USAV GJNC 17 Open Bronze Medalists – Coast 17-1

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 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 17 Open Division Bronze Medalists…Coast 17-1   The tournament field was super stacked with thirty-six of the best teams in the nation. Six of those teams were from the great state of California. Coast went into the tournament ranked as the 7th overall seed. All season long they have been one of the dominant teams in the Open division. Their entire roster is riddled with talent. They finished second in the opening pool to stay in division one going into day three. In their second round pool Coast split their matches with Drive Nation and Austin Juniors, both out of Texas, to finish second again. They were still in the hunt and faced a familiar foe in Wave 17 Juliana in the challenge match to get to the Gold bracket. It was a grueling slugfest that went the full distance of three sets to find a victor. Coast ended up winning the challenge match (20-25, 25-21, 15-13). Now they were off to the top 8 Gold bracket on day four.   In the Gold bracket, Coast was set up against the number one seed right out of the gate, Madfrog 17 National Green out of north Texas. Coast had no trouble taking them down and won in convincing fashion (25-15, 25-18). Then, In the semifinals, they were pitted against who many have considered the best team in the nation, 1st Alliance. Coast showed a lot of grit and determination still riding their high and barely lost in the first set 25-23. It seemed that the wind left their sails in set two and they lost 25-15. However, a third place finish in the 17 Open division of the Girls Junior National Championships is nothing to hang your head on. 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 third best 17’s team in the nation.   [player_tooltip player_id="160884" first="Zoe" last="Rachow"] [2023] 5-10 Setter (HS: Otay Ranch/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted) <img class=" wp-image-207724 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/07/Zoe-Rachow-e1657380985370-227x300.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="234" /> Zoe is currently listed on our prospect watchlist in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Otay Ranch High School and for Coast Volleyball. This young lady was extremely impressive in her physical abilities as a setter. She moved the ball around so fluidly to balance out the offense and was equally a threat out of right back digging and keeping her team in each rally. Her serve was tough and she kept the opposition out of system quite a bit. I love how the ball comes out of her hands so smoothly. She kept a pretty even distribution to all of her hitters as I watched her battle against Austin Juniors. But what stood out the most to me while I watched them compete all throughout the four days was her on court leadership. She did not let anything take her out of the competitive zone to lead her team to victory against the best that the nation had to offer. I loved She is the real deal as a setter and if you have not seen her play, you need to.   [player_tooltip player_id="161450" first="Noemie" last="Glover"] [2023] 6-1 Right Side (HS: Cathedral Catholic/Club: Coast/Verbal: Oregon) <img class=" wp-image-207726 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/07/Noemi-Gover-e1657381079751-231x300.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="230" /> Noemie is currently on the watch list in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Cathedral Catholic High School and also club for the amazing Coast program. I wrote an article previously on Miss Glover and here is a little of what was said, “The powerful lefty was fantastic in the championship match versus Drive Nation. She scored one of the matches first kills in outstanding fashion and had my attention for sure. I love how she uses every muscle in her body to gain momentum in her approach. She has a big upswing and it helps add so much power into both her approach and down swing on the ball. Each kill that she had in the Red Rock Vegas qualifier was electrifying. She did a fantastic job serving and playing back row in right back also. There were a few times when Coast delivered the ball to her on purpose in the back row. The Oregon commit is fun to watch and we will have more on her at nationals.” It sure was fun to watch her in person competing against the best in the nation. She did not disappoint in showcasing her abilities at the net. She has a golden left arm that was used to balance out Coast’s fantastic arsenal all tournament long. This kiddo is special and will do great things at Oregon in a few years. We look forward to watching her during her senior high school season. Brooklyn Briscoe [2023] 6-4 Middle (HS: Santa Fe Christian/Club: Coast/Verbal: Uncommitted) <img class="wp-image-207727 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/07/Brooklyn-Briscoe-e1657381215293-226x300.jpg" alt="" width="184" height="244" /> Brooklyn is currently on the watch list in the 2023 class according to our Prep Dig California State Rankings. She plays at Santa Fe Christian High School and also club for the awesome Coast volleyball program. I wrote an article a few months ago on her and here is a little refresher on what was written, “Watching this young lady at the Red Rock Rave in Vegas was amazing. The natural power that she showed at the net was unmatched in my opinion by any other middle in the tourney. Her footwork was phenomenal running the slide. I would use her form and footwork as a perfect example for any young middle trying to learn how to run the slide. She was unstoppable at times on the offensive end and looked like a woman playing against girls. The amount of power that she possesses in her upper body will keep everyone watching around her court.” While some players do not always step up to the plate when called upon, Brooklyn stepped up and hit home runs for her squad. She was extremely impressive in the middle and it seemed like she had an extra gear when the going got tough. Her play was so impressive to everyone during the Gold bracket matches that she was named to the USA Volleyball 17 Open All Tournament team. This is a very great honor that only a select few get to accomplish and Miss Briscoe should be very proud. Please help us congratulate her on the honor.   <img class="wp-image-207728 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/07/Sydney-Bold-e1657381328432-211x300.jpg" alt="" width="99" height="140" />Defensive Specialist [player_tooltip player_id="160342" first="Brooklyn" last="Yelland"] and libero [player_tooltip player_id="160913" first="Sydney" last="Bold"] played amazing all throughout the four days. Sydney was so special in the Gold bracket that she made the All Tournament team for the 17 Open division. Please help us congratulate her on the prestigious honor. 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!