The 12 players chosen to represent the United States on the Girls Youth National Team (GYNT) at the FIVB Girls’ U18 World Championships are gearing up for competition. The team will train in California before leaving to compete in Cairo, Egypt from September 5-14 missing nearly three weeks of the high school season.

These high-level athletes will surely be missed on their respective teams as they suit up in a USA jersey and take time away from training and playing in-state rivals with their high school teammates. Would this happen to collegiate players missing part of their seasons? That's a topic for another day...

Seven of the 12 members of the GYNT are on high school teams ranked in the top 100 in the PrepVolleyball.com preseason rankings. Clearly, that means there are more talents on the team than just the one GYNT player, but to make a 12-player roster nationally, she must make quite an impact on the high school scene. And, her absence will make an impact, too.