Class of 2024 Shows Strength from the Left Side

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I work on updating the rankings what impresses me the most from the class of 2024 is the strength of the left sides. Eight left sides really stand out and all could fall within the top twenty. They are listed in alphabetical order because I'm still trying to sort through the players. This is by no means a complete list of left sides who will be included in the rankings but it shows you the talent in the group. The picture above has both [player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens'] and [player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman'] (Sellman to the left of the tallest girl and Stevens kneeling in front of her).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209789' first='Seliz' last='Aktuglu'] (</strong>Oakton) - At 5'9" she is one of the smaller left sides of this group but she has a powerful right arm that brings impressive velocity to the ball. She also has powerful legs that give her a good vertical, allowing her to take advantage of any holes in the block. Her back row play is strong and her serves accumulate aces. She is the go to gal for Oakton. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='190541' first='Hannah' last='Ball']</strong> (Midlothian) - Last year she was named first team All-Met in the Richmond area, the only sophomore in the group. Midlothian advanced to the States for the first time in team history with Hannah leading the charge. I saw her lead [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] to the Atlantic Coast championships. At 5'11"with good arm extension it is difficult to stop her. She also plays a solid back row with her passing and defense while also providing another attack option on offense. Any team she plays for seems to be a winner. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='233008' first='Greta' last='Barwick'] </strong>(Chelsea Academy) - She plays for a small private school but comes up big when playing some of the bigger schools. She accumulated 31 kills against Paul the VI in a five set victory while finishing with over 100 kills for the week. What is most surprising is that she was a setter last year for her club team Vienna Elite. At 5'9" the setter position may be her best role but it is hard to ignore the punishment she puts to the floor when she finishes a spike. She is quick on defense with lots of athleticism to her game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180292' first='Riley' last='Buddie'] </strong>(Langley) - For Langley she plays right side but has the versatility to play middle or left side. She hits the ball hard wherever she plays with a whip like arm swing that puts the ball down. Her 6'1 frame gives her length. For her club she played left side and played a solid back row. If you are looking for versatility for your offense Riley is good for that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209790' first='Aubrey' last='Hatch'] (</strong>Colgan) - When you write about a team that won a state championship and feel a player contributed to that championship but you have never actually seen her play, the hope is there is not a feeling of disappointment after you watch her for the first time. Well, call me impressed. She has length in her game standing about 6'1" and there is a lot of athleticism in that length. She plays a strong back row and is a key cog in the offense for the Sharks with her back row attacks. She can do it all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='233007' first='Alexis' last='Keeter'] </strong>(Grafton) - When you can hit a ball past the block of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor'] </strong>that will get my attention. She did that at the Endless Summer tournament and it hit the floor with a thud. She failed a second time but Brielle won't get fooled with back to back sets. At 5'11" she has good length for the outside. Her back row play appeared effortless and I loved her attitude on the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181234' first='Samia' last='Sayd'] </strong>(Marshall) - The 5'11" outside is the go to hitter for Marshall. She almost single handedly led Marshall to a win over Langley, hitting balls front row and back row. She also hits balls to all areas of the court making her difficult to defend. Her passing and ability to play defense is also strong. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman']</strong> (Holy Cross) - There is little doubt that she will be the top one on the list. The recent Ohio State commit can do it all. The fact that she is 6'4" and can put the ball down is not the most impressive thing about her. It is the praise that I hear from other players of her intelligence about knowing where to attack the ball. While she struggled with her passing in the game I watched against St. Johns, when you watch her platform it is geared for passing the ball and I consider those struggles an aberration. She is a solid six rotation player who can move quickly on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens'] </strong>(Stone Bridge) - At 5'9" she is another smaller player that hits effectively from the outside. For Metro 16 she played right side and did not have a lot of opportunity to play back row. For Stone Bridge she was their main left side attacker. Her vertical is quite impressive, allowing her to fly over blocks and a quick arm swing to laser balls to the floor or off the block. Her back row play was a bit inconsistent when I watched her play, but no more inconsistent than many liberos at that position. She has the athleticism that with enough repetition she could probably play any position she wants, including libero.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chesapeake Chirps</strong>: Prep Dig is doing a number of Top 250 Expo events. The nearest location might be the one in Kentucky. Perhaps next year they will have one on the East Coast, near the DC area. It is a two hour event that would expose players to our National Scouts, college coaches and also have them compete with some of the top players in the country. Just thought I would share that you can get a discount to this event if you plan on attending using a coupon code with my last name "AbelsPDExpo2022". You can always contact me if you have questions about the event....At the Tiger Paw tournament in D.C. over the weekend the top two high schools in the DC area competed against each other in the championship match. <strong>Flint Hill </strong>continued their record of not losing a set, but it was not easy as they won 25-23 and 25-21 over <strong>Holy Cross</strong>. For Holy Cross that was their first loss of the season as they move to 18-1. Flint Hill improves to 23-0....In an important Cardinal District match <strong>Forrest Park </strong>had an opportunity to tie <strong>Colgan</strong> for first place in the Cardinal Division, but they were swept by the Sharks 25-16, 25-23 and 25-20....<strong>South Lakes </strong>appeared to be in the hunt for the Concorde District crown but <strong>Chantilly</strong> put them in their place with a 25-21, 25-14 and 25-14 sweep. <strong>James Madison</strong> and Chantilly are now tied for first place with <strong>Oakton </strong>a half game behind....Dominion gave Loudoun County their second Dulles District loss with a 3 set sweep....In WCAC action <strong>Bishop O'Connell </strong>beat <strong>St. Johns</strong> in four, 25-13, 25-13, 22-25 and 25-10. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180296' first='Madison' last='Bowser'] </strong>finished the game with 17 kills and four blocks. She is also in the picture above, appearing to be the smallest player in the back row, but at 6'2" she has to be kneeling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->