Early Season Top Ten for High Schools in Northern Virginia

I have gone out to watch a few games and feel pretty comfortable in ranking the top ten high schools based on rosters and personal observation. A more detailed review of some of those high schools I have watched will come later this week.   Flint Hill (1-0) - They were rated by USA Today as the 23rd best high school in the country. They did lose outside hitters Caria Spears to Texas and Jackie Bardin to graduation. One of their captains, libero Rachel Larson also graduated. Those are tough shoes to fill. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='181099' first='Sydney' last='Bryant'] and junior Mickhaila Murray hope to fill the outside roles. Sydney did not play much last season because of injury but looked ready in the opener against Robinson. Mickhaila has been waiting two years for that opportunity to start since starting as an 8th grader for Trinity High School. Frosh [player_tooltip player_id='212883' first='Evie' last='Huang'] gets the call to play libero. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='180283' first='Natalie' last='Nguyen'] returns as a setter but she may share the role with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='181303' first='Isabelle' last='Bardin'], in a modified 5/1 with Isabelle playing the front row to set. Isabelle provides more height at the net. The lefty swinging [player_tooltip player_id='181232' first='Renee' last='Jones'] will play the right side while her sister [player_tooltip player_id='180295' first='Ryla' last='Jones'] will try to clog up the middle. The junior "twin" towers are 6'5" and 6'4" and are built to block any attacks. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='209181' first='Sonja' last='Meyer'] fills the other middle. That is a lineup that could do battle with many Division 3 colleges. Depth could be an issue if injuries occur, but that can be said for all these teams.<img class="wp-image-182923" style="width: 150px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/03/Syd-Bryant-digging-e1646180661519.jpg" alt="">   Langley (2-0) - This is a team loaded with power. It starts with [player_tooltip player_id='181307' first='Leni' last='Stanton-Parker'] and where she plays. The 5'11" sophomore crushes sets in the middle but her vertical makes the outside ideal. Her approach on the outside can be a little early but her hang time is fun to watch as she pounds the ball to the floor. Another sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='181298' first='Ana' last='Toumazatos'] is a six rotation outside. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='180292' first='Riley' last='Buddie'] can play left side but will fill the right side slot, coming in for frosh setter Claire Mo. The 6'2" junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='180284' first='Chloe' last='Hokenson'] will also play right side and may be the hardest hitter on the team. The precision passing of Erica Maebius will fill the libero role. She may be the smallest player on a court filled with at least four players standing 6 feet or taller, but few can match her volleyball IQ. This is a young team so they may struggle early, but they toughed one out against Marshal on Wednesday night.<img class="wp-image-186082" style="width: 150px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/03/leni.jpg" alt="">   Bishop O'Connell (2-0) - The Knights have some length but like Flint Hill they lost their two left side hitters in Ana Drahozal and Riley Debiec. [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria'] played right side last year but will move to left side. Her game has improved so much from last year that she is ranked as our number three player for the class of 2023. The Connecticut commit can do it all, block, pass, play defense, serve and most importantly hit. She is the only senior on this team. [player_tooltip player_id='180296' first='Madison' last='Bowser'] is filled with power, perhaps one of the hardest hitters when she connects. She might move from middle to outside depending on the need. When her timing is there the ball explodes off her hand and defenders should take cover. Frosh Teodora Stamenkovic will fill the other middle role, while Grace Faughnan alternates between middle and right side. [player_tooltip player_id='180281' first='Erin' last='Debiec'] is an excellent setter but her front row abilities were hidden when playing for Metro 16, She puts up a good block and is one of the hardest hitters on the team. All five of those players stand 6 feet or greater. Payton Vieselmeyer is the other left side. The back row pieces have improved from last year with [player_tooltip player_id='212889' first='Hannah' last='Kotb'] filling the libero role early in the season and [player_tooltip player_id='183410' first='Cara' last='Nearpass'] and [player_tooltip player_id='212888' first='Maia' last='Cerezo'] filling back row assignments. Emily Reyburn is the other setter, allowing Erin to provide improved offense in the front row.<img class="wp-image-180524" style="width: 150px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/02/Grace.jpg" alt="">   Colgan (2-0) - No team has a more dominating middle than the 6'5" [player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor']. She would be one player who could win player of the year honors. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='209790' first='Aubrey' last='Hatch'] will fire bullets from the left side. They also return Cardinal District first teamers setter Alexis Scipione and libero [player_tooltip player_id='207594' first='Paula' last='Sigurani']. It will be interesting where they play talented frosh Tehillah Garrison. At 5'8" she is undersized for an outside, but that is where Metro 14 played her the last club season. Colgan is the defending Class 6 State champion, and they return the top player in their conference. While we have not seen them play this year, they have swept their first two opponents.   Stonebridge (4-0) - They are the defending Class 5 state champions and bring back a number of starters. Potomac Division player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens'] is an offensive force on the left side. She has a good vertical jump that makes up for her 5'9" height. For Metro 16 she played right side, putting up blocks against some of the top hitters in the country. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='209175' first='Trisha' last='Guevara'] returns as the setter. At 5'3" she may be a bit small to play front row in a 5/1, but you like to have her energy on the court. [player_tooltip player_id='209183' first='Caitlin' last='O'Brien'] is a first rate libero. They have some height in Gabby Flemish, Allison Gardner, Juliana Fedak and Sri Posani so we will see where that takes them. A big test will come next week when they play both Rock Ridge and Langley.<img class="wp-image-184951" style="width: 150px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/03/Trisha-1.jpg" alt="">   Woodson (2-0) - They are getting good production from 6'1" frosh [player_tooltip player_id='210539' first='Emma' last='Gardner'], who had 20 kills and 29 digs in their first two matches. Six foot Junior Maura Fay has also contributed to the offense playing the other outside. Senior setter Aubree Reasor is guiding the offense and junior libero Stella Gilligan is leading the defense. Stella, Emma and Maura appear to be the primary passers. Another frosh Livian Lee has contributed to the team with her serving. They have a big test next week when they play Robinson.   Oakton (3-0) - They had a nice win against Battlefield, giving them their only loss in six games. They rely on a trio of players in senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='181188' first='Jade' last='Brooks'] and their two junior outsides [player_tooltip player_id='209789' first='Seliz' last='Aktuglu'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209792' first='Jocelyn' last='Shortle'] for the bulk of their offense. Seliz may not have the height at 5'9" but she is a strong girl with a good vertical and strong velocity on her hits. Senior libero Sydney Hess plays a good back row and sophomore Sadee Nicole Gedse is another exceptional back row player who could play libero for most teams. They have some promise in frosh right side Julie Xu, who gets good extension on her hits.   Battlefield (5-1) - They lost the Cedar Run District player of the year Hillarie Adams, but they still have plenty of firepower to take her place. Outside sophomore Skylar Tennant is one of our top ranked 2025s. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='182776' first='Brianna' last='Clay'] made the Cedar Run District first team while libero Jaella Hinkle was voted to the second team. [player_tooltip player_id='209169' first='Emily' last='Dunn'] is a smaller outside with a good vertical jump and a fast arm swing. Their only loss this year was a four game match to number 7 Oakton.   Marshall (3-1) - They almost upset number 2 Langley thanks to the one woman destroyer [player_tooltip player_id='181234' first='Samia' last='Sayd']. She was phenomenal in the match hitting front row, back row, rollshots to the deep corners. Just about everything she touched hit the floor on the Langley side. It would not surprise me if she finished the match with 40 kills. The Statesman are a scrappy team with the other outside Madison Curcio utilizing a good vertical to get her share of kills off the block. Middle Marie Kah is a presence at the net for blocking and carries a long, round house swing for putting the ball to the floor. Brooke Bundy and Emmie Tran share setting duties, while sophomore right sides Emily Kim and Isabella Tran play front row for them. Langley kept hitting the ball hard in their four game match against them but the ball kept coming back.   James Woods (2-0) - Impressed with the stats of the two freshman [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin']. Brenna is normally a libero but she was an outside in their last game and finished with 10 kills and five aces. That is good for a frosh who only stands 5'4". Kennedy finished with 10 kills and three aces. At 5'10" she is the tallest player on a team that lacks height. They have [player_tooltip player_id='180282' first='Paige' last='Ahakuelo'] to set this smaller offense and at 5'7" she does some hitting as well. She is our second rated setter in our class of 2025. Their three middle options stand 5'8" or less in height.   Others being considered:   Millbrook (2-0) - They are the defending champions in the Northwestern District and will be led by last year's Winchester player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='181177' first='Madison' last='Koeller'] (pictured). Their last game of the season will be against the second place finisher James Woods, which should decide the winner of the Northwestern District Division.   Rock Ridge (5-1) - They were in the top ten until a five set loss to Broad Run. [player_tooltip player_id='209791' first='Grace' last='Tucker'] leads the offense and Ankita Kamath guides it with her setting.   Alexandria City (1-0) - They will need more than setter [player_tooltip player_id='181179' first='Chloe' last='Wilmot'] and outside [player_tooltip player_id='181178' first='Milan' last='Rex']. They did win their opener but we'll give it another week to see how the other players contribute.   Chesapeake Chirps: [player_tooltip player_id='181205' first='Helen' last='Frankovich'] continues her hot hitting with 36 kills in a five game win over Lake Braddock....Greta Barwick had a staggering week. The setter for Vienna Elite 17 is a hitter for her Chelsea Academy team. She finished the week with 76 kills in three matches, including 31 in a five game upset match over Paul VI...Lots of twins in Northern Virginia High Schools. You have Flint Hills [player_tooltip player_id='181232' first='Renee' last='Jones'] and [player_tooltip player_id='180295' first='Ryla' last='Jones'], with Renee swinging left handed. Madison has Jacklyn VanVollenhoven and Samantha Vanvollenhoven, while Yorktown has Brooke Smythers and Megan Smythers. Rock Ridge has [player_tooltip player_id='209791' first='Grace' last='Tucker'] and Ava Tucker.

I have gone out to watch a few games and feel pretty comfortable in ranking the top ten high schools based on rosters and personal observation. A more detailed review of some of those high schools I have watched will come later this week.