA 17 Purple team had a day of ups and downs, winning a match and losing another. But the outside hitter was very consistent during the day and added a lot to the team with her game. Despite not very tall, she was very effective offensively, becoming one of the team's main scoring options. Beverley gets off the floor well and her great hangtime allows her to give a good look at the opposing block before deciding what to do, which improved her efficiency and limited her errors. Beverley was also very accurate with her shots, making it hard for defenders to dig her. She also did a good job with her passing when tested.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1ebd"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16783388/648561b3688ea609ecb17004' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1edd"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254303"],"_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":"Katy United 17 Adidas dropped all their three matches in the day, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or production from Corbeil. The explosive pin hitter was the team's leading scorer during the day and didn't shy away from the responsibility, putting the ball down consistently from the left, right and middle back positions. Corbeil had to work with out-of-system sets quite often, but used her power and length to face opposing blockers, frequently succeeding. Although her main contributions to the team happened at the net, she was also solid with her passing and worked really hard on defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64887e35c1f2c"} /--> <!-- wp:image {"id":399739,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/IMG_7243.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-399739" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas vs. Katy United 17 Adidas</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->