USA Volleyball GNJC Preview – Teams to Watch Vol 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most difficult aspects of the club volleyball season is to earn the elusive bid to USA Volleyball's Girls Junior National Championship.&nbsp; This year, the prestigious event will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas from June 25^th til July 3^rd.&nbsp; Prep Dig will be covering the event from start to finish.&nbsp; This article series will be highlighting those awesome squads who have earned their place for the chance to be crowned a national champion.&nbsp; Let's take a deep look at some of the individual stars for each of these teams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TAV 15 Blue</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This squad had a tremendous season and capped it off with earning their USA division bid at the Lone Star Classic National Qualifier with a fifth place finish.&nbsp; Their run was helped with awesome offense from a few individuals.&nbsp; I love how they bring right side Finley Gray around to the middle to hit the second tempo sets.&nbsp; It really keeps the defense on their toes and creates deception to help them score.&nbsp; Middle blocker Shiloh Bridges really stood her ground at the net and funneled attacks around her so that the diggers behind her could set up well.&nbsp; Setter [player_tooltip player_id='569711' first='Brooklyn' last='Kimberlin'] looks very comfortable in right back while on defense.&nbsp; She stays home while the opposition attacks and doesn't cheat toward the net at all and this helps the entire squad play better defensively knowing she will cover her spot.&nbsp; As a setter, she delivers the ball well and can track down errant passes with ease.&nbsp; She also is able to stay in the front row as an attacker to provide some added firepower if needed.&nbsp; Left side Sophie Perdue has a lightning fast arm swing that can score points very efficiently.&nbsp; Despite not being super tall, she is very bouncy and has a great vertical to play very well above the net.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='727323' first='Megan' last='Smith'] shows off some very soft hands while helping to run the 6-2 offense.&nbsp; We will be watching this squad very closely at nationals and think you should as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Arete 15 Navy Telos</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This squad earned their USA division bid at the Lone Star Classic National Qualifier with a championship finish as they dominated the tourney in impressive fashion.&nbsp; Middle [player_tooltip player_id='743005' first='Catelijne' last='Van Ham'] is a show-stopping shut down blocker at the net.&nbsp; I love how she presses over with near perfect timing to seal the net away from would-be point scorers.&nbsp; She is definitely someone I will be watching moving forward.&nbsp; Daphne Peters is solid on the pins as she can get up very high and swing with immense power.&nbsp; Setters [player_tooltip player_id='569719' first='Lyla' last='Mueller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='411930' first='Emma' last='Carle'] do a great job of making sure the offense does not skip a beat when they each rotate to the back row.&nbsp; Both are very accurate with their location and move the ball around to everyone.&nbsp; Left side [player_tooltip player_id='765143' first='Anna' last='Sayman'] may not wow you with her height, but she sure does with her solid ball control and huge arm swing on the pins.&nbsp; I love how she times her attack so well for each attempt.&nbsp; She proves that you do not have to be over six foot in order to hit with power and score.&nbsp; Middle [player_tooltip player_id='765121' first='Brooklyn' last='Horton'] is full of raw natural power and she unleashes it on everyone with each attempt.&nbsp; This squad is very well coached by Taryn Parker and staff.&nbsp; We have watched them a few times this season and think they have what it takes to potentially take home a medal this summer.&nbsp; We are going to keep our eyes on them in Dallas during the tourney.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are very proud of their efforts and are so elated that they accomplished one huge goal of theirs to earn the elusive bid to USA Nationals.&nbsp; There are many more amazing teams and players that will be written about.&nbsp; Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes.&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; You can also DM me on Instagram or X by searching @CoachMikeDZ.&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 reposting on X, Instagram or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->