USA Volleyball GJNC Preview – Teams to Watch Vol 9

<!-- 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>Dallas Premier 17 Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The North Texas Region might be the toughest region in the nation.&nbsp; In every division, you will find many teams who have qualified for nationals.&nbsp; Dallas Premier 17 Black won their Liberty division bid at the Salt Lake City Showdown National Qualifier.&nbsp; A few of their players really stand out to me as I watch them perform.&nbsp; Middle Layleah Williams-Gibson has superb timing and technique as she presses over while blocking.&nbsp; Her abs are crunched and her shoulders penetrate forward as her body in a pike or C-shape position.&nbsp; It is textbook form and beautiful to watch as a volleyball purist.&nbsp; Setter Olivia Phan shows off her technical skill set as she delivers each location also.&nbsp; Her hands are a true mirror-image of each other and this will help her consistency throughout her career.&nbsp; Pins Aayeshah Mouti and Raniya Temple both are long and strong at the net.&nbsp; They can both be very dangerous while blocking and attacking.&nbsp; Libero Emma Ross really impressed me a lot with her ability to track down balls and keep her platform angle held strong even when going to the ground.&nbsp; Her effort and ability to make a play on the balls that are well beyond her reach speak volumes about her tenacious mentality.&nbsp; The way that this team plays, it tells me a lot about their coaching and attention to detail with their level of training.&nbsp; They will be fun to watch competing at nationals in their home town.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='429552' first='Temecula' last='Viper'] 17 Kurstan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Southern California Region squad earned their Liberty division bid at the Northern Lights Qualifier this season.&nbsp; They have some studs that have played very well together this year.&nbsp; Libero Malia Jones is as steady as they come in serve receive and while digging.&nbsp; She talks to her teammates well and enjoys her role well.&nbsp; Left side attacker Emerson Macias can get up in a hurry when she transitions from pass to attack.&nbsp; I like how confident she looks on the court.&nbsp; Her counterpart is left side [player_tooltip player_id='255325' first='Dakota' last='Carvo'] and they are solid duo.&nbsp; Dakota has a long reach and great power to score on anyone.&nbsp; When I watched them play, setter Analei Bradley ran a 5-1 and covered a ton of ground both defensively and while she tracked passes down.&nbsp; Her ability to run offense looked very good.&nbsp; I loved how she used her jump set well during all set locations.&nbsp; She looked very comfortable in her role and used her athleticism to help her team win.&nbsp; Attackers Sarah Guzzetti and Airyss Celestine both run multiple routes out of serve receive to give this team some offensive options and keep the defense guessing where the attack will come from.&nbsp; One thing I can see from them is how hard these young ladies fight.&nbsp; Whoever gets matched up with them at nationals better be ready for a battle on their hands.&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 -->