Club Team Spotlight: NPJ 18-1 National & NPJ 17-1 National (Bend)

North Pacific Juniors 18-1 National (Bend)

After solidifying NPJ prominence in the Salem area, club director Adam Ellis began expanding on the NPJ name, putting down roots in Bend, OR, Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA over the past few years. The Bend franchise has risen to dominance in the CEVA region and the NPJ 18-1 National team is a culmination of these efforts. With only nine players on the roster, they are small but mighty and are in good hands with coaches Courtney Shaffer and Randi Viggiano. 

SETTING

The lone setter on the roster is Kate Doorn Kate Doorn 5'10" | S Summit | 2022 State OR {Pictured}, from Summit High School. The #1 recruit for the setter position, Doorn knows what she is doing on the court. Check out this one-handed set to the outside! She recently came back from a foot injury, and had to sit out a majority of this past high school season, but is playing like she never left. Expect Doorn to run a 5-1 the entirety of the season before heading to the University of Idaho. 

FRONT ROW

Their front row is stacked with some serious Bend talent. Greta Davis Greta Davis 5'11" | OH Sisters | 2022 State OR (Sacramento State), arguably one of the most lethal and dominant outside hitters in her class, is back in action after breaking her fibula at the beginning of the high school season. Like the seasons prior, she will take on the brunt of the offensive load, playing all six rotations. However, Taylor Brickey Taylor Brickey 5'11" | OH Summit | 2022 State OR {Pictured} will be playing Davis’ opposite and is sure to be an impact player for the team. She has shown drastic improvement over the past year and a half and really came into her own this high school season playing as a six-rotation outside attacker for the Summit High School Storm. In the middle, the team will have Marley Hardgrave Marley Hardgrave 6'3" | MB Bend | 2022 State OR (Seattle University) and Gracie Piper. Both Hardgrave and Piper are coming off a great season for Bend High School, helping them finish 3rd in the 6A State tournament. On the right side, also from Bend High School, is leftie Abby Francis Abby Francis 5'10" | RS Bend | 2022 State OR (Emerson College). 

BACK ROW 

Thus far Celia Espinoza Celia Espinoza 5'3" | DS/L Mountain View | 2022 State OR , from Mountainview High School, has been sporting the libero jersey. A recent Santa Barbara City College commit, Espinoza has been a primary passer for this group for seasons. The team is also rostering defensive specialists Alyssa Hicks, from Bend High School, and Hannah Kendall Hannah Kendall 5'5" | DS/L Summit | 2022 State OR , from Summit High School. Kendall spent the season for the Storm as their primary libero. 

North Pacific Juniors 17-1 National (Bend)

The NPJ 17-1 National team has pulled top 2023 talent from the Bend area. Most athletes on the team compete for one of three high schools: Bend, Summit, and Ridgeview. Because of this, all of the athletes have played with one another in some capacity. This makes for a very cohesive unit. Led by Alicia Roe from Caldera High School, this team has already moved to #15 in the CEVA region. 

SETTING

With three rostered setters, this team alternates between them. You can pretty much always expect Taylor Clark Taylor Clark 5'8" | S Bend | 2023 State OR , from Bend High School, to be in the setting rotation. As their primary setter, she brings constituency and positivity to the court. A Laguna Beach Volleyball athlete as well, Clark competes on the sand year-round on top of playing on the court. Rachel Lester, from Ridgeview High School, is often seen opposite Clark running a 6-2. Hayden Hamilton Hayden Hamilton 5'11" | S Ridgeview | 2023 State OR is the new addition to this group, after moving from Salem to Bend this past year. She played for Ridgeview High School, and set a 6-2 alongside Lester, this past season, helping them finish 3rd in the 5A State tournament. While a setter most of her career, Hamilton can step into an attacking role when needed given her height and arm swing. At a recent tournament, she played middle blocker.

FRONT ROW

On the pins, Jillian Stein Jillian Stein 5'8" | OH Bend | 2023 State OR and Shannon MacCallum Shannon MacCallum 5'10" | OH Summit | 2023 State OR {Pictured} can be seen on the outside. Stein is coming off a stellar high school season for Bend High School where the team finished 3rd in the 6A State tournament. As one of their six-rotation outside attackers, she was critical in their success. MacCallum was a six-rotation outside attacker for Summit High School this past season and was a definite impact player for the team. MacCallum was previously a middle blocker but has quickly transitioned to being a dominant outside attacker over the past two seasons. She has really honed in on her all-around play, and her back row game has improved substantially. In the middle,  Chloe Jackson from Summit High School, and Madie Vaughn Madie Vaughn 5'9" | OH Ridgeview | 2023 State OR from Ridgeview High School are both great options. Jackson and Vaughn have typically been seen on the pins but have been seen in the middle thus far.  

BACK ROW

The primary libero of the group is Sophia Besaw from Summit High School. She is coming off a fantastic season with the Storm where she was typically seen playing right-back defense. Emily Beal is also in the rotation, either as a defensive specialist or as libero #2. Beal spent the high school season playing for Bend Senior High School on their JV1 team.