The Tour of Texas finals were held the weekend of March 5-6, with age groups 12s-17s gathered in Houston and going after the top spot in their respective divisions. Before getting to some of the standout players below from the weekend here’s a quick recap of which teams came out ahead.
Prevailing in the 17s was Drive Nation 17 Red, which finished 4-2 overall but finished on top by handing TAV 17 Black its only loss in the finals as Drive Nation swept, 25-19, 25-17. Drive Nation finished 1-2 during Saturday’s pool play, dropping clashes to HJV 17 Elite (25-14, 18-25, 15-12) and Alamo 17 Premier (22-25, 27-25, 15-12) before finishing Day 1 by sweeping AJV 17 Adidas (25-19, 26-24). Meanwhile, TAV didn’t drop a set during the first day of play in sweeping TCVA 17 Gold Adidas, TAV Houston 17 Adidas and HJV 17 Premier. TAV reached Sunday’s final after knocking off Texas Fury 17 Legacy (25-16, 25-7), AJV (25-21, 25-9) and HJV (27-25, 25-16), while Drive Nation found its groove and advanced with victories over TAV Houston (25-15, 25-19), Drive Nation 17 Black (25-17, 25-17) and Alamo (25-23, 25-20).
The 16s division saw a bit of a surprise as TAV Houston 16 Adidas finished first overall after taking down Drive Nation 16 Red in three, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12, in the their final. It was Drive Nation’s only loss on the weekend. Like Drive Nation in the 17s, TAV Houston finished 1-2 on Day 1 with pool losses to TAV 16 Black (25-15, 25-12) and HJV 16 Elite (22-25, 25-22, 15-8) before sweeping AJV 16 Adidas (25-23, 25-19). Drive Nation 16s went 3-0 in pool play, sweeping HJV 16 Premier, STVA 16 Navy and SA Magic 16 Elite. TAV and Drive Nation were both undefeated when they met up in the semis, with Drive Nation remaining so after sweeping 25-21, 25-23. TAV Houston reached the final by avenging their Day 1 loss to HJV by sweeping 25-23, 25-19.
TAV 15 Black held its position as the top seed by claiming the 15s division, finishing its run by outlasting HJV 15 Elite in three, 25-22, 18-25, 15-12, in Sunday’s final. It was a rematch from Day 1, as HJV kept TAV from making it out of the weekend unscathed. HJV took the Day 1 showdown in three, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13. TAV rebounded to knock off Alamo 15 Premier and AJV 15 Adidas, both in three. HJV downed AJV 15 Adidas but lost its final pool match in three to Alamo. TAV and HJV earned the rematch after sweeping their respective semifinals. TAV took care of Alamo while HJV clipped Drive Nation.
It was another TAV triumph in the 14s division as TAV 14 Black fought off Drive Nation 15 Red in three, 17-25, 26-24, 15-9. The two sides opened their weekend against one another as well. TAV swept that one, 25-18, 25-22. But Alamo 14 Premier upended TAV in three, 25-15, 17-25, 15-11, to close out TAV’s first day. HJV 14 Elite went 3-0 on Saturday but suffered its only loss to TAV, 25-19, 25-16, in the semis. In the other semis, Drive Nation swept McAllen Fierce National, 25-22, 25-14.
STANDOUT PLAYERS
We check in on 12 athletes who were impossible to overlook:
Kyndal Stowers, OH, TAV 17 Black – Though TAV came up short in its quest to finish first, Stowers showcased her high-level skill throughout the weekend by turning in a phenomenal performance. There is no MVP awarded at the Tour finals but the Baylor commit may have been the favorite had there been.
Bianna Muoneke, Outside, HJV 17 Elite – Muoneke was fundamental in HJV tying for third place. She’s verballed to Texas A&M and showed what the Aggies are getting. She proved to be a powerful force on the outside all weekend long.
Megan Fitch, Outside, Alamo 15 Premier – Alamo also finished tied for third in its division in part thanks to the play of Fitch. She more than carried her share of the load on the outside. She hits consistently hits a heavy ball and proved to be a game-changer for Alamo.
Jaela Auguste, Middle, TAV Houston 16 Black – While it was a surprise to see TAV Houston come through in the 16s, it wasn’t as surprising to see Auguste turn in the performance she did. There was no stopping her with her dominating play in the middle.
Suli Davis, Outside and Zoe Gillen-Malveaux, Middle, Drive Nation 16 Red – The loss in the final can’t overshadow the standout play from this freshman pair for Drive Nation. They were powerhouses at their respective positions as opponents struggled to contain them.
Leah Ford, Middle, Drive Nation 17 Red – Plenty are aware of what this USC commit is capable of doing and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Owning the net throughout the weekend, Ford reiterated why she’s considered one of the top middles in the country.
Stephanie Gutierrez, Middle, TAV 17 Black – With middle Kate Hansen out of action, Gutierrez made a huge statement in the middle and came up large with her play for TAV. She helped control the net when she was in with dominant stretches.
Yaneli Rocha and Aleena Zuniga, Setters/Right Sides, McAllen Fierce 14-1 – These two athletes helped lead McAllen to a third-place finish, a huge accomplishment for the club. Both girls showed incredible scrappiness with their energetic play.
Kayla Lopez, Outside, AJV 17 Adidas – Undersized on the outside, Lopez made those watching take note. She can absolutely fly and gets up and after it when attacking. A bonus on top of her play is the fact she committed to San Jose State after the weekend ended.
Alice Volpe, Libero, HJV 16 Elite – Volpe was all over the back court for HJV. She’s a very smooth defender and an anchor defensively.
