All-Adrenaline Team: Tour of Texas

Unfortunately I was unable to make it down to Texas to catch the first stop on the Tour of Texas. I heard it was a great tournament with some heavy competition! There were tons of top prospects at this tournament this past weekend. Thankfully, I was able to watch a ton of volleyball from my house. Now, since I didn't catch ALL of the games in Houston I wouldn't dare pick who I thought played the best, but there were a few athletes who I thoroughly enjoyed watching and who caught my eye… and who knows, maybe they were the best this weekend! Without further ado here is my All-Adrenaline team in the 2027 class from the Tour of Texas:

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Lia Brown- 2027, RS, Club V, PPV 189: I was taken aback by her blocking! Her set up and timing was quite impressive. Blocking is one of the most underrated but important skills in club volleyball in general so to see her start the match against TAV with multiple STUFF blocks was refreshing! I was also very impressed with her arm swing. She is quick-twitch and hits a heavy ball. Definitely someone I had my eyes on all weekend long!

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Nyla Livings- 2027, MB, TAV 16 Black Paul, PPV 274: I love watching her run the slide. I could literally watch a repeat film reel of her Livings running the slide. It's incredible and so fun to watch. I wish the slide was all she was good at but I can't stop there. I watched her BANGING the 31. Honestly if Sophee Peterson needs to get a point she just tosses the ball up to Nyla Livings and gets it done- she is soooo terminal. 

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Emery Gonzales- 2027, Setter, Wave 16-1, PPV 183: She started the first play of the finals off with a POWER dump right to the middle of the floor. I couldn't have loved it more. SUCH a power move by Gonzales. She has gotten so much stronger from the last time I have watched her play and is running a really balanced offense. The 5-11 setter has strong attackers all over the court and did a great job last weekend finding them. I loved how she repeatedly set her hitters after they either didn't score right away or even after they made an error! This is a setter that has grown a ton since I've seen her last! Super promising for her and this Wave team.

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Ireland Real- 2027, OH, Wave 16-1, PPV 282: Sheesh… She is leading this team offensively. Real is so terminal it's insane. If this team needs a point they just throw it up to the outside and Real will get a point. Watching her swing, so many of her team's points last weekend came from plays where she was hitting over top of the block HARD. She is so tall and long, making her one of the most physical OH in the 2027 class. I was really impressed with her last weekend, its no wonder they won!

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Aspen Brown- 2027, RS, Houston Skyline, PPV 268: She has been playing alongside her setter for YEARS now. I was so impressed with the connection between the two of them. She has such a strong swing and can be found anywhere on the court. Brown has one of the strongest back row attacks at this age group I have ever seen. I am not surprised that her setter Tinsley Welker is constantly getting her the ball because she knows how to put it away. Her approach is strong and leads her into a very heavy swing. I think she will be one of the biggest difference makers for this Houston Skyline team, because she definitely was last weekend!

Marissa Jones- 2027, Setter, A5 16 Gabe, PPV 286: I love this setter. I think she's the best setter in the class and for good reason. Her tall stature puts her ahead of other players and allows her to be SOOOO physical up at the net. I love watching her run an offense and think she has really developed since I first started watching her play. Marissa is a player that knows the game and creates opportunities for her hitters at a really high level. I have always been impressed with her play and last weekend was no different. I am excited to continue watching her and her team mesh together as the season goes on and make some big strides this year!

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Now just a quick reminder, these are just a few athletes that stood out to me last weekend. I am sure there were others there that played well and had success with their teams, but unfortunately I wasn't in Houston and couldn't watch ALL of the games so my overall impression of the tournament left me with these 6 athletes I loved watching. I can't wait to keep following the bigger club tournaments and finding athletes that are standing out to me!

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