18s GJNC Preview: Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold

Guilherme Torres April 7, 2021 @ 11:32 AM

The most important tournament of the year for the class of 2021 players is just in front of us as the 2021 USAV Girls 18s Junior National Championship is set to happen from April 23-25 in Columbus, Ohio, and as many as 280 teams from the entire country are expected to compete in the five divisions. Texas will, of course, be represented in the event and we will take the time between now and the start of the tournament in Ohio to present the teams that will carry the Lone Star State flag in Ohio, analyzing their campaigns in the club season so far and highlighting their most important players. We start with the 18 American division and here’s our Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold preview: The team will be the only representative of the club located in the Houston area at the 18s GNJC. The team coached by Gabriela Carbone has won 23 of their 35 matches so far in the season and were first in the Houston Shoot Out 2 at the beginning of March. They will have a final opportunity to fine-tune their game this weekend at the third edition of the tournament. Here are their key players: [player_tooltip player_id="118707" first="Camy" last="Kling"] – Setter – HS: Klein – 2021 Ranked 67th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings, Kling is a vital piece of Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold’s system. She’s fantastic with the ball at her hands and does a great job in distributing the game but what makes of her an elite player in her position is her ability to contribute in other areas of the game. The six-foot Kling has a net presence that not many other setters do and on top of that is an exceptional defender. The combination of those skills resulted in a high career with a handful of impressive stats at Klein and landed her the opportunity of playing for the University of North Alabama at the collegiate level. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10174919/5d93d181176d0613f44ff7e1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="118713" first="Logan" last="LeRoux"] – Right Sider – HS: Memorial – 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="118713" first="Logan" last="LeRoux"] is another member of Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold to appear on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings as she’s listed as the 101st prospect in the state. Despite her 6’1” frame and her powerful offense, she spent most of her high school career at Memorial as a setter and tallied more than 2,000 assists during her time there. When she’s at the net, LeRoux has a very powerful and efficient game and is capable of hitting at a very high level from either the right or left sides and an impressive ability to score on off-the-net sets. She will, too, continue her journey at the collegiate level with Texas State. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11182236/5fab83a6bd6bc9094ca4c8d6" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   Jenna Karp – Middle-Blocker – HS: Klein Cain – 2021 Jenna Karp is a force at the middle of the net as the six-foot middle-blocker is capable of producing on both sides of the ball. Her final high school season with Klein Cain, in which she produced 397 kills, 24 aces, 68 blocks, 163 digs and 353 passes, is a great example of how versatile and productive her game is. Karp’s offense is very diversified as she can hit a handful of different sets, including from the back row, and has the ability to send the ball in any direction she wants. Her first tempo ball is really fast and difficult to anticipate. Her passing game is outstanding and could allow her to change positions in the future if she wants to. Her college commitment was to the University of Central Oklahoma. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13602780/5faeda3b478d9f0218a75001" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>