Who Carries the Thunder Among the Elite 18s

The rankings are complete. Time to move on to club volleyball where we take a peek at some of the elite travel teams in the various age groups in the Chesapeake Region. Many teams have the word "elite" in their name but only a few are deserving of the moniker.   The first look will be the 18s. Last year we took a look at the Advanced Event Systems (AES) top five 18 teams after the 2022 season ended. You can find the link <a href="https://prepdig.com/2022/07/ranking-the-top-clubs-for-2022/">Ranking the Top Clubs for 2022 - Prep Dig</a>. They were some combination of Metro, Virginia Jrs, Maryland Jrs., and Liberty Elite.   If you take a look at the 17's it changes significantly. They were Metro, Paramount, Virginia Jrs. and Vienna Elite. Based on their rosters who will pass the strength test for the 2023 season. For this post we will name four.   Metro    For the Chesapeake area Metro carries the name as the top club for all age groups. This team returns most of their starters from their 17's team that just missed qualifying for the gold bracket in the open division at the Junior Nationals. They lost a deciding second game set to the eventual third place team Club V 42-40. Metro then lost the deciding match 15-5 to drop to the bronze bracket, finishing 19th in the open.   Strengths - Metro probably has the two strongest Gatorade Player of the Year candidates for Virginia in outside [player_tooltip player_id='181178' first='Milan' last='Rex'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor']. Milan is normally one of the two setters for Metro, but she hit outside for her high school Alexandria City team, leading them to a Class 6 State Championship and winning the Prep Dig Virginia player of the year. Brielle blocked middle for Colgan, who finished second in Class 6, losing to Alexandria City in the finals. The Class 6B Region and the Cardinal District voted Brielle player of the year. They rate 2 and 3 in our class of 2023 ranking.   The outsides for Metro pack the heat with their electric arm swings. [player_tooltip player_id='181097' first='Safi' last='Hampton'] ranks number one on our 2023 list and [player_tooltip player_id='238859' first='Sydney' last='Bryant'] sits at number 5. Safi earned the Baltimore Sun player of the year vote for Maryland and Sydney led Flint Hill to the VISAA State Championship, earning first team honors from Washington Post. Last year Milan hit right side for the 17 team so they may only need one right side. They have lots of choices between [player_tooltip player_id='209171' first='Samantha' last='Dorn'], [player_tooltip player_id='181101' first='Daniella' last='Suarez'] and Francis Torres-Esperanza.   The other setter will be [player_tooltip player_id='181196' first='Arleigh' last='Hanson']. who stands at 6'0". [player_tooltip player_id='181183' first='Pam' last='McCune'] lays claim to the other middle position, though the roster is stacked with quality candidates in [player_tooltip player_id='181206' first='Armani' last='Kenney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209172' first='Isabela' last='Fowlkes']. The primary libero should be [player_tooltip player_id='181208' first='Gabby' last='Allen'], but other options exist in Celine Wu and Laura Detweiler.   This team carries lots of depth. Four of the top five ranked 2023 players are on the Metro roster with 12 players ranked in total on our top 100.   Top Uncommitted Player to Watch - [player_tooltip player_id='181101' first='Daniella' last='Suarez'] (Edit: Committed to Fairfield) stands as the only top 100 ranked player from Metro still not committed. This past high school season she played in the shadow of [player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman'] at Holy Cross as the second left side hitter. She hits the ball hard and deep covering all six rotations on the court.   Paramount    The 17's last year played in the National Division, qualifying for the gold bracket and finishing fifth. They took the third place team, the Rev Raptors to three, but lost that last set 15-12. They appear to be stronger this year with the new addition of [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria']. At 16's many in this group became the first club team from the Chesapeake Region not named Metro to qualify for an open division in Junior Nationals. They hope to repeat that accomplishment in 2023.   Strengths - Last year their outsides of [player_tooltip player_id='181201' first='Hannah' last='Howard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181102' first='Rylah' last='Robinson'] were a bit on the smaller side, Rylah being the tallest at 5'10". The addition of [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria'] provides them that additional outside with length. One of the strengths of [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria'] is her ability to play six rotations, as well as put up a strong block. Howard also plays six rotations, but sometimes struggled to put the ball down when faced with taller blocks. On the right side they do not have to worry about height with the 6'3" [player_tooltip player_id='181205' first='Helen' last='Frankovich'].   The setting will be controlled by [player_tooltip player_id='181179' first='Chloe' last='Wilmot'], who set Alexandria City to their second Class 6 State Championship last year. The back row play reigns supreme with [player_tooltip player_id='111508' first='Haley' last='Gill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209185' first='Carly' last='Zimmet'] patrolling the area. Those two can cover a lot of ground. [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181201' first='Hannah' last='Howard'] are also two outsides who play like liberos so it will be interesting how Paramount uses their back row.   Where Paramount may fall short with Metro stacks at the middle position. They carry a number of options on their roster in [player_tooltip player_id='236647' first='Elizabeth' last='Stackpole'], [player_tooltip player_id='240022' first='Maya' last='Van Wyngaardt'], [player_tooltip player_id='209181' first='Sonja' last='Meyer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='244502' first='Elysa' last='Pulliam']. All stand over 6 feet but lack the swag of the Metro middles. That can change with a quality club season. Only Sonja returns from the team from last year.   Top Uncommitted Player to Watch - At 6'2" [player_tooltip player_id='236647' first='Elizabeth' last='Stackpole'] has the length to play middle or could shift to the right side. She led Hayfield to the National District crown, earning her a spot on the first team.   DYS Thunder    When I looked at the 2023 rankings three clubs stood out because they had at least two left sides who appeared in the Top 20. Metro and Paramount were the two obvious ones. DYS Thunder came as a complete surprise. This team will be my sleeper to watch in 2023. Besides, they are the only team in this group with "thunder" in their name.   Strengths: Obviously the two outsides in [player_tooltip player_id='231669' first='Dryden' last='Rancourt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181563' first='Emma' last='Kerwin']. Dryden sits number 7 in our rankings. The Cedar Run District and the Class 6B Region voted her to the first team. She also led her high school in kills. What most impressed me were her hands when forced to set a couple errant passes. Emma placed 19th in our rankings. She was also voted first team Cedar Run District and Class B Region. The two combined for more than 600 kills for their high school teams. Emma also led her team in digs.   The key will be finding someone who can dish the ball out to them. They do have an excellent back row player in [player_tooltip player_id='209184' first='Sakura' last='Shimozono']. The Concorde District voted her to the first team as the top libero. She ranks number 55 in our 2023 rankings.   The Concorde District also named [player_tooltip player_id='240907' first='Aspen' last='Nardelli'] to their first team. She played right side for Chantilly. That will be her role for DYS Thunder.   Top Uncommitted Players to Watch - At 5'11" [player_tooltip player_id='240907' first='Aspen' last='Nardelli'] carries some length. She strung together some key hits in the Chantilly run at the State championships, including a game winner against Langley. [player_tooltip player_id='231669' first='Dryden' last='Rancourt'] committed to Richard Bland, a two year college. A four year college may want to take a look at her to see if she meets their future plans. She will not disappoint.   Virginia Juniors    Last year the 17 team made it to the Junior Nationals in the Freedom Division. They finished in 11th place, but 8 of their 10 matches went three sets. Their 5-3 record in those three set matches indicated a higher finish was possible with a few more breaks.   Virginia Juniors also lists 12 players in the Top 100 of the 2023 class rankings. Most of those players fall within the middle of the rankings. The only outside hitter among this group [player_tooltip player_id='224016' first='Kezia' last='Francis'] sits at number 60. At 5'9" her height could become an issue when they play some of the stronger teams with the bigger blocks. She plays all six rotations.   Setting probably remains their greatest strength. Last year they used [player_tooltip player_id='200199' first='Ava' last='Ray'] in the back row and when the 6'0" [player_tooltip player_id='181180' first='Kelsey' last='Holmes'] came in the front row she set. Late in a game when they needed Kelsey to provide some offense in the front row [player_tooltip player_id='238096' first='Sage' last='Duggal'] would come in to set in the back row. Kelsey at number 25 ranks the highest of the Virginia Junior players.   The middles are strong with the 6'3" Auburn bound [player_tooltip player_id='209180' first='Jasmine' last='Okeoma'] offering the most potential. Her blocking stands out as her greatest strength at this point. [player_tooltip player_id='181184' first='Chelsea' last='Colter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='231675' first='Simora' last='Alexander'] are the other middles. Either of those two could also be used as right sides.   Another strength remains the back row play with [player_tooltip player_id='209182' first='Sofia' last='Hardy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='233447' first='Payton' last='Delean'] filling the libero and defensive specialist role. The Potomac District named Sofia first team libero while the Cedar Run District named Payton first team defensive specialist.   Top Uncommitted Players to Watch - If a college has some interest in a couple defensive stalwarts [player_tooltip player_id='209182' first='Sofia' last='Hardy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='233447' first='Payton' last='Delean'] (Edit: committed to Haverford College) provide solid back row play. [player_tooltip player_id='224016' first='Kezia' last='Francis'] plays six rotations and despite her smaller stature can hit the ball hard. The two middle/right sides [player_tooltip player_id='181184' first='Chelsea' last='Colter'] (Edit: Committed to George Mason) and [player_tooltip player_id='231675' first='Simora' last='Alexander'] play a solid offensive game. The Patriot Division placed Chelsea on the first team and Simora on the second team.

The rankings are complete. Time to move on to club volleyball where we take a peek at some of the elite travel teams in the various age groups in the Chesapeake Region. Many teams have the word "elite" in their name but only a few are deserving of the moniker.