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Four volleyball student-athletes from head coach Mark Pryor’s first signing class at Texas A&M University-Commerce have qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic National Tournament in Miami, Fla.
“In the club circuit, qualifying for the national tournament is the goal of every club team,” said Pryor. “For most teams, their season ends in early May. By qualifying for the national tournament, this has allowed our incoming athletes to continue to train for two more months. Those two months of extra training should really help them to arrive to campus in top shape and help them assimilate to the college game.”
Ashleigh Barnett, a 5-6 libero from Arlington, plays for Texas Advantage 18 Molten, which has been consistently ranked in the top three in the North Texas Region.
“I am extremely excited about participating in nationals in Miami Beach this summer,” said Barnett. “After winning both of our qualifying tournaments, I am confident that my team and I will do well in our very last club tournament together. The competition there will be intense, so we will leave our hearts on the court. The skill level at the National tournament is spectacular! Playing the top teams in the nation will help me better prepare for volleyball in college."
Reagan Hayes (5-11, OH/OPP), Morgan Moeller (5-9, OH) and Rachel Robertson (6-1, MB) all play for Dallas Summit 18 Mizuno, which has been ranked in the top ten regionally throughout the season.
“I am really excited about the chance to play at nationals and with such tough competition,” said Hayes. “This is going to be an amazing experience for me and two other future Lions: Rachel and Morgan. I feel that this will help prepare us for what we will be seeing at the next level of play.”
Robertson added that “it’s good to keep practicing because that is just more reps and will help with my college season. Going to college to be an athlete is going to be so physically demanding and I am so happy that I got the opportunity to have more practice to see a glimpse of what college is going to be like.”
The tournament takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center from June 26-July 5.
“Having half of our incoming class competing and training through the beginning of July should really be a benefit to the program,” said Pryor.
“I do like the fact that Morgan, Reagan, and Rachel have all played on the same club team for about eight months now. Developing chemistry as a team is not easy… it takes time, and hopefully with all three being so familiar with one another it can help our program as we welcome in eight new athletes to the program.”
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