Metro Bounces Back to Win 16’s Chesapeake
Metro got a little revenge by defeating Paramount in the Chesapeake Region 16 Bids. Earlier in the day Paramount had beaten Metro in the 17 championship match. This appears to be a budding rivalry in bloom. Both Metro and Paramount…
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Continue ReadingMetro got a little revenge by defeating Paramount in the Chesapeake Region 16 Bids. Earlier in the day Paramount had beaten Metro in the 17 championship match. This appears to be a budding rivalry in bloom.
Both Metro and Paramount went into the finals not allowing their opponents 20 points. Metro is probably one of the top 16’s in the country and Paramount battled them close early. They reached 21 but fell short of the win. Metro proved to be too much for them in the second game winning 25-15.
Metro – The MVP of this match had to be the 6’2″ Emerson Sellman Emerson Sellman 6'4" | OH Academy of Holy Cross | 2024 State #5 Nation VA . She can do it all, play defense, pass and especially hit, both from the right side and left. She seems to avoid the block and find the court. When it was crunch time Emerson was the one the setters found the most reliable.
The 6’1″ Macaria Spears Macaria Spears 6'3" | OH Prestonwood Christian | 2025 State #5 Nation TX is a year younger than Sellman and hits the ball harder, but tends to find the block a little more. She also isn’t as precise a passer, but she is good enough to play six rotations. I would be surprised if there were two clubs with two outsides who can be as dominate on the volleyball court. When she gets a year more experience she could surpass Sellman in skill level and that will be scary.
This team has a trio of talented setters. The two Metro counted on in the playoffs was Natalie Nguyen Natalie Nguyen 5'5" | S Flint Hill | 2024 State VA and Erin Debiec Erin Debiec 6'1" | S Bishop O'Connell | 2024 State #92 Nation VA . Natalie dishes a quick, fast tempo set that the hitters love to attack because it usually leaves only one blocker up. She stands just 5’5″ and is always told she is too short to be a six rotation setter, but the Metro hitters cringe every time there is talk of a replacement. They love her setting and she has been playing with them since she was 13. Flint Hill won a State Championship and was the number one high school team in the D.C. area with her running mostly a 5/1 to many of the same players on her Metro team. Her defense in the back row is superb, with quick and precise movements as if she knows where the hitter will attack before the hitter knows.
Erin is a coach’s dream at 6’1″ with soft hands and the ability to put up a strong block in the front row. Metro has some strong right sides and prefers to run a 6’2″, but they did use her in the front row to set in one game, replacing Natalie. A Division 1 school will be lucky to have her. She also plays an excellent defense and her height allows her to play a shallower defense.
It is hard to call Clara Yu Clara Yu 5'10" | S Georgetown Day | 2024 State VA a third setter. At 5’9″ she could be a starting setter for any club in the Region so it is an embarrassment of riches for Metro to have those three. She does get a lot of playing time because there is not a lot of skill regression between the three.
The right sides are Renee Jones Renee Jones 6'5" | RS Flint Hill | 2025 State #132 Nation FL and Lilah Stevens Lilah Stevens 5'9" | OH Stone Bridge | 2024 State VA . Renee at 6’5 inches has the height while Lilah at 5’9″ has the jump. Both have the ability to put the ball to the floor. The twin sister of Renee is middle blocker Ryla Jones Ryla Jones 6'4" | MB Flint Hill | 2024 State #80 Nation VA . That would be a package for any Division 1 school to power up the rankings if they could snag those two. .
We can’t finish without giving out accolades to libero Mailinh Godschall Mailinh Godschall 5'7" | DS/L Centennial (MD) | 2024 State #183 Nation VA . The offense would not be as effective without her precision passing fueling the fast paced offense. She tends to be forgotten on a team that powers its way to wins, especially with all the talent on this team.
Paramount – This team is just short of Metro good, which is saying a lot. The 6’0″ Lameen Mambo is one of the more explosive left sides that also fires missiles from the back row. There are not a lot of accolades that have come her way yet but after this club season she will be known by many. There are not many outsides who can match her skill set.
Paige Ahakuelo Paige Ahakuelo 5'8" | S James Wood | 2024 State VA is the setter and leader of this group. At 5’6″ she maybe a little small for the front row, but she has a beautiful touch and jump sets forcing you to be aware of her ability to dump when in the front row. She just needs a little more discipline on defense and experience on offense to be one of the top setters in the country.
They also have great length and can rotate middles and right sides with 6’1″ Gabby Flamish, 5’11″ Erica Bracey and 6’0″ Kiylah Presley Kiylah Presley 6'0" | OH Bishop McNamara | 2024 State #114 Nation VA . There is a lot of flexibility with rotating all three to different positions.
Maryland Juniors won the third place match with fourth place going to Vienna Elite 16-L. It would not be a surprise to see both Paramount and Metro earn open bids to give a slot for Vienna in the Nationals.
At the 15’s Liberty Elite knocked off Virginia Juniors 27-25, 26-24 to take first place. They had just upset Metro 15 in the semi-final, winning the third game 15-10. Metro was able to get past Paramount to win the third place match 25-23 and 25-17.
The Paramount versus Metro rivalry looks to be building, reminding me of the Wave/Coast rivalry in San Diego or the TAV/Drive rivalry in Texas. That will always bring out the best in the top players from the area.