MLK Invitational: Five Middles to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Martin Luther King weekend is always one to circle in the club volleyball season calendar and it's no different in Texas as the Lone Star State is set to host a big event in the upcoming three-day weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The MLK Invitational will take as many as 279 club teams from several different states to the NRG Center, in Houston, for three days of action and a great opportunity to display their skills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig will be following the action over the weekend, but before we get there, let's take a look at some talented Texas prospects who will be on the court. These middle blockers will be very active at the net:</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":"Georgia Hornes","_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":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tomball","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Texas Legacy","_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":"Hornes seems to be a strong candidate to be among the most exciting middles to emerge in this club season. The Texas Legacy 15 Elite prospect was a solid contributor to her high school team Tomball as a freshman and could have a similarly important role with her club. As with any young prospect, Hornes' game is still coming together, but she has some really exciting tools. A six-footer, she makes contact with the ball at a very high point and, although her swings are still a bit inconsistent, they're really impressive when she gets everything right. Her mobility is also above average for a prospect of her size and age and contributes to her blocking.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bab8"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18681766/65789a7abd6a9c079cf0ea63' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bb35"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["227249"],"_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":"Elliott is with a new club this season and will play with AVA TX 16 Adidas in the 16 Open division. She's got a couple of solid high school seasons under her belt, being a starter in a strong Tompkins side. Elliott is very physical and extremely efficient on both sides of the ball. Her blocking has been stellar since she first emerged and continued to get better as she learned new ways to use her length to put pressure on opponents. She also displayed great progress with her offense, finding ways to beat blockers and finding sharp angles to put the ball down.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bbb8"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17159452/6578a91b8cd42206cc12c570' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bbdc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269801"],"_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 most athletic players in the Houston area, Rawls-Fletcher will be in the middle for [program_tooltip program_id='431337' first='Texas' last='Tornados'] 17 Adidas in the 17 Open division this weekend. Her leaping ability still amazes me after three years covering her and the best part about it is that she's been able to build a solid game around it. Rawls-Fletcher can not only jump high, but she's also very quick and intense at the net, getting to make an impact on both sides of the ball. Her offense has continuously gotten better over the years as she added new tools to it - she can also swing from the right fairly efficiently. Her blocking has also become more productive as she grew used to face some of the best hitters in the state.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bc35"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17315820/6581e82cf31e1f07dc4ce16d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bc54"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["190295"],"_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":"Paugh is another player to be featuring for a new club this season - she's with [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 17 Adidas, who will be on the court in the 17 Open division. She's among the best offensive middles in the region and hasn't stopped getting better at it. Paugh is very long, makes contact with the ball at a very high point and can put a lot of power into her swings. She's been playing as an outside hitter for her high school team Willis and it seems that it has been helping her develop her overall game and also her offense as she adds a ton of versatility to it.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bca1"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/carly_e_paugh/status/1744066749895496012?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/carly_e_paugh/status/1744066749895496012?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["124154"],"_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":"Murray is a starting middle for the HJV 18 Elite team that will contend in the 18 Open division. Having watched her play for the last three years, I don't think many other middles in Texas have been able to develop as many different aspects of their games as she did. Murray has always been an elite middle at club, combining impressive athleticism and power and a very high volleyball IQ. At high school, she got to play outside hitter and right side with Fort Bend Travis and that pushed her to further develop her passing and defensive skills and become a truly all-around player, who can contribute anywhere on a volleyball court.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bcf7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15090638/65777546d45e9807746f6c55' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659c6fdb0bd13"} /-->