GJNC Preview: 15 Liberty, American, and Freedom
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The final preview for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships will focus on the remaining divisions not covered. The Liberty bids are earned in qualifier tournaments. American can be earned in both qualifiers and region play. The Freedom bids also…
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Continue ReadingThe final preview for the USAV Girls Junior National Championships will focus on the remaining divisions not covered. The Liberty bids are earned in qualifier tournaments. American can be earned in both qualifiers and region play. The Freedom bids also come from region play.
Liberty
Mineral Area 15 Elite
Mineral Area will join the party in Vegas after capturing the title at MEQ during the qualifier season. They are a talented group with numerous players making a showing in our initial class of 27 rankings last month. Their offense starts in the middle with Eden Robart Eden Robart 6'0" | MB Potosi | 2027 State MO and Ella Pierce Ella Pierce 6'0" | MB Farmington | 2027 State MO . The 6’0″ tandem has provided a good one-two punch in the middle with their scoring and blocking abilities. Maggie Wood Maggie Wood 5'7" | DS/L Fredericktown | 2027 State MO has been a catalyst defensively and provides energy to this team. They have racked up over 50 wins this spring and have the pieces to make a deep run in the Liberty division.
Mavs KC 15-2
Mavs earned a bid from the Northeast Qualifier after coming up short in previous qualifiers. The Kansas-based team features some Missouri players, hence why they are included in our preview. Tatum Massey Tatum Massey 5'7" | DS/L Staley | 2027 State MO of Staley High School is one of those players and a defensive sparkplug for this Mavs team. Her ability to provide a steady presence in the back row earned her a top 30 ranking in the 2027 class. Ally Conner Ally Conner 5'11" | S Notre Dame De Sion | 2027 State MO has shown a great skill set from the setter position. This team will enter nationals with 58 wins on the season in matches posted to AES.
Pohaku 15-1
Pohaku received a bid that returned to the region once another team moved up a division. Again, they are a Kansas team with a handful of Missouri players. They played a heavy Open qualifier schedule and can make a title run in this division. Middle Grace Schwartz Grace Schwartz 5'11" | MB Raymore-Peculiar | 2027 State MO of Raymore-Peculiar is the 17th-ranked player in the class and has shown she is a player to watch. Nora Ottis Nora Ottis 5'6" | DS/L North Kansas City | 2027 State MO is dependable in the passing game and will work to keep her team in system to score often.
American
417 Columbia 15-1
The Columbia branch of 417 will join the fray after winning the sole bid at the Show Me Qualifier. This was after a 9th-place finish weeks prior at MEQ. Leah Heisler Leah Heisler 5'8" | OH Jefferson City | 2027 State MO has been busy this spring and her play earned her a spot in our first class of 2027 rankings in May. She is a player who has shown she can produce on the pin. 6’4″ Olivia Davis Olivia Davis 6'4" | MB Boonville | 2027 State MO is a player to watch in the middle as she can affect the game offensively and defensively.
Missouri Jrs. 15-1
Missouri Jrs. will compete at Nationals courtesy of a region bid. 15 Blue attempted to earn a bid in the Liberty division and came close, finishing 5th at MEQ. Kaya Dercher Kaya Dercher 5'9" | OH Rock Bridge | 2027 State MO is a high-energy outside who they will look to get involved early to set the tone. Ellie Boyer Ellie Boyer 5'6" | DS/L Battle | 2027 State MO and Hayley Hoffmann Hayley Hoffmann 5'5" | DS/L Helias | 2027 State MO will work hard to keep the floor free of balls.
417 Juniors 15-1
417 also benefited from the region’s trickle-down and will play in the American division. They’ve been up and down this year but have a roster of talent that can make a run over four days. They have fire Power on the outside with Alivia Wood Alivia Wood 5'10" | OH Nixa | 2027 State MO and Avery Rohrer Avery Rohrer 5'10" | OH Ozark | 2027 State MO . Middle blocker Raegan Brannock Raegan Brannock 5'11" | MB Willard | 2027 State MO moves well along the front row and is effective when on the court. Setters Sophia Estes Sophia Estes 5'7" | S Nixa | 2027 State MO and Kendall Gwennap Kendall Gwennap 5'6" | S Logan-Rogersville | 2027 State MO are a good setter combo.
Missouri Volleyball Academy 15 Gold
The Gateway region will feature MOVA 15 Gold. The St. Charles-based team racked up close to 60 wins this spring. Molly Stephens is an opposite and has shown promise on the right side. Allison Prather runs the offense from the setter position. They will enter nationals fresh off a 3rd place finish in the elite division at AAU nationals.
Power ‘] 15 Red
Power 15 Red features some notable Missouri athletes and holds a 57-12 record based on AES. They won the American division at MEQ, coming out on top of 127 teams. They followed that up barely missing Liberty bids in tournaments in April. Lee’s Summit West player Dakota Fraase Dakota Fraase 5'11" | RS Lee's Summit West | 2027 State MO is the 37th-ranked player in the class and is one of the top right sides in the state. Hadley Cleavenger is a solid defender and makes jaw-dropping plays in the back row.
Freedom
Club North 15-1
15 Molley as listed officially had over 40 wins this spring and earned their bid from region play. Their play has gotten better week after week and they will rely on players like Park Hill’s Anja Karadjova Anja Karadjova 5'8" | OH Park Hill | 2027 State MO to make things happen offensively. She can score points in a few different ways. Paige Outler Paige Outler 6'0" | MB Smithville | 2027 State MO and Emily Hart Emily Hart 5'10" | MB Smithville | 2027 State MO have turned heads from the middle and provide good size and skills.