Celebrating Hoosiers: Teams From Indiana at GJNC 18s, part 2

Kyp Harasymowycz April 27, 2023 @ 07:04 AM

<p>The two teams listed for today's edition actually met in the round of 16 in the USA division of the Mideast Qualifier. Both had already earned their bid to nationals, and both "upgraded" their bid to now compete in 18 USA in Columbus this weekend. Here they are, with three kids of one roster still available in the class of '24.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rev 18-1 (USA)</h2>   <p>Changing their bid from Freedom to USA at MEQ, this roster has a ton of talent from all over the Central Indiana area. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='99586' first='Gabby' last='Gilbert'] ('23, 5-11 OH, Norfolk State signee)</strong> was the first to commit to a Division 1 program on this squad, and is a heavy-armed pin attacker that terminates at will. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208628' first='Margo' last='Hernandez'] ('23, 5-11 S, South Alabama signee)</strong> has the perfect size, mentality and skill set to run an offense on her own. She also comes from a long line of volleyball studs---brother is on the roster at Ball State, while sister played at Georgia. Finally, the success story that is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='99589' first='Jessica' last='Pickett'] ('23, 6-5 MB, Valparaiso signee)</strong> is worth mentioning. Her size alone makes her a D-1 athlete. However, the surgery and setback of recovery that set her recruitment back a bit never deterred her from her ultimate goal---AND she gets to stay in-state at a great mid-major program. How's that for a feel-good story.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Circle City 18 Black (USA)</h2>   <p>With a 15-13 third-set victory in the round of 16 at MEQ over Rev 18-1, the 18-2s from Plainfield earned their trickle-down bid and upgraded from American to USA. Instead of talking about the signees from this roster, let's instead talk about three class of '24 athletes that (as of this writing) are still uncommitted. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110493' first='Abby' last='Sollenberger'] ('24, 6-1 MB, Brownsburg)</strong> is the biggest of the bunch, bringing a heavy arm and broad shoulders to the position. She should make an excellent M2 at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='290551' first='Lainey' last='Brauman'] ('24, 5-8 OH/DS, Tri-West)</strong> hits high, hard and fearlessly, despite her size. She can be anything from a six-rotation primary passer at a smaller school to a full-time defender at a larger school. Her skill set makes her very versatile. Finally, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171379' first='Jayla' last='Miller'] ('24, 5-8 OH/RS, Purdue Polytechnic)</strong> has explosive athleticism and can put balls away regularly from either pin.</p>

The two teams listed for today's edition actually met in the round of 16 in the USA division of the Mideast Qualifier. Both had already earned their bid to nationals, and both "upgraded" their bid to now compete in 18 USA in Columbus this weekend. Here they are, with three kids of one roster still available in the class of '24.