USAV GJNC Teams to Watch – 17 Liberty Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USA Jr Nationals, which will be held in Las Vegas in early July, is the ultimate test to the end of the season as it will bring together all of the teams who have earned a bid to participate.&nbsp; These wonderful teams have proven themselves through a very long and grueling club season and will compete against other top-notch teams who have earned the right to play in this prestigious tourney.&nbsp; We will be highlighting teams and individual players from the 17 Liberty division that we think you should be watching during the tourney in this series of articles.&nbsp; Let's take a look at a few names to know!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>NRG VBC 17 AMPD Navy</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NRG 17 AMPD Navy is led by head coach Katre Laanes.&nbsp; They won their bid by getting second place at the Northeast National Qualifier.&nbsp; I love how this team has really pushed themselves this season and played in some higher levels at national qualifiers.&nbsp; By playing up, they have gained some awesome experience against some top notch talent and I respect the staff for understanding how this will benefit the players individually with recruiting and also benefit the team in the long run.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='751906' first='McKenzie' last='Berg'] on the left side has played out of this world this season.&nbsp; I love how committed she and the entire team is to blocking.&nbsp; She penetrates the net very well with her arms by pressing over strong.&nbsp; But as an attacker, she is someone who as proven to be on our radar for sure.&nbsp; This young lady can bang with the best of them from the front row and the back row.&nbsp; Middle Lauren Demuth does some serious damage at the net on both sides of the ball for this electric squad.&nbsp; She is a solid middle who is always focused and active.&nbsp; While a lot of middles will take a play off every now and then, she has a high motor and even covers her right side when needed.&nbsp; Opposite Trinity McDaniel plays high above the net and scores at a high clip.&nbsp; As a right-handed attacker on the right side of the court, it is pretty difficult to have the timing to allow the ball to cross over their shoulder in order to attack well and with power.&nbsp; It is even more difficult to hit this ball if it is off of the net.&nbsp; Trinity is superb as an athlete during this off the net ball and still sends it over with tons of power to score.&nbsp; But wait, there's more!&nbsp; She even runs a few play sets in which she goes in for quicks out of the middle during serve receive.&nbsp; She deserves a few looks by schools for sure.&nbsp; London Upchurch and Mikayla Cathcart are two setters who play with a lot of fire and fight in their game.&nbsp; They are able to accurately locate each set with good pace.&nbsp; I especially love how they both lead their middles into the net with the ball while setting up from a “two pass”.&nbsp; Liberos Henley Gentry and Brooklyn Humphrey both switch out with each other in their two libero system and compliment each other well in regards to ball control.&nbsp; Keep your eye on this squad as they look to battle hard at Nationals in the Liberty division.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Amarillo Xtreme 17 National</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amarillo Xtreme won their bid by going undefeated with a perfect record and winning the championship at the Red Rock Rave National Qualifier in Las Vegas.&nbsp; They are led by head coach Tina Sims and are looking to show the nation how strong they are.&nbsp; Mackenzie Sims does it all on the court with a lightning quick swing on offense and solid footwork as a setter.&nbsp; She is one of the “go to” players on the squad and rightfully so when I watch her play.&nbsp; Outside Siena Cavalier is extremely smart on the court and recognizes weaknesses and holes in the opposing defense quickly and exploits them well.&nbsp; She is not afraid to hit the floor on defense and helps to keep her team in every rally.&nbsp; Middle Sydney Winfrey has long arms and uses them well at the net while blocking.&nbsp; Right side Saphina Stanley shows off some great athleticism by running both high tempo sets and quicker routes out of the middle as well in the same match.&nbsp; That kind of athleticism doesn't go unnoticed by scouts and recruiters.&nbsp; Setter London Baker is ready and willing to do anything her team needs.&nbsp; I like her footwork when tracking down passes and digs from her passers.&nbsp; Although this team doesn't have a lot of players on their roster, they all fight well together and will not go down without some serious punches.&nbsp; Stay tuned to see them in action this summer at nationals.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite teams and athletes that will be attending nationals.&nbsp; If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at <a href="mailto:Michael@prepdig.com">Michael@prepdig.com</a>.&nbsp; Also don't forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends.&nbsp; Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->