Setters to Watch at the Nike Cross Court Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest club tournaments annually held in Houston, the Nike Cross Court Classic is just around the corner, with the 2025 edition of the event set to take place this weekend, from Saturday to Sunday, at the George R Brown Convention Center, in Downtown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cross Court Classic is a gigantic event, which registered over 700 entries this year and will have teams from all over Texas and many neighboring states competing for two days in one of its 30 divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Texas will be following the action closely during the weekend and reporting on the top teams and most exciting prospects, but, before we get there, let's get to know some of the most talented players who will be in action, starting with the setters:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["577272"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e3ba"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gonzalez will be with the Xcel VB 151 Adidas team that will compete in the event's 15 Open division. She's a reliable playmaker, who does an excellent job with her distribution and consistently puts her hitters in a good position to score. Gonzalez's setting is very smooth and she's very good at quickly getting to the ball in transition plays, which further increases her accuracy. Standing at 5'9", she's capable of offering a strong blocking presence to her team, but is also very active and productive on the backcourt, generating numerous digs at the right back position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnm7p2_8foM","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=rnm7p2_8foM </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["289655"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e464"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top setters in the state in her age group, Garcia will play for AP 16 Adidas in the 16 Open division. She joined the team this season, coming from Alamo, and her setting ability and intelligent distribution have taken AP to another level, making their offensive way more dangerous and efficient. Garcia can be elusive with her sets and that split-second opposing blockers take to figure out where the ball is going is often what her hitters need to put it down. Very technical and intelligent, she can also contribute at the net with both her offense and her blocking, helping the team in different ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19002124/67b76c2e1b54ecd81edd8b51' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e779"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["452249"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e7fb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sampson and her NHouston Elite 17 Premier teammates will be in action in the 17 Open. A two-time state champion with Grand Oaks, she joined North Houston, a growing club in the region, this season, coming from MoCo Mavs and brought a lot to the table with her solid game. Sampson is extremely skilled, but also very mature and she knows how to run an offense while making the most of her hitters. A talented setter and a great leader, she's also a huge asset on the backcourt, serving very efficiently and displaying great effort when playing defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13872955/6796fd71804fc974469248c8' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e830"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["236580"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e8a6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gamboa will be the SA Elite 181 Navy team that will appear in the 18 Girls division in Houston. She's technically sound and is extremely confident when she needs to speed up her team's offense or catch opponents by surprise with her setter dumps. Gamboa is also very creative with her playmaking, frequently moving her hitters around and creating confusion among opposing blockers. The setter is also an elite defensive player, displaying impressive ball control and athleticism on the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19977339/673cf2ab0a64fff5525c75bb' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67bf9be82e8da"} /-->