Additional High School Team Reviews for 2022

In our quest to search for the top high schools and players in the area we took a look at three additional high schools that have had a history of success. Good Counsel is a Maryland school that is not eligible for our Northern Virginia top ten ranking, but they are part of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), which includes three Virginia schools. The other two schools, Chantilly and Woodson have a history of success in Virginia. Next week we will post our second top ten.   Good Counsel High School   The Washington Post listed them as the sixth best team in the D.C. area this year in their initial top ten ranking. Last year they finished fourth in the conference and only lost one player to graduation. They won six straight WCAC championships from 2006 to 2011, including a 31-0 record and number one ranking by the Washington Post in 2008. They played their opener this year against Bishop O'Connell, a tough way to start a season.   They bring to the court senior setter Jayna Crocker. She runs a 5/1, has good hands, distributes the ball nicely and provides good veteran leadership. She is listed at 5'6", which could be an issue when they play teams in the conference with strong left side hitters. They may need to get creative to find a strong block against Holy Cross and Bishop O'Connell, who have left sides that stand 6'2" or greater.   The libero, junior Natalia PeBenito is a solid player. During the club season I had her as one of the top liberos in the area. Last year she was voted to the first team in the WCAC. She scrambles well on defense and moves her feet well to the ball to put her in a good position to pass. I thought she had a good Italian name, but it turns out she is of Cuban/Filipino heritage. It goes to show you what I know about Italian names.   Another junior is left side hitter Samantha Morin. She was voted to the WCAC second team. The 5'10" junior swings hard, varying the ball's destination to more than one area of the court. She can also mix in a change of velocity with some roll shots. Her serve can be tough to pass, evidenced by four aces in a five point run during game three against O'Connell that pulled the Falcons to within 24-23.   The other outside 5'5" Karen Williams lacks height but is quite effective at using the block. A third outside, 5'11" sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='181304' first='Sarah' last='Jeremias'] was an effective outside hitter for Metro 15. She might see more playing time as their height limitations in the front row become more of a challenge.   They have two middles who can provide them length in the front row. The 5'10" senior Briana Battle seems to provide more offense with the quick sets in the middle. She has a nice vertical for a middle which allows her to put the ball to the floor when she connects. Michelle Larosiliere provides more height for the block with her 6'1" frame but was not too involved with the offense. Perhaps this will change as the season progresses.   The Falcons have a number of returning players from last year. Normally, that is a good thing. In their opener they were swept by Bishop O'Connell, but they kept creeping closer after each game, 25-10, 25-16, 25-23.   Woodson High School   They slipped into our first week top ten by winning their first two matches, but a five game loss to Robinson followed our poll. They lost that fifth game 16-14. The rest of their season is filled with Division games, with a rematch against Robinson the end of September.   You have to like their two left sides They are two of the taller players on the team. The 6'0" junior Maura Fay appears to be the go to player. She also has the flexibility to move to middle and right side but was limited to three rotations when I watched the team play. She leads the team in kills. They also have 6'1" frosh [player_tooltip player_id='210539' first='Emma' last='Gardner'], who plays all six rotations. She could still use a little more polish in her game, but she has the length and arm reach to put the ball down. When her timing is right she can put some sting on the ball.   Junior libero Stella Gilligan is a vocal player in patrolling the back row. Coaches like that. She is also a consistent passer and plays good defense. There was a time when she hit outside, but her growth spurt stopped at 5'5" and she has appeared to adapt to the libero role well. I liked frosh Livian Lee. She was limited to serving duties in the game I watched and served well, finishing a three game sweep with two aces. She is fast and quick in the back row, vocal on and off the court and carries the traits needed for a good libero.   I like the hands of 5'8" frosh [player_tooltip player_id='204152' first='Sofie' last='Ferrell']. She bides her time as the third setter, with seniors Claire Cho and Aubree Reasor working a 6/2. Both seniors lack the length to play the front row, but Sofia at 5'8" has the potential to run a 5/1 once she gains experience.   Alexandria City does not appear to be as strong as they were the previous two seasons. With further growth from their frosh Woodson could still win the Patriot Division.   Chantilly High School   Last year they were the Concorde Division champions. In 2018 they ended the season with a perfect 24-0 record, winning the Class 6 State championship, while their two younger sisters watched. The 2022 season finds them with a new coach who is very capable of keeping that winning atmosphere alive. It may take mid-season before they begin to jell.   It all starts with their left side [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu']. The 6'0" sophomore may now be the number one player in the class of 2025 with the move of Caria Spears to Texas. She can dominate the outside and also bring some offense from the back row. With the youth comes the inconsistency, but when "Mimi" is on she is difficult to contain. Her sister played for the 2018 championship team. She thrives for that same opportunity.<img class="wp-image-185920" style="width: 150px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/03/mimi-2.jpg" alt="">   The 5'2" senior setter Jaylin Price is responsible for feeding her. She runs the offense, setting a 5/1, but she creates some challenges when she is in the front row. Aspen Nardelli plays right side and can set if the team needs to take Price out for a taller blocker.   Senior Angelina Barrera is their libero. Her sister also played for the team that won the 2018 state championship, so she has some motivation to snag some hardware. They also have sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='181284' first='Nola' last='Murphy'] who can play back row. She is a beach player who recently won the 16U Tidewater National Qualifier August 28 with her partner, North Carolina native Riley Maynard. This qualifies them for the East Coast Championships in Clearwater Florida on November 25-27. She appears to be the Charger libero for the next two years after Barrera's reign is complete after the 2022 season.   They lost to two tough teams early in the season, number one Flint Hill and number eight Battlefield. Oakton and James Madison will be the teams to beat if they hope to defend their Concorde District crown.   Chesapeake Chirps: Hidden Valley played Patrick Henry last week, two teams without a loss in Roanoke. Hidden Valley pulled off a sweep, but it did not come easy, 26-24, 25-17 and 25-23. They were led by the super four sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='196556' first='Caleigh' last='Ponn'] (21 kills), Sophie Arbold (8 kills), Camille O'Brien (14 digs) and Calli Anderson (26 assists)....This weekend we will be watching some Endless Summer in Virginia Beach. Hope to scout out some Southern Virginia volleyball...Shout out to ex-Metro player Sarah Jordan (19 assists and three aces) for contributing to the Towson Panthers major upset over number 7 Pittsburgh. It is the first time in school history that Towson has beaten a top 20 team. They now have an NCAA best 10-0 record and could see some time in the top 20 ranking next week.

In our quest to search for the top high schools and players in the area we took a look at three additional high schools that have had a history of success. Good Counsel is a Maryland school that is not eligible for our Northern Virginia top ten ranking, but they are part of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), which includes three Virginia schools. The other two schools, Chantilly and Woodson have a history of success in Virginia. Next week we will post our second top ten.