17U Teams to See at GJNC

<p>The last week of the GJNC will feature the 17U age group. Ohio and northern Kentucky have several top prospects and high performing teams set to complete. Here are some of them to keep an eye on.</p> <p><em><strong>17 Open</strong></em></p> <p>Mintonette m.71 is the lone representative from the Ohio Valley Region to this age division having qualified earlier in the year in Kansas City. Uncommitted setter [player_tooltip player_id="141691" first="Kayla" last="Dulgar"] runs a good offense and can distribute the full range of the court with good location. She has a lot of offensive options including big-time middle and future Ohio State Buckeye [player_tooltip player_id="114513" first="Eloise" last="Brandewie"] (pictured). [player_tooltip player_id="169527" first="Mercedes" last="Motton"] is explosive in the middle as well and can score when in rhythm and with good spacing. On the left pin is [player_tooltip player_id="141696" first="Ava" last="Hoying"], [player_tooltip player_id="114523" first="Ella" last="Durham"], and [player_tooltip player_id="169479" first="Kaleigh" last="Palmer"], all with impressive terminating ability and good size. This is a big team and they can put a lot of pressure on teams with their length that also features opposite [player_tooltip player_id="141701" first="Lauryn" last="Bowie"] and [player_tooltip player_id="141699" first="Emma" last="Beretich"], who adds depth to the middle. This team has potential to win matches in this elite field. Staying efficient and low error, along with establishing good ball controle that helps create balance, will be keys to their success.</p> <p><em><strong>17 National</strong></em></p> <p>OPVC 17 Day gets contributions from a full range of their roster. <strong>Abby Healy</strong> shares the setting role with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114589" first="Ava" last="Mirande"]</strong> as they maximize their offensive action with three attackers avaiable in the front row the majority of the time. Mirande's high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id="153888" first="Ashley" last="Walker"] is one of their biggest arms as she can bring good power and movement from both sides of the floor. <strong>Henley Krause</strong> is another primary option on the left side and brings good size and presence to the net with her arm and defensively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141684" first="Sydney" last="Lawrence"]</strong> is the libero and she does a great job of creating in-system opportunities with her footwork and platform control in serve receive. </p> <p>With really good depth at all positions, [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 17 Goller has the ability to utilize several athletes in different roles. They have good size and physicality, led by Kentucky commit [player_tooltip player_id="114516" first="Brooke" last="Bultema"], as she can take care of her job on both sides of the ball very effectively. [player_tooltip player_id="141725" first="Lindsey" last="Green"] is a terrific setter and is complemented well by the versatility of setter/opposite [player_tooltip player_id="141722" first="Audrey" last="Armbruster"]. If they can manage to get good balance by establishing multiple point scorers throughout the week then they could have a shot at finishing among the upper tier of teams.</p> <p><em><strong>17 American</strong></em></p> <p>The top-seeded team in this division is NOVA 17 Navy. Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="169493" first="Jocelyn" last="Jourdan"] recently climbed our 2023 prospect rankings as she is a big factor with her arm and point scoring ability. Fellow pin hitter <strong>Natalie Stephanovich</strong> is also a big part of their offense as she has good size, elevates well and can hit a heavy ball. [player_tooltip player_id="114544" first="Brooke" last="Mirka"] also adds depth on the pins. <strong>Kaylee Evans</strong> provides a physical presence in the middle as she can score when on time and balance and can put up a good block as well. As a tandem, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114541" first="Ronnie" last="Meinen"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="114540" first="Mallory" last="Meinen"]</strong> provide ball control, point scoring, and distribution, which contributes to their depth around the court. This team has competed well all season and will be among the favorites to get on the podium on July 4th. </p> <p>Seeded #2 overall in this division, NKYVC 17-1 Tsunami has potential to reach the podium. They have been playing some of their best ball late in the season including a top-three finish at the recent JVA SummerFest event that included multiple wins over open-level qualified teams. Additionally, they took care of business against [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] at the recent Circle City pre-nationals event to add to a list of quality outcomes against some of the nation's toughest competitiion over the course of the club season. This team relies a lot on their defense to make things happen and are led by the range of [player_tooltip player_id="157454" first="Kayla" last="Hostetler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="68144" first="Chloe" last="Fortner"]. Setter [player_tooltip player_id="68147" first="Maya" last="Hunt"] has improved her distribution and tempo through both pins that have proven to be the bulk of their scoring. There are three very capable arms in Syndey Nolan, [player_tooltip player_id="141697" first="Ava" last="Siefke"], and lefty [player_tooltip player_id="157453" first="Peyton" last="Mast"] that shoulder a lot of attacking opportunities. We will see if their late season momentum carries over to the biggest and final stage of their season.</p> <p><strong>Other teams competing:</strong></p> <p><em><strong>17 American</strong></em></p> <p>- AVC CLE Rox 17 White<br /> - Toledo 17 Black</p> <p><em><strong>17 USA</strong></em></p> <p>- Mintonette m.72<br /> - Southwest 17N TJ</p> <p><em><strong>17 Freedom</strong></em></p> <p>- [program_tooltip program_id='431827' first='Elevation' last=''] 17 GT<br /> - Ignite 17 Black Elite</p>