Chesapeake 18 All Tournament Team
About a decade ago I would go to the qualifiers and nationals to watch my niece play. She played for a top level San Diego club. This was my first exposure to juniors volleyball. I can remember at one of…
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Continue ReadingAbout a decade ago I would go to the qualifiers and nationals to watch my niece play. She played for a top level San Diego club. This was my first exposure to juniors volleyball.
I can remember at one of these qualifiers noticing a team perform an impressive warm up on a far away court. When I got to the court I was surprised to see that it was one of the Virginia clubs Metro. They were preparing to play Coast 18. Despite the impressive warmup they lost pretty badly. As I was walking away from the court I could hear from the huddle the Metro coach telling her girls “Welcome to Junior Nationals. This is not the Chesapeake anymore.”
The Chesapeake Region has gotten stronger since then. The 18 Nationals is proof of that. Metro played in the Open division and finished 17th. In years past the Chesapeake would have no team qualify for Open. The best performance may have been pulled off by Paramount, which finished second in the Freedom Division. The other teams (Virginia Juniors, Liberty Elite, Maryland Juniors, EC Power Delaware and Vienna Elite 17) finished around the middle of the pack.
Since this is the last tournament for the 18s I thought I’d put together an All Tournament team of players from the rosters of the teams that qualified for 18 Junior Nationals. It will be the last opportunity to write about these girls in Prep Dig. Next year they will be going off to college to play on a bigger stage.
Setter – Ella Park (Brown commit/Virginia Jrs) – At 6’2″ she can run a 5/1, providing the hitters consistency in sets. The offense would be fast paced and varied. Her jump sets can draw up a block, even if she is playing back row. Ella is also good at putting the ball away when she resides in the front row and gets a pass close to the net.
Left Side – Laila Ivey (Maryland/Metro) – At 6’1″ she is not especially tall for a left side hitter. But she is quick and plays an excellent back row. She was voted the best attacker at the Capital Hill Classic in 2020 and 2022. Give her a set and she will end the rally.
Left Side – MacKenzie Pryor (Nicholls State/Liberty Elite) – She has a nice arm swing that allows her to hit out of system and back row sets well. Her back row play is solid and her secondary position is setter. That could also make her a right side and a back up setter.
Middle – Hannah Sherman (Louisville/Metro) – She is a team leader on the court. Blocking from pin to pin is not difficult for her as she reads setters like a children’s book. At 6’2″ she plays taller than her height, burying quick sets to all parts of the floor.
Middle – Zaria Ragler (Ohio State/Metro) – The Maryland player of the year and an All Met first teamer stands only 6’0″, not the height you are looking for in a middle. But she wins championships and clogs up the middle. Her quickness also makes her an offensive threat from anywhere along the net.
Right Side – Natalie Luscomb (Lehigh/Metro) – She is a game changer, winning the Capital Hill Classic MVP in 2022. At 6’3″ she can hit it over many of the shorter left side blockers. She would be the terminator on this team.
Libero – Madigan Faircloth (Liberty/Paramount) – She has been voted to the West Virginia All State team the last two years and led her Musselman High School to a State championship last year. Consistency is her game.
Utility – Skylar Yates (Charleston Southern/Liberty Elite) – She can play anywhere. Even at 5’9″ she was used in the middle and is quite effective at playing that position. She is extremely intelligent with her outside hits and her back row play could allow her to be a libero. She could also perform as a DS back row attacker.
There you have it. My Chesapeake Region 18 Dream team from the girls who made the roster for Junior Nationals. .