Taking a Look at the Top Richmond High Schools

Back in May the Richmond Volleyball Club 16 team took the AAU Atlantic Coast championship. They traveled to Orlando to play in the AAU nationals and hammered their way to a 17th place finish in the Premier Division out of 120 teams. I took a look at the high schools the four girls I wrote about from that team and of course they were playing for some of the top high schools in the Richmond area. It stands to reason that good club players bring success to their high school programs. This also is an opportunity for me to talk some Richmond volleyball.   Midlothian (10-0)   [player_tooltip player_id='190541' first='Hannah' last='Ball'] was the best of this Richmond group. The 5'11" outside put every set away with an overflowing tool box of shots. She has a fiery arm swing that can whip velocity to her kills as well as pull out a roll shot to keep her opponents off balance. Her jump falls just short of the 10 foot mark. It is no surprise she leads this undefeated Midlothian team. Last year as a sophomore she led the team to the States for the first time in their high school history where they lost in the first round. They hope to do better the second time around.   Last year Hannah was voted to the Richmond All Metro first team, the only sophomore named to the team. She was also voted first team all region and second team all state.   Joining Hannah on the team is 6'1" senior setter Tatum Evans. With her height she can stay in the front row to hit while they call upon sophomore Maddy Eslinger to set. Last year Tatum was voted to the All Met second team. She has the hands and quickness to make it as a setter and the height to put up a good block at the net.   The two veteran middles in the group are the 6'0" Halle Phelps and 5'9" Reagan McAdams. Those two can seal up big areas of the court with their blocks. When teams are focused on Ball they can contribute offensively. Both players are team captains. Another senior Brooke Eslinger fills the libero role.   Atlee (14-4)   The 5'10" senior [player_tooltip player_id='231671' first='Morgan' last='Crawford'] leads this Atlee Raiders team. What I wrote about her is that she has a good vertical and could put some zip on the ball whether she is hitting back row, right side or left side. Last year she was also voted to the Richmond All Met first team. Her coach called her the top server, passer and hitter on the Atlee team.   Ella Balderson is the setter responsible for feeding Morgan. She also has a pretty mean serve that can accumulate aces. Avery Flaherty is the other outside. The middles are controlled by Abby Vincent and Reagan MacDougall. The libero is senior Emily Smiley, but at times sophomore Emma Bowes gets some significant back row opportunities.   Hanover (12-3)   They are undefeated in the Capital Division at 7-0. The 6'1" lefty [player_tooltip player_id='196196' first='Campbell' last='Woods'], who is pictured above, has the perfect swing for the right side, but can also do some damage from the left. She is second on the team in kills but leads in hitting percentage. She is also second on the team in blocks and tied for the lead in aces. For the Hawks she is a front row terror.   From the left side 5'10" senior Elizabeth Patina controls the game, leading the team in kills. Patina can also contribute from the middle. Sharing the captain duties with Patina is senior setter Hayden Shuber. The third captain is senior libero Berkley Holt. Holt leads the team in digs.   Western Albemarle (13-5)   Some coaches like length in their liberos because they can cover more of the court. The 5'8" [player_tooltip player_id='223897' first='Amelia' last='Tomlinson'] has that length, but also has the quickness to move to areas she can't cover. She shows great anticipation and quick movement on defense. She leads the team in aces and digs.   Sofia Beard is the big cannon from the outside. The 5'9 senior leads the team in kills. The 6'0" junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='464583' first='Natalie' last='Rocco'] is a blocking machine, She is the only player on the team listed at 6'0" or greater.   Sequoyah Sorenson and Ella Kuzjak share setting responsibilities.   Chesapeake Chirps: A couple upsets on Monday to our top ten teams. Robinson beat Alexandria City earlier in the year to give the Titans their only loss. At their facility this week the Rams swept the Titans to give them their second loss and take a big two game lead in the Patriot District...Chantilly made it a race in the Concorde District, beating Oakton in five....St. Johns defeated Good Counsel in five to stay in the WCAC fight. Frosh Morgan Reeves finished the game with 23 kills. Her older sister [player_tooltip player_id='232612' first='Maya' last='Reeves'] took care of the defensive end with 24 digs....The player of the year last year Akasha Anderson was voted the Southeastern Conference frosh of the week. She has led Auburn to a 14-0 start to the season, one of the few undefeated teams in Division I.

Back in May the Richmond Volleyball Club 16 team took the AAU Atlantic Coast championship. They traveled to Orlando to play in the AAU nationals and hammered their way to a 17th place finish in the Premier Division out of 120 teams. I took a look at the high schools the four girls I wrote about from that team and of course they were playing for some of the top high schools in the Richmond area. It stands to reason that good club players bring success to their high school programs. This also is an opportunity for me to talk some Richmond volleyball.