GJNC 18 USA Preview: Missouri and KC Metro

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are days away from the Girls Junior National Championships starting in Baltimore, Maryland. Today we look at the teams from Missouri or KC teams with Missouri players taking part in the USA Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Club North 18 Ang</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kansas City, Missouri-based team qualified for the big dance by winning a bid match at MEQ in March. That weekend, they were in a groove, winning their first seven contest before falling short in a gold bracket match. However, they rebounded and beat TVC 18 Black in a dominant performance. The roster is deep with talent and we'll start on the pins with [player_tooltip player_id='216466' first='Kendall' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='216020' first='Ryanne' last='Wattree'], and Grace Schmedding. [player_tooltip player_id='152821' first='Lauren' last='Wright'] has flourished in the setter position and has found a good connection on slides with Brooklyn Gormley. And of course, we can't leave out [player_tooltip player_id='150046' first='Claire' last='Mosh'], as dependable as they get on the back row. Pool 7 is where action will begin for this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mavs KC 18-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mavs KC benefited from other teams earning higher bids and receiving an in-region trickle-down. They were just on the brink of a bid in January at MLK. They are a gritty team that competed well in the region's power league competition. They have a posted record of 29-9 in the AES ranking system. They have a trio of players on the Missouri side of the state line with [player_tooltip player_id='184732' first='Reese' last='Massey'], Nicolette Snider, and defender [player_tooltip player_id='152824' first='Emily' last='Mathis'] of Lee's Summit West. They will start action in Pool 4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PVA 18 Elite </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PVA earned an at-large bid from Northern Lights and will start play in Pool 6. The Kansas team had good finishes in the USA division during qualifier season, ending with a 6th and 9th place finish in a couple of them. They have a host of players who will compete at the next level and are a team capable of pulling off a string of victories in Baltimore. Missouri players featured on their roster include middle [player_tooltip player_id='152822' first='Hannah' last='Woolley'] who will play at Bowdoin College and [player_tooltip player_id='216455' first='Sophia' last='Saxton'], heading to St. Olaf. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 18 Navy </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>18 Navy picked up their bid early in the qualifying season by taking care of business at Florida Fest. They have been consistent in qualifier play during other qualifiers finishing right in the middle of the pack. They also played in the Under Armour 18U championships a couple of weeks back in Kentucky to gear up for nationals. In the premier division, they went 8-1. Play will start for them in Maryland at 9:00 in Pool 5. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='150043' first='Sophia' last='Gagnepain'], who will head to Dartmouth College has been dependable in her decision-making. [player_tooltip player_id='184059' first='Jayden' last='Wiese'] can score all over the court. and Addison Normille is a defender we've discussed countless times over the last few years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] 18 Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428820' first='Team' last='Momentum'] earned the in-region trickle-down won at MLK from HPSTL 18 Royal, who would upgrade their bid. They played most of their qualifier season in the Open division, which means they are battle-tested and could make noise in this division. They are in Pool 6 with PVA 18 Elite. They are not short on players who can make noise. [player_tooltip player_id='150044' first='Kylie' last='Surratt'], a University of Tennessee-Martin pledge is a dynamic pin. Alexis Frazier and [player_tooltip player_id='194099' first='Taylor' last='Reynolds'] are two veteran setters. Abby Freuend is as strong a defender as they come in the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='195372' first='Catherine' last='Woolf'], [player_tooltip player_id='495386' first='Abby' last='Harder'], and [player_tooltip player_id='207586' first='Avery' last='Guisinger'] bring good size to the front line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->