18s GJNC Preview: Austin Skyline 18 Royal

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>We start with the 18 American division and here’s our <strong>Austin Skyline 18 Royal </strong>preview:</p> <p><em>The team from Austin is one of the three Texans in the division. Skyline has secured a 25-19 win record so far in the club season, having appeared in seven tournaments so far with a fourth-place finish at the Lone Star Regional Champs being their best result. The squad led by coach Jenny Luke will still compete at this week’s Tour of Texas Finals before they head to Ohio.</em></p> <p><em> </em></p> <p>Here are their key players:</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87433" first="Jamison" last="Wheeler"] – Outside Hitter – HS: Lake Travis – 2021</strong></p> <p>Ranked 44^th on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings, [player_tooltip player_id="87433" first="Jamison" last="Wheeler"] is the engine that moves Austin Skyline 18 Royal forward. The 6’1” outside hitter is involved in basically everything her team does and she has an important role in their receiving and digging efforts and is one of their most-used hitters at the net. Wheeler excels in both areas of the game and her offense is particularly impressive because of the variety of shots she has and the intelligence with which she uses them. Wheeler will continue impressing at the collegiate level as she committed to SMU.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">It’s been a fun outside hitter battle between Austin Skyline’s [player_tooltip player_id="87433" first="Jamison" last="Wheeler"] and <a href="https://x.com/TAVHouston?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TAVHouston</a> ‘s [player_tooltip player_id="87428" first="Megan" last="Wilson"] here. Wheeler won that one. <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepDigTX</a> <a href="https://t.co/WjHM9KN0zG">pic.x.com/WjHM9KN0zG</a></p> — grtorres (@grtorres) <a href="https://x.com/grtorres/status/1375493067596312579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87457" first="Margaret" last="Newton"] – Libero – HS: Westlake – 2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="87457" first="Margaret" last="Newton"] is one of the best defenders in Texas’ 2021 class as she ranks 84^th on our Prep Dig State Rankings and is the 18^th-best listed libero. Her game is built upon her exceptional ball control and his quickness in the backcourt. The 5’4” Newton is very dynamic, is always where she’s supposed to be, and adds another layer of brilliance to her game with her trademark one-handed digs. The next chapters of her career will be written at the University of Denver.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDenverVolleyball%2Fvideos%2F1511822222348093%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560" width="560" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Rian Millership – Middle-Blocker – HS: New Braunfels - 2021</strong></p> <p>Rian Millership provides Austin Skyline 18 Royal with a strong presence at the net. The six-foot middle-blocker is very solid and her game has not notable holes. She dominates the net her good blocking technique and is very fast on her lateral movement. Such great footwork helps her on offense too as Millership had a fast and dynamic at the net and always makes herself available for the setter. She hits a very fast slide hit too. After a strong senior campaign with New Braunfels in which she had 114 kills and 47 blocks, she’s headed to the East Coast to play for the College of the Holy Cross.</p> <p><iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11341655/5fa2502b6e819b004cd1f2b4" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>