Tour of Texas Stop 1 Preview Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the biggest early season tourneys is upon us this weekend.&nbsp; The Tour of Texas will bring the best teams in the state of Texas and six other states will also be represented in the competition.&nbsp; Almost every one of these teams in the invitational divisions will most certainly earn a coveted bid to USA Volleyball Junior Nationals later on this summer.&nbsp; We will be front and center this weekend to cover the event in person and will have some amazing stories on both individuals and teams to report back on next week.&nbsp; Here are some interesting things to look out for this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 17 Invitational division, there are some interesting match ups to watch out for.&nbsp; Starting in Power Pool 1, last season's national champion is the top seed, although they have gone through a roster change from that team.&nbsp; Gone is one of their top “go to” point scorers on the left side from last season, but they added some significant firepower to compensate.&nbsp; Key players like Dakota Richard, [player_tooltip player_id='845471' first='Isabella' last='Howard'], [player_tooltip player_id='826389' first='Abigail' last='Lemp'], and [player_tooltip player_id='762460' first='Gabriella' last='McHenry'] and some others return to the squad.&nbsp; Two very lengthy left side attackers join this high-powered offense and they will be key to staying competitive.&nbsp; Six-foot four outside and Gonzaga commit [player_tooltip player_id='430133' first='Natalie' last='Norton'] is always ready to ball and so is six-foot four outside and Creighton commit [player_tooltip player_id='694108' first='Allie' last='Hudgins'].&nbsp; These two will be instrumental in seeing if this squad can repeat their magic from the end of last season.&nbsp; We know it will be tough, but this team has shown tons of heart and determination to work hard together to overcome adversity and prove people wrong.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The always powerful [program_tooltip program_id='431308' first='Texas' last='Advantage'] 17 Black Jon squad is looking for some redemption as they fell just short of a national championship despite being selected by almost every media outlet to finish their season long domination last year.&nbsp; They bring back a majority of their team which has been together for quite some time.&nbsp; Anyone in the sports world knows just how important team chemistry is, so they will have that working for them.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='808007' first='Naomi' last='Livings'], [player_tooltip player_id='828292' first='Nyla' last='Livings'] are two sisters who thrive under the spotlight.&nbsp; Superstar liberos [player_tooltip player_id='443042' first='Siena' last='Ebert'] and [player_tooltip player_id='809408' first='Ansley' last='Shafer'] will once again command the back row and keep this team in system.&nbsp; The floor general, [player_tooltip player_id='518965' first='Sophee' last='Peterson'] has been on the minds of every single media outlet this year earning national high school player of the year honors is back to lead the charge.&nbsp; Phenom [player_tooltip player_id='534299' first='Brynn' last='Stephens'] is also back and stronger than ever for this powerful team and looks hungry to kill every ball in sight.&nbsp; They add [player_tooltip player_id='807951' first='Vanessa' last='Glenn'] who is a stud six rotation baller with impeccable ball control skills in every aspect of the game.&nbsp; Her lead by example style will be welcomed by all and used as an asset during crucial moments.&nbsp; We are super excited to see stud middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='433677' first='Keegan' last='Flowers'] get added to this powerful roster for this season.&nbsp; Her shut down defensive skills at the net along with her powerful arm swing will get utilized a lot with Peterson feeding her the ball.&nbsp; This team looks promising and it will be a toe to toe battle each match in their opening pool.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the other two teams in Power Pool 1 are A5 17 Calvin from Atlanta, Georgia and Tstreet 17-Hayden who are both amazing contenders for the title.&nbsp; Tstreet has a few well-known phenoms of their own that will be traveling down to the lone star state to compete against the top talent.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='492164' first='Megan' last='Hodges'] is one of the top players in the entire nation and can light up a stat sheet in a hurry.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='512405' first='Baylee' last='Jones'] is a high flying scoring machine who is already ready to battle.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='545271' first='Ella' last='Olson'], [player_tooltip player_id='778928' first='Izabella' last='Slavkov'], [player_tooltip player_id='839022' first='Makayla' last='Ziegler'] and floor general [player_tooltip player_id='468094' first='Royal' last='Banducci'] are just a few of their stars who are ready to prove that they deserve the spotlight.&nbsp; Look for this team to be in the running for the title when it is all said and done.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for the next volume that will cover more teams and other divisions.&nbsp; We will have some awesome articles covering as many matches as we can from this tournament.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply reposting on X or Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->