USAV GJNC Teams to Watch – 17 American Vol 2

<!-- 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 American 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>Victory 17 Elite Black</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This squad won their bid by a reallocation process that went back to the amazing North Texas Region.&nbsp; Their finish at regionals told their story along with their body of work in the season. &nbsp;They are led by head coach Stephen Collins.&nbsp; Outside Hitter Avery Dusek does such a great job of creating momentum with her approach and this leads to some thunderous swings that she unleashes on every opponent.&nbsp; Her lethal attacks lead to some great momentum swings for her team.&nbsp; Her counterpart, Caroline Smith also brings some serious heat when she attacks.&nbsp; I also love the way she plays defense with a purpose.&nbsp; You can see it in her eyes and her movement that she is focused on the task at hand.&nbsp; Setter Carys O'Brien has great height and power in her strong frame and she uses both well.&nbsp; Libero Jenna Westemeier is amazing in the back row.&nbsp; I love how she always keeps her feet moving and she is never stagnant on defense.&nbsp; Her abilities are vast as she is able to dig well with her platform and also her hands.&nbsp; By using her hands so well on the defensive end, she is able to cover so much more surface area which makes it easier on her teammates to defend with her.&nbsp; The other setter in this 6-2 offense is Emerson Baderach.&nbsp; She does such a great job in keeping the offense flowing.&nbsp; When she arrives in the game, the offense does not skip a beat at all.&nbsp; She has soft hands and pinpoint accurate location to feed her hitters well.&nbsp; We will keep our eye on this squad at Nationals and you should also.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>SG Elite 17 Roshambo</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='429511' first='San' last='Gabriel Elite'] won their bid at the Southern California Regional tournament.&nbsp; They are led by head coach Nicki Holmes.&nbsp; This squad has something different that not many teams have.&nbsp; Due to the nature of the position and how body mechanics work, it is most common for left side attackers to be right handed.&nbsp; Outside hitter Taylor Treahy says, “Hold my drink.”&nbsp; She is the lengthy left side lefty pin who can throttle the ball.&nbsp; It is difficult because of the angles that are necessary in order to time the attack to be efficient and strong.&nbsp; Taylor makes it look so easy, even though we all know how difficult it actually is.&nbsp; She is a scoring threat from any location on the court and their offense flows through her.&nbsp; Setter Rhiana McKee knows exactly who she wants to deliver the ball to and does it so well.&nbsp; This team is literally in great “hands” as they have two solid setters who know how to move the ball around.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='219440' first='Aleina' last='Manaois'] jump set her way onto my radar for sure.&nbsp; She is silky smooth and has impeccable technique that look great dishing the rock.&nbsp; Both of these young ladies can flat out set the volleyball extremely well.&nbsp; Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='392603' first='Audrey' last='Nuckols'] is a battering ram that always breaks down the door in one punch.&nbsp; She is a scoring machine who must be tracked by opposing coaches as she can score in bunches from any location.&nbsp; Libero Addison Contreras does a solid job in the back row leading the ball control charge.&nbsp; She is a leader by example and never quits on the ball no matter where it goes.&nbsp; We think they have a shot at going far in Las Vegas due to their showing throughout a tough schedule this season.&nbsp; Stay tuned for more on this stellar squad.&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 -->