COUNTY — Three Pickens County volleyball players from Carolina One Volleyball have been selected to participate in the USA Volleyball High Performance Programs, designating them as some of the best volleyball players in the nation.

Two girls are from the School District of Pickens County — Sydney Bolding of Pickens High and Gabriela Martinez of Easley High. Easley resident Alexia Albright, who attends Powdersville High, was also selected.

Following nationwide tryouts, USA Volleyball selected top athletes in each age group from across the country to participate in its training programs, camps, and Youth and Junior National Teams.

Bolding, a rising sophomore at Pickens High,  was selected to the USAV Youth A2 Program. Bolding is one of only 128 players in the country — and just three in South Carolina — invited to participate in the program, which took place in Colorado Springs, Colo., for seven days. While in Colorado, Bolding had  the opportunity to train with some of the best volleyball players in the country, under the tutelage of renowned high-performance pipeline coaches. The rigorous training program included skill and position training for five days, two days of competition and numerous classroom sessions. Bolding was also designated as an alternate for the USAV Youth A1 Team.

Martinez, a rising freshman libero at Easley, and Albright, a rising freshman outside hitter at Powdersville,  were among 128 athletes selected to participate in the USAV Select A3 program. As two of only six athletes from South Carolina selected, Martinez and Albright were also both named as alternates for the USAV Select A2 program. Both players will attend the A3 training site in Sonoma, Calif., this month, where they will train with other high performers and learn from USA Volleyball high-performance pipeline coaches.