Six 2026 Prospects to Watch at the USAV GJNC

Dallas is the host city for the 16 and 17-year-old age groups of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship this week. The majority of the Teams earned a bid to the tournament, with Sudden Impact 17 earning a bid to the highest possible Open Division. These six prospects from the class of 2026 featured here are one group of many we will be watching attempting to make a run at a title in the next several days.    Shurtleff has excellent body control and terrific eye-hand coordination; she is the epitome of a ball-control defensive player in the back row. She will move her body and platform in sync or separately to control a serve or swing and deliver it accurately to her setter. Shurtleff is athletic enough to play as an attacker during the school season, but with CRU, her defensive strength is showcased in the libero or DS role. CRU earned a USA bid at PNQ to secure their spot in Dallas.     The Western Washington verbal community has built her game steadily to an outstanding level. She has always had excellent athleticism and a strong arm swing, and has added shots and attacking hands to her offensive arsenal. Terry is part of a Sudden Impact team headed to play in the Open Division, an excellent accomplishment for the team from the Puget Sound Region.     Clun South 17 has stacked big wins this season, and Nichols has come on late in the season to add another quality scorer to their rotation of attackers. The Lewis and Clark 2026 prospect has an accurate swing that scores from either pin, and she is passing well in serve receive when she is in the back row. Nichols is adept at attacking and scoring off the block; she has a good feel for finding the edge and sending a swing careening out for a point.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/dyyXEdr6Lbc?si=kZQXNrPjkpcJ8aN2 </div></figure>     Krough is a multi-sport standout for CPA out of Kamiah, Idaho. Krogh has good size and athleticism at the setter spot, and she plays the front row for CPA as a right-side attacker. The 2026 prospect is a leader and floor general for her team; she's clutch when it's time to secure a win in a set or a match.     Mars is a high-flying terminator operating primarily on the outside for [program_tooltip program_id='747679' first='Emerald' last='Rain'] this season. The Timberline 2026 prospect has added to her offensive toolbox, dropping in accurate tips and finding high hands with big rips down the line. Mars has patience and gets her feet set to the ball on out-of-system sets, then delivers the swing or shot needed to score or make life tough for the defense.     Meshalkin does an excellent job connecting with the quick, high sets Athena 16 Gold likes to run out of serve receive, and free balls. The Union standout has a strong and accurate arm, as well as the vision to read opposing offenses and cover up an attacker with her solid press. Athena has an excellent rotation of middles with Meshalkin, 2027 Ashlyn Pederson, and 2027 Sophia Silva. The team will play in the Liberty Division at Nationals.

Dallas is the host city for the 16 and 17-year-old age groups of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship this week. The majority of the Teams earned a bid to the tournament, with Sudden Impact 17 earning a bid to the highest possible Open Division. These six prospects from the class of 2026 featured here are one group of many we will be watching attempting to make a run at a title in the next several days.