GJNC Previews: Excel 16 National Red
The most important moment of the season is just around the corner for teams from the 15s, 16s and 17s age group from around the country as the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship will take place at the Las…
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Continue ReadingThe most important moment of the season is just around the corner for teams from the 15s, 16s and 17s age group from around the country as the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 26-July 5.
As many as 728 teams are expected to compete in the 15 divisions for these three age groups and the state of Texas will, of course, be well-represented in the tournament with more than 70 teams expected to make the trip to Nevada.
During the next few weeks, we’ll use this space to present the Lone Star state representatives in the tournament, recapping their performances during the club season and highlighting some of their top prospects.
Excel 16 National Red
Representing the Excel Volleyball Club from the city of Plano, 16 National Red will see action in the 16 National division in Las Vegas. The team secured its place in the GJNC with a second-place finish in the North Texas Regional Bid Championship, arguably their best result so far in the season. Excel National 16 Red is coached by Will Wiggins and has produced a 23-13 win record in the club season.
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Players to Watch
Sydney Garrison Sydney Garrison 5'11" | OH Aubrey | 2023 State TX – Outside Hitter – HS: Aubrey – 2023
A 5’11” outside hitter, Sydney Garrison Sydney Garrison 5'11" | OH Aubrey | 2023 State TX sees the ball more often than any other hitter in the team and typically responds with kills. She’s very smart on offense and combining her superior shot selection with her great size has proven to be lethal on the high school level too as she averaged nearly 20 kills per match with Aubrey last season. Ranked 70th on our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings, Garrison is also an efficient passer. She’s an outstanding blocker as well and her great reading and tremendous reach allow her to handle opposing middles hitting slide sets on her own.
Reagan Fifer Reagan Fifer 6'2" | S Liberty Christian | 2023 State TX – Setter/Right Sider – HS: Liberty Christian – 2023
A 6’2” setter. That’s probably all you needed to know before deciding to pay some attention on Reagan Fifer Reagan Fifer 6'2" | S Liberty Christian | 2023 State TX . She’s really smooth on the ball and her size has proven to be a huge advantage at the net, especially on blocking or when working with overpasses. Fifer has a great touch on the ball and is really accurate on her sets, which helped her register 898 assists in a single high school season with Liberty Christian. When she’s at the net, she always keeps blockers guessing because of her ability to dump or actually hit on two due to the fact that she’s left-handed. The best thing about her, however, is that she still got so much upside and because of that we’ve placed her 103rd on our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings.
Landry Baughman – Middle Blocker/Right Sider – HS: Berkner – 2023
Landry Baughman can play as a middle blocker or a right sider but her impressive blocking ability makes it smarter to have her at the center of the net. The 5’11” Baughman moves extremely fast laterally and rarely doesn’t get to the pins on time. She’s also very aggressive with her hands placement and intimidates opponents making live harder for them. She’s also dominant on offense, being able to hit multiple sets in the middle or behind the setter with the same high level of efficiency.