Three High Schools No Longer Flying Under the Radar

A preview of three schools, two in the Independent School League (ISL) and one in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) flying under the Prep Dig radar because they fall outside the Northern Virginia area and we don't really cover them in our rankings. They have young talent on their rosters and this talent could impact the club season in the Virginia area.   Georgetown Day (11-1)   They emerged last year, finishing second to Flint Hill in the ISL. They are going for an encore this year, though another second place finish to Flint Hill may be inevitable. Their only loss this year has been to Flint Hill. Last week they had a battle with Episcopal and squeezed out a victory in five. After destroying Episcopal in the first two games 25-6 and 25-13 they let their guard down and lost the next two 26-24 and 27-25. They recovered and won game five 15-7. Next on the slate is Bullis.   The strength of this team lies in their outsides and the top performer of that group is right side [player_tooltip player_id='181763' first='Jada' last='Aksu']. The 6'0" sophomore swings lefthanded and leads the team in kills. She had 19 kills in that five set win over Episcopal. For an outside she has a pretty phenomenal hitting percentage of over .400, which translates to "when she gets the set the ball goes down". Over 50 percent of her sets result in kills. Last year Jada was named to the ISL first team in the AA Division as a frosh. She is someone to keep an eye on.   The two left sides may not be as terminal but they get their share of kills and are involved in the passing rotation. [player_tooltip player_id='181233' first='Aaliyah' last='Howell'] is a 5'10 junior who sits second on the team in aces and is a primary passer. Zoe Ryu is a 6'0" sophomore and is third on the team in aces. Zoe has the length and the arm extension to hit the ball high off the block or over the block. If all goes well the trio will be back next year to continue their assault on the conference.   To achieve success you need a consistent setter. The Mighty Hoppers have that in [player_tooltip player_id='180285' first='Clara' last='Yu'], who is a 5'10" junior, which means she is also available to the team next year. Last year she played for Sidwell Friends and was voted to the ISL first team. This year she is showing off her skills with some weapons to use on offense. Clara was a setter for Metro 16 during the club season, one of the top 16 teams in the country.   They have a frosh middle in Gigi Wigglesworth who leads the team in blocks. She is only listed at 5'9' but she uses the hands well to get her kills in the middle. One of their rare seniors, the 6'1" Izzy Evers is the other middle. The libero is sophomore Alexa Gillespie who leads the team in serving aces and digs.   The Hoppers also have two more frosh they can call on in 6'1" middle [player_tooltip player_id='828229' first='Fiona' last='Mcdermott'] and back row specialist [player_tooltip player_id='490811' first='Ella' last='Higday']. Flint Hill has not lost a set in the ISL in close to a decade. That time may be coming to a close with the rise of the Mighty Hoppers.   St. Johns (10-2)   They play in the WCAC and currently sit in second place. The Cadets did win the conference in 2019 but Holy Cross has been the dominant school in the conference, going to the finals each season since 2012, although they have lost in the finals the last three years. St. Johns lost to Holy Cross earlier in the season and they have a big game against Bishop O'Connell this week. This will tell a tale of readiness for 2022. Last week they pulled off a reverse sweep against Good Counsel, winning the final game 15-10. Their only other loss was against Alexandria City. They are playing in the Volley Hall Classic this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts.   While the Cadets are a young team, they are led by their veteran 6'1" senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='181183' first='Pam' last='McCune']. Last year she was voted to the WCAC first team and also was an honorable mention for the Washington Post All Met team. The Iowa State commit is the one big blocker in the middle, averaging close to two blocks per set. She also stays in the game for passing and defense, rare for a middle to play back row. She was a frosh for the 2019 championship season and would like to see her high school career end with another championship.   Where the youth exists is in the two outsides, 5'10" frosh [player_tooltip player_id='238356' first='Morgan' last='Reeves'] and 6'0" sophomore Racquel Frazier. Racquel leads the team in kills while Morgan is a close second. The libero, senior [player_tooltip player_id='232612' first='Maya' last='Reeves'] comes in for these two players in the back row. She is a digging machine, always finding the right spot on the floor to defend to prevent the ball from hitting the floor. She also provides some veteran leadership when she is on the floor.   The Cadets also have youth with their setters, rotating them while running a 5/1 offense. One of those setters is the 5'9" frosh [player_tooltip player_id='221032' first='Wynn' last='Eaton']. The other is 5'9" sophomore Avery Prendergast. Avery got the majority of the time against Good Counsel. Some teams feel fortunate to have one young setter they can count on for the future. St. Johns has two.   Bullis (11-3)   Last year in the ISL they played in the A Division. They won the regular season play but lost in the playoffs. This year they have been promoted to the tougher AA Division. They have two big games this week, playing Episcopal on Tuesday and finishing the week playing against Georgetown Day on Friday. After that the first game the following week will be against Flint Hill. These next three games will define their season.   They are a young team with lots of potential. The potential begins with 6'2" sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='181300' first='Alexis' last='Ewing']. When everything is right, the footwork is in synch, the arm fully extended, it is hard to find a better outside hitter. But there still needs to be more consistency in her game before she becomes that impact player. Last year for Virginia Jrs she did not play back row. This year she is learning all about the pass and the dig and finding that timing for the back row attack. It will take some time but it is incredible what one year of club play can do with a girl with her potential   [player_tooltip player_id='181235' first='Sydney' last='Mayfield'] plays the right side while [player_tooltip player_id='238860' first='Mia' last='Fornasiero'] operates from the left side. Sydney is a 5'10" sophomore that is the most consistent hitter on the team. Last year she joined Ewing on the ISL first team in the A Division. She is one of at least five Virginia Jr. players starting for this team. Mia is a 5'7" frosh who may be better suited for back row. She keeps the ball in play with hard swings and plays the court well, but against Holy Cross she was hitting against some taller blocks. That is where a little more experience is needed.   The other two are frosh 5'6" setter [player_tooltip player_id='206729' first='Megan' last='Phan'] and sophomore libero [player_tooltip player_id='184604' first='Nia' last='Thomas']. Both were Virginia Jr. 15 teammates with Ewing as they competed in the USA Division at the Nationals. Megan may only stand 5'6" but her stats show that she has three solo blocks to her credit. She is also one of the more talented setters from the new class of 2026.   The two middles are also young with 6'1" sophomore Kyla Harris and frosh [player_tooltip player_id='238853' first='Dylan' last='Lin'].   Chesapeake Chirps: South Lakes pulled a big upset over Oakton last week, creating havoc in the Concorde District. The five set upset leaves them tied for first in the conference with James Madison and Chantilly and one half a game ahead of Oakton. They have a big game with Chantilly on Tuesday....Colgan played a tough Massaponax team from Spotsylvania that came into the match with only one loss. Colgan offered too much [player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209790' first='Aubrey' last='Hatch'] to get the sweep. Colgan had trouble handling the serve of [player_tooltip player_id='233560' first='Carley' last='Coghill'], who whistled bullets over the net. She had about eight aces in the match but missed two serves in set three. The 6'0" [player_tooltip player_id='233559' first='Carlie' last='Clements'] was the big hitter from the outside for Massaponax......[player_tooltip player_id='181296' first='Macaria' last='Spears'] seems to be doing well in Texas. She is playing for Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. They are 30-1 and ranked the number three high school in the country according to USA Today rankings. Their only loss was to Cornerstone Christian, who is ranked number two in the country.

A preview of three schools, two in the Independent School League (ISL) and one in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) flying under the Prep Dig radar because they fall outside the Northern Virginia area and we don't really cover them in our rankings. They have young talent on their rosters and this talent could impact the club season in the Virginia area.