USAV GJNC Teams to Watch – 17 Liberty 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 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>[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] 17 National Black</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] is led by head coach Tori Bates.&nbsp; They have been doing really well this season and we are excited to see them compete at Nationals.&nbsp; Setters [player_tooltip player_id='254310' first='Trinity' last='Richey'] and Raegan Brown lead the way for this awesome squad.&nbsp; Raegan has a beast of a serve that is stifling to a lot of receivers. &nbsp;Trinity is very deceptive with her location and has fooled a lot of opposing middles while setting her pins to one on one situations. Jorgia Sanchez is a stud in the middle and I love the way she covers the entire length of the net.&nbsp; From pin to pin, there is no doubt that she is a threat to shut anyone down.&nbsp; Her arms are extremely long and she uses them very well to close the block when her feet can't get all the way to the outside blocker.&nbsp; Everything about her play leads me to think that she will be playing at the next level soon.&nbsp; Libero Ella Willenborg covers a lot of ground in the back row.&nbsp; I like how active she is in the position.&nbsp; Most college coaches will fall in love with how she plays the game.&nbsp; Her platform has a natural touch on the ball, which rebounds very well toward her setters.&nbsp; [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] is known for their amazing defensive liberos and she is another in the long line of amazing players.&nbsp; What I also like about her play is how she is able to keep her platform well away from her body and create some amazing angles as the ball trails a little outside of her body sometimes.&nbsp; Right side Cayla Ashworth has been playing very well on both sides of the ball lately.&nbsp; She is very athletic as a pin and can easily play both sides of the court if needed.&nbsp; When given the ball, she puts it down with authority.&nbsp; Claire Holcomb is a shut down blocker on the right side.&nbsp; Her athleticism is shown with her every attempt.&nbsp; This team has what it takes to make a solid run to the Gold bracket.&nbsp; We will be watching very closely to see how they fare.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>SA Elite 17 Navy</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The head coach of this team is Krystal Puente.&nbsp; They have tons of top finishes in lots of their tournaments this season.&nbsp; No matter who is in their way, they will be competitive for sure.&nbsp; Setter Sophie Detoro starts off serving in rotation one and has a cannon that stifles opposing passers.&nbsp; She also does a fantastic job of moving the ball around and running plays when they can.&nbsp; Outside hitter Maylin Ortega is one of the big guns that this squad likes to unleash on everyone.&nbsp; She has lots of natural power in her upper body that helps to kill the ball.&nbsp; I like how she uses that power at the service line also to help this squad stay aggressive and effective.&nbsp; Outside hitter Helen Guajardo is the other sniper who loves to swing with authority on the pins.&nbsp; She is not afraid to swing for the fences at any given time.&nbsp; I love how this team brings her around for the second tempo set during in system play sets.&nbsp; You never know where Sophie will deliver the ball and that is the beauty of the deception.&nbsp; Libero Azalea De Leon plays the game with a lot of passion and energy just like the position is supposed to be played.&nbsp; Middles [player_tooltip player_id='449059' first='Ella' last='Goolsby'] and Rayna Disnmore do such a great job of setting the table for the defense.&nbsp; They both hold their hands high and put a lot of pressure on the offense to hit around them in order to score.&nbsp; They are fun to watch and we hope you get to see them in action in Las Vegas.</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 -->