USAV GJNC Teams to Watch – 17 National Vol 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>USA Jr Nationals, which will be held in Las Vegas in early July, is the ultimate test to the end of the season as it will bring together all of the teams who have earned a bid to participate.&nbsp; These wonderful teams have proven themselves through a very long and grueling club season and will compete against other top-notch teams who have earned the right to play in this prestigious tourney.&nbsp; We will be highlighting teams and individual players from the 17 National division that we think you should be watching during the tourney in this series of articles.&nbsp; Let's take a look at a few names to know!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Vision 17 Gold</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vision won their bid at the Northern California Regional Tourney.&nbsp; They are led by head coach Katy Ripp.&nbsp; We saw them compete a few times this season and were very impressed. &nbsp;Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='538056' first='Giselle' last='Paedon'] can get up in a hurry and has a cannon for an arm.&nbsp; I like the way she plays the game with a high volleyball IQ and has a lot of ways she can score with the ball.&nbsp; Libero [player_tooltip player_id='538042' first='Allison' last='Khau'] is fast all over the court and talks to her teammates well during dead balls.&nbsp; She does a great job of covering each hitter so that they can swing away without pressure.&nbsp; Pin hitter Isabella “Izzy” Romero is a big time scorer who this team trusts a lot on offense.&nbsp; Her all around game is something to marvel at.&nbsp; She is capable of playing multiple positions at a high level.&nbsp; Setter [player_tooltip player_id='538054' first='Meki' last='Maile'] is as calm as ever no matter what is happening in the game.&nbsp; I love that she doesn't let any kind of pressure get to her while she is dishing the rock.&nbsp; When you see how locked in she is, you can see that she has nerves of steel.&nbsp; Middle Siena Morales plays very big at the net.&nbsp; I love watching her patrol the net because she takes very efficient movements to produce at a high level for her squad.&nbsp; She can block with the best in the age group and opposing coaches should watch out for her in her three rotations.&nbsp; Outside Ella Duong provides a solid scoring option out of the OH2 position.&nbsp; She is very reliable and doesn't make many mistakes with her right arm.&nbsp; Stay tuned for more from this talented squad at nationals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>[program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] 17N Blue</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='475085' first='1United' last=''] won their bid at the North Texas Regional Tourney.&nbsp; They are led by head coach Jimmy Stanek and some solid ballers.&nbsp; As a libero, Avery Penrod really turned my head with her footwork.&nbsp; I truly liked how she never put her heels on the ground when moving on the court.&nbsp; Her reaction time was super fast and that is due to how she is always anticipating the attack.&nbsp; Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='318225' first='Breanna' last='Smith'] has a very powerful upper body that is waiting to unleash fury on anyone the moment she gets the set.&nbsp; She is a six rotation outside who plays defense well out of middle back.&nbsp; The player who swings with a vicious attack on the right side is Sophia Thomas.&nbsp; You can count on any ball that she makes contact with to have a very lethal pace to it.&nbsp; Outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='751902' first='Sydney' last='Atkinson'] is someone that all schools need to watch out for.&nbsp; She has a prototypical frame and the game to back it up.&nbsp; I have put her on my watch list and you should also.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='484379' first='Brooke' last='Starr'] and Amy Cook share the 6-2 setting responsibilities and both move the ball around very well.&nbsp; They know their teammates tendencies well and feed the hot hand.&nbsp; They compliment each other so that the offense doesn't skip a beat when they rotate in/out.&nbsp; Both middles Hailey Barlow and Andrea Chavarria are solid on both ends of the court.&nbsp; They move well laterally and close the block with precision footwork.&nbsp; We will keep out eye on this team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite teams and athletes that will be attending nationals.&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; 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 retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.&nbsp; Thanks for following Prep Dig Family!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->