Normally I limit my stories to teams aged 15 and above. But the Paramount 14 team won the gold at the open at Volley by the James and four of those girls played for me either last year or a…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inNormally I limit my stories to teams aged 15 and above. But the Paramount 14 team won the gold at the open at Volley by the James and four of those girls played for me either last year or a couple years ago. Another player attended clinics at the high school where I coach at. Lots of joy fills my heart from learning about their accomplishment. Other winners include Jersey Jrs. at 18, Richmond Volleyball Club at 17 and Blue Ridge at 16 and 15 years of age.
14 Open
This Paramount team is so rich in talent that they could beat many 15 open teams. They will have an opportunity to do just that when they play in the Hampton Mid Atlantic Power League against the 14-16 age groups at the end of the month. When the Volley by the James tournament ended Paramount finished 8-0 in matches, losing just two sets.
Their two middles,
Taylor Harrington
Taylor
Harrington
6'1" | MB
Wakefield | 2027
VA
and Jolie Vignier stand 6’1″ and already reach 9’9″ on their approach jumps. They cover a lot of territory with their blocks. Eva Collingham at 5’11” can hammer the ball to the floor from the left side. One of their more athletic but smaller players
Kayla Luther
Kayla
Luther
5'7" | OH
Loudoun County | 2027
VA
also plays left side. She stands just 5’8″ but plays all six rotations. A couple years ago she played briefly for Metro as a libero, which may have enhanced her ability to play defense and pass. There are still a couple more years for her to grow into the position.
Paramount runs a 6/2 with two quality setters in Annabelle Kim and Anna Dierks. Both get to the ball quick and use their hands no matter where the pass. Sophie dela Rosa stands 5’10”, hits right side and ranks number 22 in our class of 2026. Libero Diane Nzoupet impressed with her quickness on defense and her tough serve.
A couple of the girls who played for me, Katherine McLaughlin and Jordan Yun, did not play in the game I watched. Katherine brings hustle and enthusiasm to her game. Last year was her first year of club and by the end of the season she was putting balls down consistently from the left side despite her smaller height. Sophie dela Rosa, Annabelle Kim and
Kayla Luther
Kayla
Luther
5'7" | OH
Loudoun County | 2027
VA
are the others. Sophie attended our high school clinics and shows a great attitude in her will to improve. The five girls were all great players to coach.
Blue Ridge finished second. They came about as close as a team can get to winning gold. The game scores against Paramount were 27-25, 23-25 and 13-15. They also have some height on this team. Their setter Breeze Johnson stands tall and sets well, an interesting combination. As with many of the Blue Ridge girls Breeze plays beach. Definitely a player to watch for the future. I also love the name.
MVSA force has Ana Djordjevic on their team. She is the younger sister of Ema, who ranks number four in our class of 2025. Ana plays libero for her team, while her sister plays left side.
15 Open
The top two teams in this age bracket were Blue Ridge and Paramount. Blue Ridge swept through their opponents without losing a set in their eight matches. I did not get a chance to watch them this tournament because my team was playing in the same wave. They did win a Maryland Jrs Open tournament and I wrote about them there.
Samantha Stephens plays an impressive and intimidating middle, using her 6 foot height to reject a number of tips. She swings left handed so her future may be on the right side. Skylar Norris plays a dynamic left side. Like many of the of the girls who play for Blue Ridge the beach enhances her all around game. Callie Hose brings solid offense to the right side. Finally, no Blue Ridge team remains complete without a solid libero. Alycia Miller fills that role.
Paramount may have finished second in this tournament but will come out on top in many before the season is complete.
Teodora Stamenkovic
Teodora
Stamenkovic
6'1" | MB
Bishop O'Connell | 2026
State
VA
switches between middle and right side. She stands 6’1″ and has incredible wrist snap that can bury the ball to the floor. She ranks number three in our class of 2026.
Paramount carries a collection of girls who can play middle in
Brianna Washington
Brianna
Washington
5'10" | MB
Woodbridge Senior | 2025
State
VA
,
Piper Xeller
Piper
Xeller
5'10" | MB
Herndon | 2026
State
VA
and
Isabella Moore
Isabella
Moore
5'10" | MB
Stone Bridge | 2026
State
VA
. Brianna tops the team with her approach jump of 9’10’.
Charlotte Arrington
Charlotte
Arrington
5'10" | OH
Loudoun County | 2026
State
VA
and
Lindsey Canty
Lindsey
Canty
5'10" | OH
North Stafford | 2026
State
VA
are two explosive outsides who can bring a finish to the game.
Ingrid Smith
Ingrid
Smith
5'7" | S
Dominion | 2027
VA
belongs to the 2027 class but returns as their setter, playing a year up.
Avery Prendergast
Avery
Prendergast
5'9" | S
St. Johns | 2025
State
VA
set for St. Johns last year as a sophomore and shares the setting duties with Ingrid.
Club 540 finished third. They swept through their competition winning their first six matches without losing a set. When they reached the gold bracket they were swept by both Blue Ridge and Paramount.
16 Open
Blue Ridge almost swept their way in winning the gold in the 16 open. They lost a set to Paramount 25-23. Paramount finished second while Virginia Elite took the third spot. All three clubs were identified as the top clubs in the Chesapeake Region, with fourth place MVSA Sparks also named.
It can be argued that Blue Ridge may have the two most dominant left sides in the 16 club division.
Kennedy Spaid
Kennedy
Spaid
5'11" | OH
James Wood | 2026
State
VA
and
Ada McCoy
Ada
McCoy
5'11" | OH
Musselman (WVA) | 2025
State
VA
are both six rotation players who can hit front row and back row. Kennedy ranks number one in our class of 2026. Libero
Brenna Corbin
Brenna
Corbin
5'5" | DS/L
James Wood | 2026
State
VA
ranks at number five in that same 2026 class. Both play up. It would be hard to find a libero that covers more ground than Brenna.
Ava Dickerson
Ava
Dickerson
5'11" | MB
Warren County | 2025
VA
plays middle. If you focus on the outsides and ignore her she will make you pay. Alexandra Lynch and Kendall Watcher share the setting duties.
Paramount lost to Virginia Elite in pool play but got a little revenge by sweeping them in the gold medal bracket match. They carry a talented roster with class of 2026 setter
Claire Mo
Claire
Mo
5'9" | S
Langley | 2026
State
VA
playing up to lead the offense. The team is formidable in the middle with
Brianna Holladay
Brianna
Holladay
6'1" | MB
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
and
Simone Schaefer
Simone
Schaefer
5'10" | MB
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
setting up the blocks.
Skyler Tennant
Skyler
Tennant
5'11" | RS
Battlefield | 2025
State
VA
,
Adriana Perodin
Adriana
Perodin
5'8" | OH
Riverside | 2025
VA
,
Zoe Ryu
Zoe
Ryu
6'0" | OH
Georgetown Day | 2025
State
VA
and
Kaitlyn Demitz
Kaitlyn
Demitz
RS
Dominion | 2025
State
VA
give the team depth on the outsides.
Sadee Gedse
Sadee
Gedse
5'4" | DS/L
Oakton | 2025
State
VA
provides incredible hustle to the libero position.
Last year I did not get much of a chance to watch Virginia Elite play. For the 16s
Shylah Swope
Shylah
Swope
5'10" | S
Herndon | 2025
State
VA
ran a 5/1 with
Evelyn Jurden
Evelyn
Jurden
6'1" | S
West Springfield | 2025
State
VA
used for hitting from the right side. When Shylah plays the front row she loves to jump set and dump to the left corner 4 spot with her right hand. Defenses find it tough to cover that shot. Evelyn at 6’1″ brings the highest approach jump to the team. At 6’0″
Ana Toumazatos
Ana
Toumazatos
6'0" | OH
Langley | 2025
State
VA
brings power to the left side, as well as the back row with her ability to play six rotations. Another player who impressed is
Kadi Pynchon
Kadi
Pynchon
5'6" | DS/L
State
VA
with her libero play.
17 Open
Blue Ridge would have preferred a sweep in the 15-17 division but the 17 team seemed a little off. They missed a number of serves, their passing was erratic and many of their hits travelled out. The length of the Richmond Volleyball Club could have created those troubles.
If I had to vote for an MVP for the tournament it would be Morgan Crawford Morgan Crawford 5'10" | OH Atlee | 2023 State VA . Next year she will be playing for Loyola Maryland. This year she dominated the floor for RVC 17. Her back row play was extraordinary with dig after dig of dead Blue Ridge attempted kills. She also terminated sets from the left side. She ranks number 27 in our class of 2023 but after her performance at Volley by the James her rank could be higher.
While they lost
Hannah Ball
Hannah
Ball
5'11" | OH
Midlothian | 2024
State
VA
from last year Catori Crawford (no relation to Morgan) uses a good jump to create offense from the other left side. Kyla Johnson is a smaller middle but she carries good reach and creates havoc with her offense. Libero
Amelia Tomlinson
Amelia
Tomlinson
5'8" | DS/L
Western Albemarle | 2024
State
VA
covers a lot of ground in the back court. The class of 2024 libero has committed to Liberty. At 6’2″
Campbell Woods
Campbell
Woods
6'2" | RS
Hanover | 2024
VA
uses her length on the right side that could have created many of those Blue Ridge hitting errors. It can be quite the challenge to hit a ball past her block. Anne Croft has the good hands to find the hitter’s sweet spot. College recruiters will be rewarded watching this team play.
We talked a lot about Blue Ridge last week after they finished second in the Maryland Jrs open. The 6’0″ left side
Berkeley Konrady
Berkeley
Konrady
6'0" | OH
Millbrook | 2025
State
VA
ranks number 68 in our class of 2025. That ranking will rise. She carries a lot of velocity in her kills. A little inconsistent this past weekend against RVC but definitely a six rotation left side to watch. Middle
Ashlynn Spence
Ashlynn
Spence
5'8" | MB
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
places balls well using the deep corners in areas 1 and 6 to finish her hits. At 5’8″ her height is small for a middle but her volleyball IQ makes her dangerous in the front row. You also have to like the enthusiasm and hustle of libero
Emma White
Emma
White
5'6" | DS/L
Legacy Christian Academy | 2025
State
VA
. And finally,
Greta Barvick
Greta
Barvick
5'10" | S
Chelsea Academy | 2024
State
VA
and
Hannah McCullough
Hannah
McCullough
5'2" | S
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
share setting duties. Greta stands out for her offensive contributions from the right and left side.
Virginia Elite was the lone team to take a match from Richmond Volleyball Club. They were swept by Blue Ridge 25-18, 25-13, knocking them down to third. They also lost to Blue Ridge in their opening match, but at that time taking them to three.
The 6’1″ setter
Chloe Hokenson
Chloe
Hokenson
6'1" | S
Langley | 2024
State
VA
churns this offense. She ran a 5/1 in the game I watched but they do have
Melorra Arthur
Melorra
Arthur
S
Battlefield | 2024
State
VA
to set if they want her offense from the right side. The 6’0″ outside
Claire Burducea
Claire
Burducea
6'0" | OH
Wakefield | 2024
VA
played six rotations and impressed. Always good to see a new face in these tournaments A player to watch is 6’4″ left side
Azavia Thomas
Azavia
Thomas
6'4" | OH
Archbishop Carroll | 2024
State
VA
. She ranks number 86 in the class of 2024 but with more club experience that ranking will rise. She is limited to three rotations but she earns points while in the front row. The 6’2″ middle
Alice Holoubek
Alice
Holoubek
6'2" | MB
Bishop O’Connell | 2024
State
VA
plays a cerebral middle, consistently moving from pin to pin. Finally, Ella Jubeck impressed at the libero position.
Paramount finished fourth and Vienna Elite eighth.
18 Open
Jersey Jrs swept through the competition to win the 18 open. They finished 8-0, losing two sets, one to second place Club 540 and the other to third place Richmond Volleyball Club.
Club 540 swept Richmond Volleyball Club in the gold medal bracket to take second place. They battled the Jersey team to three, losing the final 17-15. I did not watch a lot of the 18’s but setter
Alexis Scipione
Alexis
Scipione
5'9" | S
Colgan | 2023
State
VA
seems to set her team to a higher level.
Tatum Evans Tatum Evans 6'1" | OH Midlothian | 2023 State VA remains the big name for the Richmond Volleyball Club 18 team. The Virginia Tech commit hits left side and led Midlothian High School to their first ever Class 5 State championship.
Vienna Elite surprised with a fourth place finish. They run an offense with the taller Madeline Schamaun setting in the front row and the smaller Trisha Guevara Trisha Guevara 5'5" | S Stone Bridge | 2023 State VA setting in the back row. Trish has committed to Virginia Weslayan.
New Names Who Impressed
Below are some names whose teams did not make the gold bracket. These players were not included in our recent rankings.
Jordyn Palazzo (MVSA Sparks) – The 5’11” left side from the Class of 2025 shows she can bring the offense.
Caroline Kaye (MVSA Sparks) – This 6’1″ middle runs the quicks well. She also creates some buzz with her high jumping prowess in the track and field arena.
Caroline Lang (Richmond Volleyball Club) – This class of 2025 middle has some height. She is also new to volleyball and still a bit raw. She can normally be seen on the tennis court.
Peri Linterman (Club 540) – This class of 2025 plays middle for the 17 team. She stands 6’2″ and showed a powerful swing.
Allison Lach (Club 540) – A 5’10” left side with a good swing. She plays for Riverbend High School with Peri above.