GJNC Preview: 15 Liberty, American, and Freedom

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 come from region play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Libert</span></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">y</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mineral Area 15 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 [player_tooltip player_id='485570' first='Eden' last='Robart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='544680' first='Ella' last='Pierce']. The 6'0" tandem has provided a good one-two punch in the middle with their scoring and blocking abilities. [player_tooltip player_id='544683' first='Maggie' last='Wood'] 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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mavs KC 15-2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. [player_tooltip player_id='445924' first='Tatum' last='Massey'] 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. [player_tooltip player_id='544702' first='Ally' last='Conner'] 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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='515466' first='Pohaku' last=''] 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 [player_tooltip player_id='536389' first='Grace' last='Schwartz'] of Raymore-Peculiar is the 17th-ranked player in the class and has shown she is a player to watch. [player_tooltip player_id='485639' first='Nora' last='Ottis'] is dependable in the passing game and will work to keep her team in system to score often. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">American</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>417 Columbia 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. [player_tooltip player_id='475325' first='Leah' last='Heisler'] 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" [player_tooltip player_id='319804' first='Olivia' last='Davis'] is a player to watch in the middle as she can affect the game offensively and defensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Missouri Jrs. 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. [player_tooltip player_id='526576' first='Kaya' last='Dercher'] is a high-energy outside who they will look to get involved early to set the tone. [player_tooltip player_id='544706' first='Ellie' last='Boyer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='526531' first='Hayley' last='Hoffmann'] will work hard to keep the floor free of balls. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>417 Juniors 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] on the outside with [player_tooltip player_id='544724' first='Alivia' last='Wood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='544726' first='Avery' last='Rohrer']. Middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='544727' first='Raegan' last='Brannock'] moves well along the front row and is effective when on the court. Setters [player_tooltip player_id='403141' first='Sophia' last='Estes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='487565' first='Kendall' last='Gwennap'] are a good setter combo. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Missouri Volleyball Academy 15 Gold</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='430200' first='KC' last='[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last='']'] 15 Red</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='428794' first='Power' last=''] 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 [player_tooltip player_id='525973' first='Dakota' last='Fraase'] 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. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Freedom</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='515493' first='Club' last='North'] 15-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 [player_tooltip player_id='517411' first='Anja' last='Karadjova'] to make things happen offensively. She can score points in a few different ways. [player_tooltip player_id='524813' first='Paige' last='Outler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='544730' first='Emily' last='Hart'] have turned heads from the middle and provide good size and skills. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->