USAV GJNC 15 Open Recap – Coast 15-1
USA Volleyball held it’s Girls Junior National Championships this past weekend in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center. This is a very prestigious tournament in which teams actually had to earn their bid to play in it. The qualification process…
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Continue ReadingUSA Volleyball held it’s Girls Junior National Championships this past weekend in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center. This is a very prestigious tournament in which teams actually had to earn their bid to play in it. The qualification process is super tough throughout the year and the best of the best rose to the top. Prep Dig was on hand to cover every serve, set, kill, and pass of the ball from start to finish. This next article is going to discuss the 15 Open Division 5th place…Coast 15-1
The tournament field was super stacked with thirty-six of the best teams in the nation. Seven of those teams were from the great state of California. Coast went into the tournament ranked as the 23rd overall seed. This team has some serious talent on it and were in for a great showing in Indy. They finished 4-1 and second in the opening pool to stay in division one going into day three. This moved them up to the 12th seed overall now and they ended up splitting their matches in the second pool which still had them in the hunt and on to a challenge match to get to the coveted Gold Bracket. It was a very tough match but Coast ended up winning the challenge match (29-27, 25-19). Now they were off to the top 8 Gold bracket on day four.
In the Gold bracket, Coast was set up against one of the best 15’s teams in the nation in Texas Advantage right out of the gate. Coast had a little trouble taking them down and fell (17-25, 22-25). However, a fifth place finish in the 15 Open division of the Girls Junior National Championships is a very respectable finish. They had a fantastic season and should be extremely proud of how they represented the state of California.
Although all of the players stood out for a variety of reasons, let’s meet a few of the players that stood out to me while I watched them be crowned the fifth best 15’s team in the nation.
Ava Poinsett [2025] 5-11 Outside (HS: Parker/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Ava is currently listed on our prospect watchlist in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Francis Parker High School and for Coast Volleyball. She is one of the best true six rotation outsides in the state in her grad class and backs it up match after match. I watched this young lady take over matches and be the go to hitter both in the front row and back row. She never changes her attitude on the court and is always focused on the next point like a true warrior should be. Her gift is located in her golden right arm, which cuts through a defense like a knife through butter. I love how she is able to score from any location on the court. A lot of players need a perfect set in order to take a good approach and deliver, but Ava can jump and swing from any spot on the court no matter if she takes a full approach or not. Her ball control is also elite and she can help a squad in every aspect of the game.
Paulina Baillie [2025] 5-6 Libero (HS: Sage Creek/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Paulina is currently on the watch list in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Sage Creek High School and also club for the amazing Coast program. I am not sure if there is a better libero in the state other than miss Paulina. She has a deadly jump top spin serve that rattled off points for Coast at times. She is a true assassin from the end line. But what makes her special is her ball control in both serve receive and defense. Once we get the national rankings out for this age group, I will be voting for Paulina to be considered for sure. She is that special in the position. This kiddo thrives in big games and would be one of my first picks in a pick up game for sure. If you have not seen Miss Baillie play, I suggest you write her name down and put it on your short list because she is special.
Jolyna Salas [2025] 5-7 Setter (HS: Classical Academy/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Jolyna is currently on the watch list in the 2025 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Classical Academy High School and also club for the awesome Coast volleyball program. Coast trusts her to run a 5-1 and when she rotates to the front row, they actually gain a lot rather than losing a hitter. She is able to jump extremely well and save a lot of balls before they go over the net. Her location is sniper accurate with every set and she has fantastic rapport with her middles. They run a very fast middle set and connect well to score often. This young lady was scared of no one and jumped to hit and block when she was in the front row. In the back row she displayed libero like defense out of right back and was super fast tracking down balls out of transition. I loved what I saw out of Miss Salas and she could easily make the rankings when we finalize them.
There were some other notable studs for this squad also. Stella Dillon was a big presence for Coast on the right side and played amazing when they needed her on offense and defense. Middle Jenny Li came through during tough times for her team and was super efficient scoring for Coast.
And 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 Prep Dig Family!