Club Team Spotlight: Athena 17-1 Gold

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following its 2021 partnership with League One Volleyball, Athena Volleyball Academy continued to deepen its talent pool and further established its position as one of the top clubs in the Pacific Northwest. With several returners to the club from the highly successful 2022 16-1 Gold team, two returners from last season's 17-1 Gold team (setter [player_tooltip player_id='126052' first='Olivia' last='Doel'] and defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='126035' first='Nadia' last='Murray-Ceriello']), and some strong additions from other clubs, the 2023 Athena 17-1 Gold team has quite the solid roster full of depth and talent. The 17-1 Gold team will be head coached by founder and club director Lena Chan and assisted by Matt Thomas, who helped coach the 2022 Ajax 14s team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will be highlighting some of the Athena 17-1 Gold athletes to watch this season below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["201074"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":187631,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eAndrew, who is the younger sister of [player_tooltip player_id='246303' first='Natalie' last='Andrew'] from the Athena 18-1 Gold team, is a powerhouse. Standing at a massive 6'5”, Andrew is an incredibly effective middle blocker. She has perfected her timing to the ball, and she uses her height and a fast arm swing to put the ball away consistently. Andrew's skill earned her recognition on the 2022 Junior Volleyball Association's (JVA) All-National team, which is made up of the top 84 indoor volleyball players across the country who competed for a JVA member club in the 15s-18s divisions.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["126173"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eBrown, who was recently named the 2022 Pacific Conference Player of the Year as a setter, will be instrumental in running the Athena 17-1 offense this season. Brown uses excellent footwork and strong hands to place her sets perfectly, and she has already developed a great connection with some of her attackers with whom she played club last season, including [player_tooltip player_id='201074' first='Elizabeth' last='Andrew'], [player_tooltip player_id='126070' first='Lilly' last='Lansing'], and [player_tooltip player_id='126025' first='Alondra' last='Paz'], as well as with her high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='126034' first='Emily' last='Fulton']. Brown is not only a talented setter, but she also plays great defense and has a very tough serve, making her an all-around weapon for her team.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["126033"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eChan is an incredible libero, as is evidenced by her recent commitment to the University of Wisconsin, one of the top volleyball programs in the country. When she's on the court, Chan is constantly moving and placing herself in perfect defensive positions to pick up nearly every ball that comes her way. Chan can also set well, which allows her team to succeed offensively even when they are out of system. Her quickness, strong court sense, and excellent passing technique all make Chan an unstoppable force in the back row. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["126034"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eFulton joins the Athena 17-1 Gold team after playing for OJVA, and with her she brings a heavy arm and a powerful serve. Fulton's explosive approach and quick arm swing are effective for putting the ball away consistently from the outside. And, while she can hammer the ball down or to the deep corner, Fulton also knows how to place shots out of the other team's reach, making her a tough attacker to defend against. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["126070"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eThough she played primarily out of the middle for Jesuit this past season, Lansing is a versatile attacker who can score from any position in the front row. Lansing has great court vision, which she uses to place the ball on open court when she's not taking big swings. Although she is a bit undersized as a middle blocker and opposite, Lansing's athleticism and vertical help her to put up a big block. Her dynamic play in the front row will likely bring the 17-1 Gold team success this season.u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["126025"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eAlthough Paz has struggled with a shoulder injury this past year, she remains a top athlete to watch on this Athena team. As a six-rotation outside hitter, Paz has an impressive vertical and powerful swing that she uses to put the ball away deep into the court. While she is an effective and strong attacker, Paz is also an incredible athlete defensively and on serve receive. She tracks the ball well and manages to pick up really hard-driven attacks and challenging serves. Paz can also set the ball well out of system, which adds to her strengths as an all-around athlete. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63c5025229e41"} /-->