2020 Texas Majors Previews: Waco Major

By Fredric Hinkle

2020 Texas Majors
Waco

Waco Major Preview

The opening Texas Major this year is Waco! There are 9 teams rising to the challenge of the Gold division. The morning will be round-robin pool play and the afternoon will be a single-elimination tournament. Texas A&M and WySpike make up the majority of these players with a handful of players looking to qualify for LoneStar!

Gold

WySpike Mirror Stage - Matthew Burrows and Luke Mowry

These two players have had a variety of showings and could be the top WySpike team. They have a second place at Strake Jesuit in December, second at Maroon and White in January and a rough 4th at the Wylie Cash Bash Lash. If they serve like they did at Maroon and White, I expect them to podium. If they again put on 12 serves in the semis, like Wylie, they will not podium. 

Carnage - Rahul Murthy and Luke Marshall

The most hyped Texas team of all time is HOT off of their Wylie Cash Bash Lash win and their College Sectionals win. Those mark the two events that the two have won together. They have only lost in Austin to Scratch Em from ACU(Luke and Colton Mowry) If Rahul, The Mighty Midget, Murthy continues blasting reverse and cut serves past people and Luke, Kyle, Marshall continues his defensive magic they could win again. 

WySpike Butterfingers - Colton Mowry and Garrett Hornok

This team is hard to predict. They have a nice 3rd place at Maroon and White, and Garrett achieved 2nd in Wylie, but that was with Grant. If Garrett serves well I expect to see great defense from these two as Colton is terrific at defense as a tracker, but abysmal when at the net. The main question will be setting. If the setting holds up they will do especially well. 

WySpike Triple Threat - David Louis and Nic Noguez

They won at Strake Jesuit, but that field was softer. The lineup of players is almost the same, but the teams are stronger with properly formed teams. They won with consistency and defense. This event has a lot more powerhouse Serveball teams like Carnage, Butterfingers, and Texaner. David will have to take a lot of aces for this team to have enough breaks. 

Rim Inspectors - Nick Rushing and Josh Weinbach

This team has found success before. Is it chemistry or was it a fluke? I’m leaning towards fluke. They played unbelievably well 7 months ago in Austin Major, but Rushing is out of practice and has dealt with an injury while Josh has practiced endlessly in Austin with Brian at UT. It is hard to have them better than last in this Gold Division.

Right Minded - Dylan Keen and Ryan Canfield

Can you say lefty serveball? Cause they can! This team will be breaks galore! Dylan and Ryan are both strong left-handed servers and are both active on defense. On the flip side, Ryan struggles with confidence when setting and Dylan struggles with confidence on serve receive. This team will likely develop as the day progresses and maybe eek out a semis showing.

Ad Nauseum - Ethan McWhirter and Caleb Cummings

Two of the most different players imaginable, stylistically. Every time Caleb serves he tries to break the world record for fastest serve. Ethan is not a powerhouse server but hits and sets well. They could compliment each other very well or this could be a disaster.

WySpike HeartThrobs - Cooper Brown and Jeremiah Porter

Cooper is practicing a ton. Jerm lives in Tyler and doesn’t get to practice with strong players. Cooper has improved his serve and serve receive tremendously; Jerm, who knows? Jerm is a large question mark in my mind, and I hope he can keep up with Cooper on defense. This will be a great time for Jerm to show how much he has improved.

Texaner - Fredric Hinkle and Grant Laughlin

Grant moved to 6-1 against Fredric in Wylie. This team lost to Venom(now Carnage) at Sectionals last year. Last year this team won in Austin with no trouble. This team won in exciting fashion at Maroon and White and looks to keep winning. These players have a pretty historic dominance over WySpike and both have some strong results outside of Texas. 

LoneStar Implications

Last year WySpike chose not to accept LoneStar in 2019, this means they will now have another option to join this year if they can finish in the top 3 of Gold. Colton Mowry, Garrett Hornok, Luke Mowry, Matthew Burrows, and Nic Noguez all have an opportunity to qualify for LoneStar this weekend with a podium finish. 

Author Predictions

1. Texaner

2. Carnage

3. WySpike Triple Threat

Advanced

The top 4 teams in the Advanced Division will earn a Gold qualification for future majors!

Author Predictions

1. Jester Sauce

2. Baking Soda

3. Girls Girls

4. Juicy Juice

Maroon and White Classic VI Preview

By Fredric Hinkle

Maroon and White Classic VI
Preview

Maroon and White Classic VI Preview

It is time to officially start the 2020 Texas Roundnet year with a bang! This tournament is traditionally at the end of January and we will be out on the drill field once again! The drill field has been home to many highlights and many exciting events, we are looking forward to making more tomorrow with the first utilization of the Texas Gold Division! We will be running pool play in the morning then Gold will play double elim, and advanced single elim with consolation.

Gold+1 

Texaners - Fredric Hinkle and Grant Laughlin

Grant Laughlin has been cutting up everyone left and right this semester! After introducing his reverse cut serve last year, he has now integrated this serve into his game. His serves are broader than ever and Grant will be looking to show off his newfound setting prowess. Fredric will be supporting Grant with some defense of his own and his experienced serve receive.

WySpike ButterFingers - Colton Mowry and Garrett Hornok

Colton and Garrett have been on the results rollercoaster as of late. Garrett had his signature win over Lake Effect at nationals before ButterFingers crumbled under PROUDFEET at Texas Nationals. Garrett & Grant mashed up at Strake Jesuit while Rahul & Colton did as well. Strake was a challenge as both teams played some of the worst roundnet I’ve ever seen them play. Colton bounced back and beat David & Logan in some extended sessions during Dallas meetups. 

WySpike MirrorStage - Matthew Burrows and Luke Mowry

This team played unbelievably well at Strake! Luke looked like a real two-handed serveballer. Every time I look anywhere now, Luke Mowry seems to be playing exceptionally quality roundnet. Matthew is continuing to find success with strong lefty serving and is improving his defensive ability. This will be a real test for these players looking to build momentum!

Millennial Falcon - David Louis and Joseph St. Cyr

David comes off a great Sectionals performance, 3rd at Texas Nationals, and a big Strake Jesuit win! David has never played such a clean game. Every aspect of his game has come together! Joseph St. Cyr’s serve receive will be tested this weekend. He doesn’t have the most practice against effective servers and if he cannot find a way to bear down for big side-outs this could be a disappointing day. Joe is getting better fast, and it will be exciting to see if he can hold his own. 

I Speak for the Trees - Dylan Keen and Rich Tarpey

Dylan has found a push. He played well with Weinbach at Texas Nationals and has only gotten better since. Dylan is getting more power out of his frame and is poised to finally make the run. Rich is fully recovered from his injury and is beginning to look like the player A&M hoped he would become. His touch is better than ever and his crafty hitting off of Dylan’s sets will give them much needed holds late in the day. This team needs to find a big win for confidence and Saturday on home turf may be that day. 

Stank on ‘Em Inc. - Cooper Brown and Ryan Canfield

THE Cooper Brown is making his roundnet return. This might just be more exciting than Brett Favre’s comeback. He is practicing hard, serving wide, and clownin’ on fools harder than ever. “I’m coming for heads, you, Rahul, everyone”, Cooper Brown. Meanwhile, his partner Ryan is making headway in everything that is not serving. A mid to high premier level serve and a whole lot of potential walks into a loaded field, a recipe for learning. 

“Incompetence-Luke Marshall” - Ethan McWhirter and Josh Weinbach

Josh has been working on his serve very hard. It is hard to say if he is quite ready for the level of talent he will see today. Ethan played exceptionally well in Round Rock last weekend. Ethan might be the most improved Texas player over the winter break. His improvement hitting-wise is spectacular. His serve receive is more resilient, his serve is faster, and his setting is making progress. 

Krazy Kids - Luke Marshall and Nic Noguez

Nic is coming off of his big win with David at Strake. Luke Marshall comes off of a very weak performance in Round Rock. This team seems very complimentary, Nic is very good at support and Luke needs some support. Simultaneously, they work with partners extremely well to generate breaks. I see lots of opportunities for synergy on Defense.

My Predictions

1. Texaners

2. WySpike Butterfingers 

3. Millenial Falcons

4. Luke Marshall

College Station Major 2019 Preview

By Fredric Hinkle

College Station Major
”Texas Nationals”
Preview

There have been 4 Texas Majors this year, and now we have arrived at the true culmination of all the Texas tournaments this year and even life itself. There are few things more important than Texas Nationals. It can make or break a season for any individual player. There are a handful of absolutely loaded teams. There are defenders and serveballers (editors note: the worst kind of people) hiding throughout the field and everyone is hungry for a big win and a huge move on the Texas Top 100. 

Premier

Fruit Snacks - Grant Laughlin and Ben Dantowitz

Wouldn’t it be fun if we put two serveballers on the same team? Grant continues to push the bounds of serving. Ben has a good lefty cut serve with some sneaky drops. If anybody else is going to win this tournament they must have terrific serve receive. This team has tons of break potential and simultaneously tons of opportunity to be broken. Grant Laughlin is coming off of a stunning Sectional loss while Ben attained T-9 at Nationals. 

Luke - Luke Marshall and Luke Mowry

Wouldn’t it be fun if we put two Luke M’s on the same team? Luke is a good defender and has improved his setting, while Luke makes the occasional error on hitting. These Lukes will be very active on defense as they try to find touches and chemistry throughout the day. The Lukes will look to Luke to serve with both hands to create lots of breaks with his newfound ability. Luke Marshall is coming off of a stunning South Central Sectional win and Luke Mowry a cool 2nd place.

Premier Dynasty - Logan Cornelius and Ezra Dantowitz

The two most consistent players in the field are on the same team, that is a recipe for success. These two players are overall very similar. Neither has an overpowering serve and each loves to play off-net defense. If they can find defensive chemistry they will have a good day. If they can’t they will have a lot of close losses. Logan is coming off of a big National title while Ezra enjoyed participating in a wedding. 

PROUDFEET - Brian Childs and David Louis

Newly placed TT100 Brian Childs is pairing up with David Louis for this one. These two players both feature some strong serves and are active on defense. This team will be imposing to play against in every way. The only hiccups will stem from David’s setting and nitpicky observers making sure Brian isn’t close @BenDantowitz. They will undoubtedly be a top team. Brian is coming off of a National Title while David played what may have been his best roundnet ever with Ray Tarpey this past weekend. 

Ἠλύσιον πεδίον - Fredric Hinkle and Rahul Murthy

The hard hitters are back! Rahul has found his confidence when setting and looks like the elite player everyone knew he would become. He’s hitting serves harder than ever with more cut than ever. He has ironed out most of the kinks in his game and is looking to serve his way to the podium. Fredric looked flat last weekend and will be pushing harder than ever to take home the first Texas Nationals Title. Rahul is coming off of his spectacular win with Luke Marshall over Fredric and Grant last weekend at Texas Nationals. 

WySpike Butterfingers - Colton Mowry and Garrett Hornok

WYSPIKE! Colton is playing some of his best roundnet we’ve ever seen. He looked superb against David and Ray at last week’s sectional, and he’s sure to try and bring that ridiculous cut fwango with him. He’s struggled with serving consistency in the past, but if he is on, that will be a great source of breaks. Garrett just beat PR team, Lake Effect, at Nationals earlier this month, scoring the first WYSPIKE premier bracket win. Hornok has improved massively and continues to impress many Texans. This is likely the best WySpike team ever put together and expectations are high.

Half Premier

WySpike Super Schlap Bros - NIcholas Noguez and Jerm Porter

Get ready to get schlapped! Nick is known for playing long ball defense and Jerm is known for being a scrappy player. Maybe this is the magic combination for both of these two players. WySpike is reorganizing their teams this offseason and Jerm is looking for premier next year. He’s currently the only WySpike player not premier qualified and he’s hungry for it. 

Matt - Matthew Burrows and Matthew Cole

Wouldn’t it be fun if we put two Matt’s on the same team? Matt has really been working on his serving and it shows. The Matts really like to attack the weak left hand and will be pressuring serve receivers all day on that side. Neither is terrific at defense but both are competent. This team may lack the serve receive ability to go deep in this tournament, but they will be a tough out for anyone. 

Notables

Bear Necessities - Chase Ehrig and Andrew Porter (editors note: 😍😍😍😍)

These classic Texas players are returning home for a shot at the title. Chase, a certified long boy, will be pulling out his classic fwango once again in search of glory. The Bears storied career includes many bouts with longtime friends Logan Cornelius and Brian Childs and they’ll certainly be gunning for them again. Porter is a good defender but hasn’t been playing a ton since moving out of Texas. The Bears are looking to get into the game again and a strong Texas Nationals showing could put them on the map. Don’t take this team lightly or you’ll be observing them in the semis. 

Beach Bum Bros - Rich and Ray Tarpey

These brothers would destroy the field in a surfing competition. When they last played together Ray was nowhere near the player he has become. He has improved immensely in every way except hitting. Rich has become more consistent and more challenging to receive. It will be a tough challenge for these two, but they have some good pieces. No matter what, they have brotherly chemistry to help them through it. 

Blank - Ryan Canfield and Nathan Pearson

Most people don’t know who Ryan Canfield is, but he intends to change that this weekend. While Pearson has been playing in Texas for years he hasn’t had a good opportunity to really make some noise having played mainly with newer partners. Ryan is another newer partner, but he is looking to shine. Canfield’s lefty cut drop combo is likely the best in the field. He’s terrifying to receive and will give everyone a hard time receiving him. Pearson’s cut serve seemingly gets wider every day, much in thanks to the introduction of his push. It’s hard to predict where this team will finish.

Calirado - David Roedema and Caleb Comings

You can’t get any closer to premier than these two. They are right there, ready to break through, but unsuccessful. They’re coming off of a 3rd place finish in advanced at nationals. So close, yet so far. Caleb might be the hardest server in the tournament and David will be a good support player for him. This team works on paper and in practice. I’m excited to see them navigate the bracket and make some noise. 

Lonestar Implications

Colton Mowry and Garret Hornok have an opportunity to qualify for Lonestar with a podium finish. This will be by far the most challenging event of the year to do such. I wouldn’t be shocked by a Mowry/Hornok podium, but it would take some big upsets to do it!

Fredric’s Predictions

1. Ἠλύσιον πεδίον

2. Fruit Snacks

3. PROUDFEET

4. Premier Dynasty

T-5 Luke

T-5 Calirado

T-5 Bear Necessities

T-5 WySpike Butterfingers

Dallas Major 2019 Preview

By Fredric Hinkle

If you enjoy this preview tune in to Twitch.tv/Burrows8 tonight, Friday 9/27, at 7pm CT for a tournament preview by Matthew Burrows of WySpike.

TASR Dallas Major Preview

Elysium is back for the 4th Texas Major of the year! Saturday they will attempt to defend their title as best Texas team. Elysium has won 2 of the 3 Texas Major (Having played on separate teams in the Austin Major). Cream and Curry II has won the other. The stage is set for a big upset with Cream and Curry II playing the next two Texas Majors they have a chance to win more Majors than Elysium. Can Elysium hold down the top spot going into the College Station Major (Affectionately known as Texas Nationals)?

The Clash at the Top

• Elysium (Brian Childs & Logan Cornelius)

These two legendary longtime Texas players just narrowly missed out on the pro division. Despite missing pro, they have massive amounts of confidence in Texas. They are a different team playing in local tournaments. Even after numerous bad losses outside of Texas they are perfect within. Brian has emerged as the leader of this team with Logan struggling to make challenging serves and necessary sets late in the season. If they don’t regain their typical domestic tournament form they could lose badly to any of the leading teams. 

• Cream and Curry II (Fredric Hinkle & Rahul Murthy)

They only narrowly beat Sets on the Beach in Austin. Rahul saved them with a miraculous comeback from 17-20 to win 23-21. He’s largely a different player and has some good premier experience as he got T-5 in Chicago. This team will have tons of breaks as they feature two powerhouse servers. Fredric has so frequently brought games back and had almost-comebacks while Rahul is a master at finishing comebacks. This might be their time.

The Fighters

• Sets on the Beach (Colton Mowry & David Louis)

They nearly won in Austin only to fall to the late magic of Rahul. David has been working on a series of new serves to try and bring more firepower. David will have to limit his mistakes if he intends to give Elysium any trouble. Colton has been blasting a new push and is developing into a very good setter. David and Colton will have to work together! David struggles with setting sometimes but Colton excels at serve receives, both will have to keep a cool head. 

• The Young Fun and Big Gun (Nick Rushing & Grant Laughlin)

There is no bigger gun than Grant. If Grant scared you at College Nationals he added the best backhand cut serve in roundnet to his game. If you saw that in Chicago and are still not impressed he added best slice serve in roundnet to his game. Grant is the best server in the world if he is confident. Grant almost carried a supportive Seth Pittman to a semis appearance in Austin. However, Seth cramped, ending their day. If Nick Rushing can stay vertical he has a chance to win the tournament! 

Playing for 5th

• WySpike Wendy Wu Homecoming Warriors (Garrett Hornok & Jerm Porter)

Garrett made premier! Will that confidence boost make a difference in local Texas tournaments? Who knows! Jerm will have to hit well for them to have any success. They should be able to take plenty of defensive breaks if they put their serves on. Expect this team to play lots of defense! I’m hoping for a highlight video after the tourney!

• The Debut (Dylan Keen & Rich Tarpey)

They can’t be Flow Bros anymore now that Dylan cut his flow. However, Dylan has found his cut serve and is consistently improving his game after finding a second-place finish in Austin. Rich is still dealing with arm troubles after injuring it in Milwaukee. They are some of the cleanest hitters in the event, but they struggle with serve receive. If they don’t get aced a ridiculous amount they could upset The Fighters. 

• WySpike CrossBearers (Nick Noguez & Luke Mowry)

WySpike is restructuring and is trying out this strange team. Nick won’t challenge you with his serve and neither will Luke. They are both active on defense, but with no way to challenge receivers, smart hitters will be their nemesis. They are both consistent enough players to survive against weaker teams, but creating breaks will be extremely challenging for this team. 

• Incompetence (Luke Marshall & Ethan McWhirter)

Ethan is vastly improved since the beginning of summer. He has played a significant amount with Luke over the summer and now even more with the club at the University of Texas. Luke is dealing with shoulder troubles and will likely be playing left-handed for a significant part of the day. This sounds awful, but he has developed a quality lefty serve having had previous arm injuries on the right arm. 

• B&B Phenoms (Brayden Bickford & Brandon Lindvall)

Brandon is Brayden’s high school partner and they struggled in the Austin Major. They had marginal success in the Charleston Advanced division. Brayden has improved while playing with the club at the University of Texas. Brayden placed well in the Texas College tournament two weeks ago, but this is no college tournament. He will have to step up in a huge way for them to have any success in this field. 

• California Name (Chase Meyer & Cole Riel)

Cole has been a Baylor player for a couple of years now and plays a consistent game with quality hitting. Chase has been playing in California all summer and has allegedly also improved. This is his first chance to show the rest of Texas the tricks he learned out West. 

• Raythaniel (Ray Tarpey & Nathan Pearson)

This team doesn’t look amazing on paper and most would discount their legitimate skill. Ray is a quality player, though rough. Neither of these players are very consistent. They will have to hope for a weak serving draw against them. Nathan has acing capabilities with a wide cut serve and an improving push. If they can stay positive and encourage each other I can see them challenging any team in this portion of the preview. 

• Freddy’s Prospects (Luke Moran & Ryan Canfield)

They are improving together. They’ve started to discover chemistry together as well. If they serve receive cleanly and set well they will kill the ball most every time. Learning to serve receive is the trick for these two. They can both challenge you on serve receive and put away their hits. I hope they have more opportunities to play others from around the state and gain confidence.

Fredric’s Predictions

1. Cream and Curry II

2. Elysium

3. The Young Fun and Big Gun

4. Sets on the Beach

Editors Note: Garret Hornok, Colton Mowry, and Nick Noguez have the opportunity to receive an offer to sign with LoneStar with a top 3 finish in this tournament. Signing with LoneStar would come with a $100 signing bonus, and up to $100 in season incentives, along with the LoneStar Arm Band.