GJNC – 17 Freedom – Southern Cali Players to Watch

<p>The Girls Junior National Championships will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis July 1-4^th.  There will be 48 talented teams from across the country competing in this awesome tournament and hundreds of college coaches in attendance.  Southern California will be well represented with two awesome teams in the 17 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 2023 grad class.  Let’s meet a few of the talented players who college coaches need to watch.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>San Gabriel Elite 17 Roshambo</strong></p> <p>They are currently 27-27 overall and have played a tough schedule during this club season.  They are currently ranked as the 34^thbest team in the Southern California region according to AES results.  SG Elite 17 Roshambo finished 3^rdoverall in the Liberty division of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Vegas. They won their bid via the Southern California Regional bid tourney.  Ashley Artura is a lengthy setter who stays in the front row, plays all the way around and tracks the ball very well off of her passers platforms.  She ran a great offense when I watched them in Vegas. Outside [player_tooltip player_id="160356" first="Nikki" last="Hughes"] plays six rotations and is a viable offensive threat from the back row.  She is a lefty but they also use her on the left side pin, which can throw teams off when it comes to setting up their defense.  Mason Woo is a solid libero who has a tough float serve that stifles opposing receivers.  She moves her serving location around the end line, which might throw some people off.  It is a great strategy that you rarely see.  The one aspect that makes this team a threat is the fact that they have their middle backs always swinging hard during both in system and out of system plays. They employ a lot of middle quick and back row play sets to fool defenses.  They will stay aggressive and this style will be a tough matchup for a lot of teams.  It is refreshing to watch a team who doesn’t free ball much. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Sunshine 17 South Bay</strong></p> <p>They are currently 22-35 overall on the year and will show that they can play against some of the best teams in the country.  They are currently ranked as the 48^thbest team in the Southern California Region according to AES Results. Sunshine 17 South Bay finished 21^stoverall in the Liberty division of the Red Rock Rave Qualifier in Las Vegas.  They won their bid via the Southern California Regional bid tourney.  I love how Taylor Dunlap moves the ball around to all of her hitters.  She is a silky smooth jump setter who doesn’t let her size take her out of the front row. Even though she is smaller, don’t let her size fool you.  She can play at a high level.  Piper Bradley is a long pin attacker who doesn’t hold anything back when she swings. She is a home run hitter who can throttle the ball.  I love how versatile she is as they also use her as a middle at times too.  Left side attacker Zaria Thornton is another high-flyer who can unleash some bombs on opposing defenses.  She has a lightning quick right arm that does some serious damage. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>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 that we will be covering during the 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.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>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!</p>