GJNC – 16 Freedom – Northern Cali Players to Watch
The Girls Junior National Championships will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis July 1st – 4th There will be 48 talented teams from across the country competing in this awesome tournament and hundreds of college coaches in attendance. …
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Continue ReadingThe Girls Junior National Championships will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis July 1st – 4th There will be 48 talented teams from across the country competing in this awesome tournament and hundreds of college coaches in attendance. Northern California will be well represented with two awesome teams in the 16 Freedom Division. It will be a tournament of amazing volleyball and I couldn’t be more excited to cover it in person. We will be previewing a few of the players that will be showcasing their abilities for these awesome California teams. They are some of the best players in the 2024 grad class. Let’s meet a few of the talented players who college coaches need to watch.
Academy 16 HP Denny
They are currently 24-20 overall and have played some great competition. They are currently ranked as the 11th best team in the Northern California region according to AES results. Academy 16 HP Denny finished 31st overall in the USA division of the ASICS Windy City Qualifier in Chicago. They won their bid via the Northern California Regional tournament. Middle Sofia Castiglioni is a big target for her setters and moves so fluidly laterally along the net as she roams to block. She has a lot of natural athleticism that shows in every aspect of her position. Right Side Lola Caron is very active and the ball seems to find her hands quite often during a match. Her teammates trust her as they deliver balls to her out of system a lot. I like her timing on the block as she is able to slow down a lot of hitters even though she is not super tall. She makes up for that height with impeccable timing on both hitting and blocking. Middle Lillian Fox is a nice offensive option who drives her feet very hard toward her setter to help gain momentum to hit the quick attack. She is always available for the fifty one set. Setter Celine Safa was working extremely hard running a 5-1 offense when I watched them in Chicago at the Windy City Qualifier. This team has some potential and I am eager to watch them at nationals.
Rage 16 Amber
They are currently 27-17 overall and have played some great competition. They are currently ranked as the 18th best team in the Northern California region according to AES results. Rage 16 Amber finished 18th overall while winning eight matches and only losing two matches in the Liberty division of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas. They won their bid via the Northern California Regional tournament. While I watched them play, these young ladies stood out to me with their play on the court. Right Side Katherine Eskes has a whip of a right arm and uses it to tool the block very well as she scores for her squad. Middle Maya Gonzalez is long and lean and has super long arms which help her be a formidable blocker. Kit Ross and Kaya Whittaker are both very feisty setters who work well together running the 6-2 offense and moving the ball around to all of their hitters. They complement each other well and the team doesn’t seem to skip a beat when they sub in. Libero Paige Taylor moves her feet so quickly during transition and is very balanced during every aspect of her position. What I love about her is how she arches her back during contact to ensure her shoulders are over her feet. She also holds her posture and contact well after the ball is released and this tells me that she is coached very well. I’m excited to see them in Indy competing against the best.
I will be in attendance at nationals and will try to cover as many players/teams as I can. Be sure to share your schedules with me on Twitter once they become live. There are some other great players on these teams that we will be covering during the four day tourney. Stay tuned to see who plays well and deserves kudos as we will be writing articles on how they perform. We will have some good pictures of their play also.
As always stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following us, Prep Dig California Family! Don’t be afraid to interact with us. We love the likes, shares, and quotes/comments. Keep them coming!