Previewing the Northern Virginia Regionals
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Below is a preview of the Northern Virginia Class 6 Regional brackets. The VHSL has not yet completed all the brackets. Class 6 is where many of the Northern Virginia high schools compete. Class 6B Battlefield (16-3) vs Woodbridge (10-11)…
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Continue ReadingBelow is a preview of the Northern Virginia Class 6 Regional brackets. The VHSL has not yet completed all the brackets. Class 6 is where many of the Northern Virginia high schools compete.
Class 6B
Battlefield (16-3) vs Woodbridge (10-11) – Battlefield has lots of talent. They have beaten Osbourn Park twice while Woodbridge has split with them. Both teams were swept by Colgan.
Battlefield has strength in the outsides in Grace Bianchi Grace Bianchi 5'7" | OH Battlefield | 2024 State VA and Taelin Connolley Taelin Connolley 5'7" | OH Battlefield | 2024 State VA from the left and Skyler Tennant Skyler Tennant 5'11" | RS Battlefield | 2025 State VA from the right. Melorra Arthur Melorra Arthur 5'7" | S Battlefield | 2024 State VA and Aava Shingler Aava Shingler 5'5" | DS/L Battlefield | 2024 State VA share the setting duties. Brianna Clay Brianna Clay 6'2" | MB Battlefield | 2024 State VA provides length up the middle and forces the opponent’s middle blocker to commit to her quick hit approaches, leaving the outsides with one block up. The Bobcats have a strong libero in Jaelle Savannah Hinkle Jaelle Savannah Hinkle 5'8" | DS/L Battlefield | 2024 VA . Except for Colgan, this is probably the most complete team in the bracket.
I have not seen Woodbridge play but they appear to rely on Kylie Barbier for their offense. She leads the team in kills. Kylie Ta’amai is another option from the left side. Brianna Washington Brianna Washington 5'11" | MB Woodbridge | 2025 State VA is a formidable middle who leads the team in blocks and is third in kills. Isabelle Eaton is the lone setter on the floor responsible for running the offense. Clara Freeman appears to be the libero, leading the team in digs and service receptions.
Battlefield with the sweep.
Forest Park (14-7) vs Colonial Forge (17-3) – They played earlier in the season, the opener for both teams and Colonial Forge rolled to a pretty easy sweep. Don’t know if Forest Park has improved that much to change the outcome. Their results against common opponents are pretty similar.
Forest Park has a tall team, but rely on the shorter, but high flying sophomore Destini Pickett Destini Pickett 5'10" | OH Forest Park | 2025 State VA for most of their offense. She leads the team in kills, though Zoe Strachan Zoe Strachan 6'0" | RS Forest Park | 2024 State VA (pictured below) and Natalie Brown Natalie Brown 5'9" | RS Forest Park | 2023 State VA are very active from the right sides. Jasmine Okeoma Jasmine Okeoma 6'3" | MB Forest Park | 2023 State VA is a big force up the middle because of her 6’3″ height. Kristina Diaz Kristina Diaz 5'4" | DS/L Forest Park | 2023 State VA is responsible for the defense and passing as the libero. The setting duties are shared between Declyn Tooze and Niya Nash.
Colonial Forge won the Commonwealth District, just ahead of Massaponax. I have not seen this team play.
I would suspect Forest Park has not improved from the opener to take this one. Colonial Forge in four.
Colgan (26-2) vs Freedom (15-7) – Colgan has too much fire power and have already swept Freedom twice. We can’t imagine the third match being any different.
The Sharks biggest weapons are 6’4″ middle Brielle Kemavor Brielle Kemavor 6'5" | MB Charles J. Colgan | 2023 State #148 Nation VA and 6’0″ outside Aubrey Hatch Aubrey Hatch 6'1" | OH Colgan | 2024 State VA . Setter Alexis Scipione Alexis Scipione 5'9" | S Colgan | 2023 State VA is one of the strongest in the area and their libero Paula Sigurani Paula Sigurani 5'4" | DS/L Colgan | 2024 State VA keeps the offense humming with her passing and defense. They also can sprinkle in talented pieces with middle Grace Smith Grace Smith 6'0" | MB Colgan | 2023 State VA and the other outside Kezia Francis Kezia Francis 5'9" | OH Charles Colgan | 2023 State VA . Their only two losses have been to State champs in West Virginia (Mussleman) and Virginia (Flint Hill).
Freedom is another team I have not seen play. Emma Kerwin Emma Kerwin 6'1" | OH Freedom (South Riding) | 2023 State VA is the big stick with over 300 kills. She can also play some pretty good defense, leading the team in digs. Speaking of defense, Payton Delean Payton Delean DS/L Freedom | 2023 State VA is the libero that can make all the plays on the back end of the court. The 6’4″ middle Caitlin Johnson Caitlin Johnson 6'5" | MB Freedom | 2025 State VA can battle at the net, but she falls two years short in experience with Kemavor. Sophomore setter Gwyneth Vu Gwyneth Vu 5'5" | S Freedom | 2024 State VA has some sweet hands to mold an offense.
Freedom just doesn’t have enough. Colgan for the sweep.
Patriot (16-7) vs Potomac Senior (10-14) – The only common opponent they have in which Patriot won and Potomac lost was Mountain View. Otherwise, they have both lost to Colonial Forge and Colgan and they have both beaten Osborn and Unity Reed.
Patriot relies on their sister combination for their offense, with senior left side Dryden Rancourt Dryden Rancourt 5'11" | OH Patriot | 2023 State VA doing most of the damage and her younger sister, frosh Soleil Rancourt Soleil Rancourt 6'2" | OH Patriot | 2026 State VA providing sparks from the right side. Aria White Aria White 5'7" | OH Patriot | 2023 State VA is the other left side that can pack a punch with her spikes. They have two strong setters in Anisa Flowers Anisa Flowers 5'3" | S Patriot | 2025 State VA and Lauren Katz Lauren Katz 5'11" | S Patriot | 2024 State VA . Lauren can stay in for some offensive contributions along the right side. The middles are reliant on the veteran senior Makiya Williams Makiya Williams MB Patriot | 2023 State VA and the rising frosh Sydney Bennett Sydney Bennett 6'2" | MB Patriot | 2026 State VA . It is the frosh that actually leads the team in blocks. Lanie Goff Lanie Goff 5'7" | DS/L Patriot | 2024 State VA is the libero that captures her share of driven balls. This team fell just a couple points short of beating Battlefield for the Cedar Run District title.
I have not seen Potomac Senior play but their offense appears to be distributed to Olivia Wright and Alina Jalali. Their setter is Lea Shuttlesworth and their libero Bridgette Templeton.
Patriot will take this one in four.
Colonial Forge may have other thoughts, but this appears to be a final between Battlefield and Colgan. Colgan will win that game in four to continue their defense of a second straight State championship.
Class 6 C
The top four teams, Robinson, Alexandria City, Hayfield and Edison were given byes until the quarter finals. That gives the lesser seeded teams an opportunity to play a couple games as they move through the brackets.
Alexandria City (26-2) – They were 54-1 the previous two years so this team has been pretty consistent. Setter Chloe Wilmot Chloe Wilmot 5'9" | S Alexandria City | 2023 State VA (pictured below) and left side Milan Rex Milan Rex 5'11" | S Alexandria City | 2023 State #147 Nation VA are the formulas for that consistency. Milan averages close to six kills per set hitting from the back row and front row and also leads her team in digs. And when she is playing club she is a setter. She can do it all. Bridie Wendling Bridie Wendling 5'10" | OH Alexandria City | 2024 State VA is another left side that is formidable, second on the team in kills. The middles Annalie McCarthy Annalie McCarthy 6'0" | MB Alexandria | 2023 State VA and Travis Harper can put up pretty good blocks, but what is surprising is that setter Wilmot is third on the team in blocking. Zana Royster Zana Royster 5'6" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 VA is a solid libero. This is a team that looks much better than what I saw at the start of the season.
Robinson (16-4) – They beat Alexandria City the first two times they played them but lost to them in the Patriot District championship game. They are led by setter Paige Meins Paige Meins 5'9" | S Robinson | 2023 State VA and left side Rylah Robinson Rylah Robinson 5'10" | OH J. W. Robinson | 2023 State VA . This is a veteran team with at least five of the six players on the court seniors. The middles are Chelsea Colter Chelsea Colter MB Robinson | 2023 State VA and sophomore Georgia Simonsen Georgia Simonsen 6'1" | MB Robinson | 2025 VA . The libero is Emma Cortez Emma Cortez 5'3" | DS/L Robinson | 2023 State VA . Rosina Parker Rosina Parker OH Robinson | 2023 VA hits the other left side and Bryton Hill Bryton Hill 6'2" | RS Robinson | 2023 State VA hammers from the right.
Hayfield (16-4) – The record is good but the talent level falls just short of the above two teams. They run a 5/1 around junior setter Diana Cseke. Kaia Lyons is a solid libero that puts up a consistent pass and plays defense well. Outside Emily Weber goes back to serve and fires bullets. Don’t know if she can do that consistently but it worked in the District championship match against Edison. The 6’2″ middle Elizabeth Stackpole Elizabeth Stackpole 6'2" | MB Hayfield | 2023 State VA provides good height and offense in the middle. Junior outside Mary Dinegar Mary Dinegar 5'8" | OH Hayfield | 2024 State VA can also pile up points with her kills.
Edison (14-8) – The lefty swinging left side Elizabeth Hulett Elizabeth Hulett 5'10" | OH Edison | 2023 State VA contributes the bulk of the offense. Sophomore middle Taylor Erickson Taylor Erickson 6'1" | MB Thomas Edison | 2025 State VA runs quicks to keep the defense on their toes. Isabella Pared is the other left side. She accumulated a number of points with her serve against Hayfield. Amanda Shelton and Jacqueline Walker share setting duties. During the Hayfield match they also turned to Jacqueline to set a 5/1.
A couple teams with a shot to advance to the quarter finals are: Woodson (10-9), who have a pair of talented outsides in Maura Fay and frosh Emma Gardner Emma Gardner 6'3" | OH WT Woodson | 2026 State VA . They are 0-4 against Alexandria City and Robinson. They play Justice (17-13) who has Helen Frankovich Helen Frankovich 6'3" | RS Justice | 2023 State VA to string together the bulk of their offense.
I expect it to be an Alexandria City/Robinson final, with the two teams facing off for the fourth time this season. The Titans will win to even the series at two wins apiece.