Lone Star Classic Week 3: Five Outsides to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest tournaments held in Texas during this year's club volleyball season, the 2024 Adidas Lone Star Classic continues in Dallas, entering its third and last weekend of action from Friday to Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in Dallas, will now host nearly 1,000 teams, which are split into ten divisions in the 15s, 16s and 17s age groups, all looking to earn a bid for the upcoming USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship, in July.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spots in the Open division are the most coveted ones and Texas will have 60 teams battling for them across the three age groups. As the event approaches, let's highlight some of the top talent of the Lone Star State which will be in action this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time, let's focus on the outside hitters:</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":"Corina Barrera","_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":"5'10u0022","_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":"Sotomayor","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='510823' first='South' last='Texas Volleyball Academy']","_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":"Barrera plays for STVA 15 Mizuno and is a very important piece for them. A very technical and well-rounded player, she gets to contribute on both sides of the ball for the team. A solid and reliable passer, she covers a lot of ground in serve-receive and consistently delivers well to her setter. Barrera is also a very productive offensive player, who gets off the floor well, is very explosive with her swings and does a very good job with her body control to make her shots very difficult to read. Another aspect of her offense that makes of her a very productive player at the net is her ability to switch gears and catch defenders off guard with tips and roll shots.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041ef13"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18846832/660cdff7d4561c4752f2b18e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041efbe"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["430133"],"_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":"Norton will be in action with Excel 15 National Red this weekend in Dallas. She's the team's main offensive weapon and could be up for a very demanding weekend against some of the top teams in the nation. Norton is Excel's go-to scoring option and gets set more often than the vast majority of players in her age group. She typically lives up to her responsibility, swinging well from the left, the right and the middle back position, using her length to overcome blockers and showing good offensive variation. Norton also handles her backcourt duties well, passing and playing defense at a good level and creating problems for opponents with her serving.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f02c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/21504171/660a9f7c607da518c6ad925c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f04f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269780"],"_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":"Muoneke plays for [program_tooltip program_id='462263' first='TAV' last='Houston'] 16 Adidas and is one of the most lethal scorers in the division. She joined the club this season and immediately became one of their main offensive weapons, taking their scoring to another level with her game. Muoneke is extremely physical and has been doing a great job of building her game around it, adding new shots to her offense and using her high contact point to beat blockers. She can score in a variety of ways and has the energy and the confidence to carry a huge offensive load. Muoneke has also been getting better and better on the backcourt and is a very productive defender.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f0ab"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSOGY7HJzX0","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=pSOGY7HJzX0 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- 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":"Duncan will lead the scoring efforts of her team AJV 17 Adidas this weekend. A long and powerful pin hitter, she's called upon when matches are on the line and typically rises to the occasion, putting the ball down in big moments. Duncan is very explosive with her approach and is versatile enough to score from the left and the right. Her swings are very powerful, but what makes of her such a valuable offensive option is her ability to hit difficult angles, even when out of system. AJV added another elite scorer in [player_tooltip player_id='314728' first='Taylor' last='Gaines'] this season and the two have been working well on the court, taking the pressure off of each other in difficult moments.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f10f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16906791/6615a7266e6c255844136ace' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f130"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["225557"],"_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":"Witte will be with [program_tooltip program_id='510661' first='Houston' last='Skyline'] 17 Black this weekend. A very technical player who also has some interesting physical tools, she has been developing her game at a very fast pace over the last couple of years. Witte is extremely solid on the backcourt and is used to taking on a major role when it comes to passing and playing defense, providing some interesting tactical flexibility to her teams. She's used to being more of a secondary scoring option with her high school team Fulshear, but has a major scoring role with Skyline, using her explosiveness and excellent vision to put the ball down at the pin.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f189"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15516860/660f39e84279bc9a12602eb2' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66180b041f1a8"} /-->