USAV GJNC 16 Open Champions – Madfrog 16 National Green
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 16 Open Division Champions… Madfrog 16 National Green.
The tournament field was super stacked with thirty-six of the best teams in the nation. Eight of those teams were from the great state of Texas. Madfrog went into the tournament ranked as the 28th overall seed. They proved that it doesn’t matter where someone thinks you deserve to be seeded, it only matters what you do on the court. You still have to prove it on the court and every person who watches sports knows that anyone can be beaten on any given day. They finished third in the opening pool to stay in division one going into day three. They then battled their way through two three setters to take over the second overall seed in the tourney. The challenge match against Austin Juniors to get to the Gold bracket was handled in straight sets (25-14, 29-27).
The top eight teams in the Gold bracket were all hungry to be crowned the best of the best. Madfrog had to endure a three set thriller with 1st Alliance 16 Gold and came out victorious. In the Semi’s they faced a very tough Premier Nebraska team and won (25-21, 25-18) to earn a birth in the championship match. The championship match pitted them against A5 Mizuno 16 Gabe from Atlanta who they faced in their day three pool. That match went to three sets, so we knew we were in for a great Final match. However, some coaches and teams are very good at utilizing matchups to take advantage of situations. Madfrog used a line up that capitalized on ball control and defense in order to take out their opponent. Head coach and Co-Director of Madfrog Nicky Bramschreiber truly knows her team and opponent and masterfully constructed a lineup that was brilliant against A5’s monster attacks.
Madfrog used some excellent placement of their serves to keep A5 off-balance and very predictable with their offense. This allowed them to set up their defense perfectly to funnel attacks to where they were set up. Lillian Croshaw Lillian Croshaw 6'3" | RS Northwest | 2024 State #164 Nation TX was an absolute wall as she shut down A5’s powerful attack over and over again. Lainee Pyles Lainee Pyles 6'3" | MB Fossil Ridge | 2024 State #47 Nation TX was a surgeon on the left side as she diced up the Atlanta club’s defense with shot after shot. Carson Eickenloff Carson Eickenloff 5'7" | S Boyd | 2024 State #146 Nation TX and Cate Hatfield Cate Hatfield 5'7" | S Bishop Lynch | 2024 State TX put on a clinic dishing the ball around to the front line. Libero Avery Baughman Avery Baughman 5'5" | DS/L Plano | 2024 State TX showed just how good she is by delivering balls perfectly in system for her setters. Briana Watson was a stud on the right side for Madfrog as she provided a well-balanced attack from the other side of the pins. But the star of the show in my opinion was none other than Avery Jackson Avery Jackson 5'10" | OH Hockaday | 2024 State #13 Nation TX . She was no doubt the best player on the court in the championship match. A5 had no answer for her as she moved the ball around wherever she wanted to with force. No one would deny this young lady the opportunity to score on this day. She was brilliant and proved why she is the number one ranked player in the State of Texas. Madfrog won the championship in convincing fashion (25-22, 25-11).
Let’s meet a few of the players that stood out to me while I watched them be crowned as the best 16’s team in the nation.
Avery Jackson Avery Jackson 5'10" | OH Hockaday | 2024 State #13 Nation TX [2024] 5-9 (HS: Hockaday/Club: Madfrog /Verbal: Stanford {beach})
Miss Jackson is currently ranked as the 3rd overall prospect in the nation according to our Prep Dig National Rankings and the top overall prospect in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays at The Hockaday School and club for Madfrog . We have profiled her a few times and every superlative that has been used to describe her has been warranted. She might have one of the highest verticals in the nation if we tested her. She is an assassin on the court as she can kill the ball from any location at any time. There is no such thing as out of system when it comes to her offensive abilities. She has recently committed to play beach volleyball at Stanford and there is no doubt in my mind she will be representing the USA in the Olympics soon. One parent this weekend made a wonderful quote to me about her as we were both in awe of her scoring show she put on in the finals. He said, “God made it a little bit easier on everyone else by not making her six foot two.” I laughed at the time, but then I said to him, “Can you imagine if she was? It wouldn’t be fair”. It was a joy to watch her step up to the plate and blast home run after home run on the biggest stage. I just witnessed greatness in a sixteen year old player and it was beautiful to watch.
Lillian Croshaw Lillian Croshaw 6'3" | RS Northwest | 2024 State #164 Nation TX [2024] 6-2 Middle/Right Side (HS: Byron Nelson/Club: Madfrog /Verbal: Uncommitted)
Lilly is currently ranked as the 24th best overall prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. Miss Croshaw plays at Byron Nelson HS and also club for the always awesome Madfrog Volleyball. As far as blockers are concerned, she put on an absolute clinic with how dominant she was at the net. Her strong upper body sealed the net perfectly time and time again against A5’s powerful attackers. She moved very well laterally along the net and timed their attacks so well. Lilly unleashed a few bombs of her own toward the Atlanta club’s defense to help her team stay potent on offense. She showed why she is the 9th ranked middle in the entire state of Texas with how she stepped up and played against some of the best competition in the nation. This young lady was a joy to watch at nationals.
Carson Eickenloff Carson Eickenloff 5'7" | S Boyd | 2024 State #146 Nation TX [2024] 5-6 Setter (HS: Boyd/Club: Madfrog /Verbal: Uncommitted)
Carson is currently listed as the 78th best overall prospect in the 2024 class, but that will change once we update the rankings, as I loved what I saw from her over the weekend. Miss Eickenloff plays for McKinney Boyd High School and Madfrog . Carson is one of the most athletic setters in the entire state despite age group/grad class. Her jump serve is lethal and so much power comes from this small package. The amount of body control that she shows in every aspect of the game is phenomenal. I loved watching her glide all over the court and especially when she plays defense. The angles of her platform are helped by the way she drops her shoulders in picture perfect form. If there was combine that recorded vertical, cone drills, foot speed, change of direction, and acceleration stats, I guarantee she would stand out on paper with her numbers. What stood out to me the most was just how competitive this youngster is. She is not afraid of anything or anyone on the court. Her confidence level never waivered as she routinely went up against six-foot blockers while she was in the front row and Carson won those battles more often than not. It was so fascinating to watch her surgeon like precision with her set location. I can’t wait to update the rankings and move her up with what we just saw with her production against the best players in the nation.
Lainee Pyles Lainee Pyles 6'3" | MB Fossil Ridge | 2024 State #47 Nation TX [2024] 6-0 Middle (HS: Fossil Ridge/Club: Madfrog /Verbal: Uncommitted)
Lainee is currently ranked as the 7th best overall player in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays at Fossil Ridge High School and also for the famed Madfrog Volleyball club. Offensively no one was stopping Miss Pyles as she sliced through the A5 defense numerous times in the championship match. Lainee played so well in the tournament that she was named as the USA Volleyball 16 Open Most Valuable Player in the tournament. This honor was warranted as she looked unstoppable at times. Her overall play including ball control was amazing to watch in the championship match. She racked up double digit kills in multiple matches throughout the four days and it was a joy to watch. Offensively she is able to provide so much versatility as Madfrog sets her on both pins and brings her around for second tempo sets out of the middle and inside on the left. She is a nightmare to match up with and usually wins battles at the net.
Brianna Watson Brianna Watson 6'1" | OH Flower Mound | 2024 State #53 Nation TX [2024] 6-1 Outside/Right Side (HS: Flower Mound/Club: Madfrog /Verbal: Uncommitted)
Brianna is currently ranked as the 8th best overall prospect in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays for two top programs in the Dallas area in Flower Mound High School and the famed Madfrog volleyball program. Madfrog moved her over to the opposite position on the pins and she has been phenomenal for their offense. I am not sure if there is a more high-octane attacker on that side of the court than Bri. In the championship match she was flying higher than ever as she shut down their outside hitters while blocking. Offensively she put on a show as well rising up over their blockers and moving it around them for the sharp cross shot. She is a member of the famed ten foot club meaning she can approach touch ten feet four inches in the air. I hyperventilate when I think of how high that actually is. It was on full display during the tourney and as a volleyball enthusiast I loved watching every minute of it.
This team is filled with stars and has some of the most supportive parents I have ever seen. If you have ever seen a Madfrog team in any tournament, you find parents wearing so much green, hats, headbands, and they are one of the only clubs to have a real mascot that attends tourneys. Yup I am not sure who it is in the suit, but I give them amazing credit to the loyalty and fun atmosphere that this awesome club provides. It looks like a great championship culture of love and family.
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!