2023 GJNC Preview: 18 Open – Drive Nation 18 Red

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The club volleyball season is coming to an end for the players competing in the 18s age group and the final stop in this stage of their careers will take place at the 2022 USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship, which will be held in Columbus, Ohio, from April 28-30.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Texas will have a huge representation in Ohio, with as many as 44 teams entered to compete across six different divisions and many of them will be real contenders at the National Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've already posted our Texas Previews for each of the 18 American, 18 Freedom, 18 Liberty, 18 National and 18 USA divisions and now we'll do things a little bit differently for the prestigious 18 Open division, presenting individual previews for the eight teams from the Lone Star State that will fight for the title in Columbus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Drive Nation 18 – Red</em> </strong>– Drive Nation Volleyball (Dallas)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Season Record (on AES):</strong> 33-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYJ9BMutw_/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYJ9BMutw_/ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["141120"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the most dominant middles in the entire country, Robins will pose a big challenge to anyone trying to score on Drive Nation 18 - Red. Besides having incredible wingspan and athleticism, she also moves extremely well at the net and is very intelligent and aggressive when placing her arms above the net, taking up a lot of space from opposing hitters. Robins is also a highly-productive offensive player, being capable of hitting all sorts of sets in the middle and  very rarely finding a blocker with the ability of getting as high as she does.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644006072000d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15535588/6434c021386d680524847e96' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644006072008e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["153292"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A new addition to Drive Nation coming from Dallas rivals TAV, Breon immediately became a key piece for 18 Red. Her excellent all-around game is capable of impacting any team and it was no different with Drive Nation. Breon has taken up huge responsibilities with serve-receive and has been delivering extremely well throughout the season. She also has a strong game at the net, combining power and finesse and being capable of scoring in any situation. Breon also makes great plays on defense and does a very good job with her blocking.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6440060720109"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19001665/6434c0238cd54004c8cca16b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6440060720134"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["141126"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"An explosive lefty, Hoppes brings a lot of firepower for Drive Nation 18 - Red at the net. Her quick approach to the ball is one the keys to her highly-effective offense as she can not only hit any set, but also always finds a way to do it with her arm fully stretched, making great use of her 6'1u0022 frame. Hoppes can also hit in any direction, which makes of her an unpredictable hitter when in system. She's also very active and efficient with her blocking, getting off the floor quickly and setting up a big block in front of opposing hitters.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64400607201a7"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14282662/6434ba1da677370a2ce5078b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64400607201cd"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["122897"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Drive Nation 18 - Red have excellent depth at the setter position with Nicholson, a Texas Christian commit, and [player_tooltip player_id='141133' first='Callie' last='Kieffer'] splitting time in the position. Nicholson has been in great form this season, running the team's offense in a way that gets all of her incredible hitters in good positions to score. Nicholson is very technical and has developed a great volleyball IQ, which helps her make good decisions on the court. At 5'10u0022, she's also a solid blocker and a very effective defensive player.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644006072023c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13063403/640e7a5d2348d90860406be6' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6440060720260"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["141121"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"After concluding a stellar high school senior season with Reedy, Schroder continues to ball at club with Drive Nation 18 - Red. Because of how explosive she is, it's Schroder's offensive game that gets most of the praise, and that's for good reason, as she puts the ball down with great efficiency regardless of the conditions at the pin, but her backcourt game is also huge. Schroder is an excellent defender, getting several balls up every set, and also a very good serve-receiver, who doesn't miss a step if she has to pass before making her offensive approach.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64400607202d4"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14286930/6434c022e97ae20608e68d65' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6440060720301"} /-->