Ready to roll with 16 Open, National, and USA GJNC
The next group up kicking off July 1 will be the 16s and 17s at USAV GJNC in Indianapolis. Who will be the next team taking an aim at a national title after seeing Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite win in…
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Continue ReadingThe next group up kicking off July 1 will be the 16s and 17s at USAV GJNC in Indianapolis. Who will be the next team taking an aim at a national title after seeing Rockwood Thunder 15 Elite win in 15 national! Today we look at the teams going to battle in these three divisions.
Open
Dynasty 16 Black versus the field? We’ve tooted their horn all season and nothing changes as the top seed in the tournament looks to defend their 15 Open title. They have an AES posted record of 74-3…yes 74-3 this season! We’ve talked about the many pieces on this team and won’t take a lot of space to do that today but look for Reese Messer Reese Messer 5'11" | S St. James | 2025 State #6 Nation KS to lead this team from the setter position.
Rockwood Thunder 16 Elite joins Dynasty in the top pool. They earned their bid at Big South. Their 70% win percentage on the year makes them a contender. Recent Ohio St. commit libero Olivia Hasbrook Olivia Hasbrook 5'9" | DS/L Eureka | 2024 State #56 Nation MO will anchor the team’s defense. This pool is loaded and it will take a strong effort which this team is capable of providing.
Power ‘] 16-1 will be the second seed in pool 2. A strong season positioned themselves to get a good seeding. We will look to see if Jillian Huckabey Jillian Huckabey 6'0" | OH Olathe Northwest | 2024 State #74 Nation KS is recovered from a few weeks ago. Alea Goolsby Alea Goolsby 5'11" | OH St. Thomas Aquinas | 2025 State #36 Nation KS will provide the fireworks this holiday weekend from the pin.
National
We have four teams in our coverage zone ready to get going in the national division of GJNC. The highest seed out of the group is HPSTL 16 Royal, who is the second overall seed and leads pool 2. 54-20 on the year, they grabbed the Gateway Region’s national bid. Sammi Bergjans Sammi Bergjans 5'9" | S Incarnate Word Academy | 2024 State MO will run the show from the setter spot for Kevin Dunn’s team. The next highest seed out of the bunch is Mavs KC 16-1. We saw this team not long ago at Pre-National Tournament in Lawrence and they should be counted as a favorite this weekend. They get the top seed in pool 4. At 44-17, watch for the play of Sara Allmon Sara Allmon 6'0" | OH Olathe South | 2024 KS from the outside position.
The second Power ‘] team in their 16-2 team earned a bid from the Heart of America region and will be a tough out. They have been consistent all year and showed off a bit during their Power league run. They are set to take action in pool 1. Shannon Frakes Shannon Frakes 6'0" | OH Spring Hill | 2024 State KS and Ashlynn Jaccard Ashlynn Jaccard 5'11" | MB Lansing | 2024 State KS will try to lead the way.
USA
The lone team from our coverage area in the USA division will be the second team from Rockwood 16’s, 16 Navy. They are one of the stronger “2” teams in the country and should be in the mix come day four. They also snatched their bid at Big South like their sister team in 16 Elite. With a 46-16 record, they have played a tough schedule which should prepare them for a tough 4-day gauntlet. Emma Hoing is a player who moved from Elite to Navy and increased her offensive input this season from the left pin.