COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 24, 2018) – The USA Volleyball Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships (GJNC18) will bring 296 teams and approximately 3,000 athletes vying for a chance to win one of five titles April 27-29 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
The 18-and-under age group event is in its third year as a standalone championship outside of the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships, which will be held later this summer in Detroit for age groups from 11-and-under to 17-and-under. The GJNC18 will be played on 40 courts inside the Anaheim Convention Center with first serve taking place at 8 a.m. PT on April 27.
The premier 18 Open Division will have a 36-team field. Each 18 Open club earned their spot at nationals through one of 16 national qualifiers held across the country since early January. The 18 USA and 18 American Divisions also placed 48 and 64 teams into the GJNC18s, respectively, through the national qualifier tournaments.
The 18 National Division has a 48-team field based on results from USA Volleyball’s Regional Volleyball Association championship events, at-large bids and re-allocation spots. The 18 Patriot Division has a 100-team field for clubs who elected to have a season-ending tournament but without having to qualify for the event.
USA Volleyball will be live streaming four courts (#21-24), including both championship courts, from the first serve on April 27 to the final serve on April 29.
To connect our national team athletes to aspiring Olympians, the U.S. Women’s National Team will hold a training session on Friday from 9-11:30 a.m. PT on Court 24. The training session will be streamed live to the world through the link above. Following the training session, the U.S. Women will hold an autograph session next to Court 24 for players, families and fans in attendance. Anaheim is the official host city for the U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Volleyball Teams.
The 18 Open Division had 14 different winners at the 16 national qualifying events with two teams winning two tournaments. Circle City 18 Purple (Hoosier Region), the top seed in the 18 Open Division, won the season-opening Girls’ Winter Volleyball Championship qualifier and followed that up with the Mideast Qualifier title. TAV 18 Black, who won the 2017 GJNC 17 Open Division, won the Lone Star Qualifier in the final chance of the qualifier of the season.
IL HPSTL 18 Elite (Gateway) won Beast of the Southeast and the Mideast Qualifier titles in the USA Division, the only club to win multiple qualifier titles in the division.
GA5 18-1 April (Southern) captured the Music City Volleyball Championships and the Beast of the Southeast American Division titles. They are the only club to win two titles in the American Division qualifiers.
Players and families are encouraged to follow and engage in social media detailing their tournament experience by using the hashtag #GJNC18. USA Volleyball will be posting social media content to its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms under the handle @USAVolleyball.
Sport Court is the official athletic flooring for all USA Volleyball national championship events.
Top GJNC18 Seeds
18 Open: 1. Circle City 18 Purple (Hoosier); 2. Legacy 18-Elite (Lakeshore); 3. Aspire 18 Rox (Arizona); 4. KC Power 18-1 (Heart of America); 5. Texas Tornados 18 Mizuno (Lone Star); 6. SA Magic 18 Elite (Lone Star)
18 National: 1. Northern Lights 18-1 (North Country); 2. Metro 18 Travel (Chesapeake); 3. Rancho Valley 18 Premier (Southern California); 4. Rockwood Thunder 18 Mizuno (Gateway); 5. Forza1 18 UA (Southern California); 6. Asics Willowbrook 18 Gold (Lone Star); 7. Beach Elite 18B adidas (Old Dominion); 8. Alliance 18 Mizuno (Southern)
18 USA: 1. Northern Lights 18-2 (North Country); 2. IL HPSTL 18 Elite (Gateway); 3. Upward Stars 18 Corey (Palmetto); 4. Elite VBTC 18 Chelsea (Ohio Valley); 5. CVC 18 Dixon (Ohio Valley); 6. HPSTL 18 Orange (Gateway); 7. TAV 18 Blue (North Texas); 8. Webfoot 18-1 Gold (Columbia Empire)
18 American: 1. Momentous 18-1 Randy (Southern California); 2. Momentum 18 Staci (Rocky Mountain); 3. WAVE 18 Brennan (Southern California); 4. Houston Skyline 18 Royal (Lone Star); 5. SA Sting 18 Black (Lone Star); 6. AVA Texas 18 Team Rox (Lone Star); 7. Stingray Black 18-1 (Northern California); 8. Mavericks 900 18 Black (Southern California)
18 Patriot: 1. Laguna Beach 18MS (Southern California); 2. KJ 18 Baden (Puget Sound); 3. 951 Elite 18-1 Wild Pepper (Southern California); 4. Club One AZ 18 Platinum (Arizona); 5. Forza1 North 18 USA (Southern California); 6. Brandywine Blackout 18-1 (Chesapeake); 7. Seattle Juniors 18 (Puget Sound); 8. LV Impact 18s (Southern California)
18 Open Qualifier Winners
Girls’ Winter Volleyball Championships: Circle City 18 Purple (Hoosier)
KC MLK 18s National Qualifier: KC Power 18-1 (Heart of America)
Northern Lights: Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold (Badger)
AVC – Dallas 18s Qualifier: SG Elite 18 Roshambo (Southern California)
Music City Volleyball Championships: Aspire 18 Rox (Arizona)
Ohio Valley: Legacy 18-Elite (Lakeshore)
Florida National 18 Q: OPU 18 Rox Blue (Florida)
Beast of the Southeast: TAV 18 Black (North Texas)
Boston VB Festival: OT 18 T. Aaron (Florida)
Golden State Q: Absolute 18 Black (Northern California)
Southern California: A4 Volley 18-Purple (Southern California)
Colorado Crossroads: Club V 18 Ren (Intermountain)
Pacific Northwest: Manoa Beach 18s (Aloha)
Mideast: Circle City 18 Purple (Hoosier)
Northeast: EXCEL 18 National Red (North Texas)
Lone Star: TAV 18 Black (North Texas)
18 USA Qualifier Winners
Girls’ Winter Volleyball Championships: OT 18 S. Tom (Florida)
KC MLK 18s National Qualifier: Northern Lights 18-2 (North Country)
Northern Lights: Premier Nebraska 18 Gold (Great Plains)
AVC – Dallas 18s Qualifier: Houston Juniors (Lone Star:)
Music City Volleyball Championships: A5 Mizuno 18-2 John (Southern)
Ohio Valley: Elite VBTC 18 Chelsea (Ohio Valley)
Florida National 18 Q: Palm Beach Jrs. 18 E (Florida)
Beast of the Southeast: IL HPSTL 18 Elite (Gateway)
Boston VB Festival: ASICS MAVS 181 (Heart of America)
Golden State Q: Bakersfield 18-John (Southern California)
Southern California: Vegas Aces 18 UnderArmour (Southern California)
Colorado Crossroads: Kairos Elite 18 Beta (North Country)
Pacific Northwest: Webfoot 18-1 Gold (Columbia Empire)
Mideast: IL HPSTL 18 Elite (Gateway)
Northeast: EC Power 18-Royal (Keystone)
Lone Star: TAV 18 Blue (North Texas)
18 American Qualifier Winners
Girls’ Winter Volleyball Championships: SWVBC G18 (Badger)
KC MLK 18s National Qualifier: Iowa Rockets 18R (Iowa)
Northern Lights: Nebraska Elite 18 Envy (Great Plains)
AVC – Dallas 18s Qualifier: GCVA 181 Coast (Lone Star:)
Music City Volleyball Championships: GA5 18-1 April (Southern)
Ohio Valley: MDJRS 18 Elite (Chesapeake)
Florida National 18 Q: JJVA Team Rox 18N Ashley (Florida)
Beast of the Southeast: GA5 18-April (Southern)
Boston VB Festival: LVA 18 Elite (Florida)
Golden State Q: Infinity 18 Teal (Northern California)
Southern California: Coast 18-2 (Southern California)
Colorado Crossroads: Fight Club VB 18-1 (Heart of America)
Pacific Northwest: Stingray Black 18-1 (Northern California)
Mideast: Epic United 18 Elite Rox (Great Lakes)
Northeast: Downstate 18 Black (Garden Empire)
Lone Star: ZIVA 18 National (North Texas)