Preview of the 17s at USAV Junior Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are some athletes from the 2024 and 2025 class playing in Chicago this week:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lillian Fox</strong> | 2024 | Academy<br>Lillian Fox plays great with excellent training and a sense of where to go next. Specifically, she is a coachable athlete with a sixth sense. Additionally, this training makes her court awareness incredible which is always something to build on. As a hitter, she shows a great amount of eagerness to make plays and scores points. When Fox delivers on her attack, it usually is off the block or straight ahead challenging her opponent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ava Cervantes </strong>| 2024 | FORZA1 <br>Ava Cervantes is a might defender. Watch for her feet to be moving and her eyes on the action ready for anything at any time. Additionally, she has a platform that stays quiet and moves a lot from her shoulder joints. As she increases her range with her own efforts, really keep an eye on her for quick skill development and mastery. Additionally, Cervantes will play well with her teammates and communicate a lot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='160985' first='Faith' last='Di Mola']</strong> | 2025 | FORZA1<br>This hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='160985' first='Faith' last='Di Mola'], works hard and plays with an excellent passion for the game. Specifically, she rounds out her approach and attacks that deep corner of the court. This is difficult to do on a repetitive basis. Di Mola is eager and has a motor that is always running. Therefore, look for her to keep finding creative ways to use her great arm to score points as a hitter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grace Widdifield</strong> | 2024 | SF Tremors<br>Grace Widdifield is a fantastic player that brings a fun and playful mindset to the game. She really seems to love the game that she plays. Whether she is at the serving line deep in thought getting ready to challenge the opponents or patiently waiting to pick up a hit from an attack, Widdifield is determined. And she puts in all this effort coming back and wanting more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Savannah Hanson </strong>| 2024 | SoCal <br>Hitting the ball with pace, like Savannah Hanson, is something to expect from her that will challenge opponents. She is a straight ahead hitter that finds a lot of time on the rightside of the court. But, do not be surprised if she is found scoring points for her team on the leftside. In addition to her straight ahead hitting, she works hard for an approach and lines up her attacking to hit directly to a player. This is a great competitive mindset that can only help an athlete grow and develop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ella Ashcraft </strong>| 2024 | | AFVBC<strong><br></strong>Bringing her arm through like a whip, Ella Ashcraft has an excellent foundation for scoring points and making plays. When Ashcraft connects on a set, it is a fun site to see. Be ready for her to take on the challenge of hitting an out of system set. Not only will she want to hit it, but also she will want to score. Her ambition and drive are two attributes that are clear to see when she plays. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->