Countdown City Classic: Five Right Sides to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most traditional end-of-year club volleyball tournaments in the state of Texas, the Countdown City Classic will be held in San Antonio this coming weekend, from Friday to Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It will be a massive event, with as many as 483 teams from around the Lone Star State competing in 16 divisions from U11 to U18 at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Open divisions will be particularly strong, reuniting some of the most talented prospects in Texas and as we get ready for the start of the action, let's take a look at a few names that have what it takes to stand out from the competition. These right side hitters should all play big roles in their teams' offenses.</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":"Blake Burke","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32925","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Austin Performance","_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":"Burke plays on the right for Austin Performance's AP 15 Adidas team. A lefty, she times her offensive approach very well and always makes contact with the ball at the highest possible point. Besides finding difficult angles with her swings, Burke also has excellent footwork and is very quick to get off the net and make a full approach in transition plays. She's also very calm and consistent and has good resources to find ways to score when out of system.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121ad0"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21408730/657b1d2719a589078cef521d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121b40"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["395620"],"_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":"A lefty with tremendous power and impressive resources, Estringel is the main offensive weapon of her team McAllen Fierce 16-1. She has a very high usage rate and manages to score at a very high rate, despite been the focal point of opposing blockers and defenders. Estringel can score out of pure power, but is also skilled to put the ball down with finesse and is versatile enough to swing from the middle and the back too. She's also a solid passer and has strong serving runs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121bfe"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3rVnwgf5o","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=EE3rVnwgf5o </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["224309"],"_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":"The explosive Crowley will be a good scoring option for [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 16 Adidas on the right. She plays with great intensity and that shows every time she goes up at the net to swing. Crowley has a heavy, it very fast right arm, and has all the shots to beat blockers and defenders at the net. More than a point-scorer, she's a very interesting all-around prospect, who wears a lot of hats for her high school team Providence Classical and even won the District's MVP award in her freshman season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121ca0"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o26nGRI57WU","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=o26nGRI57WU </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- 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='535907' first='Payton' last='Ortega']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32925","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Salado","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Texas Fury","_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":"Ortega will be playing on the right for Texas Fury 16 Legacy and expect her to have a big role in the team's offense. She's very long and uses that very well to her favor, finding ways to beat the block, especially by fully stretching her arm and making contact with the ball at a very high point. Ortega is very aware with her shot selection, often targeting the end line and avoiding to be blocked. 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She has great chemistry with setter [player_tooltip player_id='142639' first='Peyton' last='Fadal'], who's also her high school teammate, and the two combine to produce at a high rate on offense. The right side hitter combines length, vision and excellent resources to find open spots and put the ball down. Gibbs also doesn't seen to feel pressure, scoring in big moments of matches and playing a big role in the team's offense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121e45"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18050749/65833ddf6e8c180988b04de4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-658c7b3121e6f"} /-->