Metro 17 Powers it's way to a Nationals Bid

The Northeastern Qualifiers were played in Philadelphia this past weekend. At stake were bids for various 18 Divisions and the 17 Open. Below is a discussion of the two open age divisions. The other divisions in the 18U will be discussed later this week.   17 Open   Metro   While Metro lost only one set in the tournament, the first match they played, they almost lost a second set in gold bracket play which could have eliminated them from capturing a bid.   In their first set against AJV in the gold medal bracket, poor passing turned a 5-6 deficit into a 5-12 trench. The teams traded off points until it was 11-17. Instead of panicking, Metro took a deep breath, found their composure and rolled.   A [player_tooltip player_id='180296' first='Madison' last='Bowser'] block and [player_tooltip player_id='180281' first='Erin' last='Debiec'] ace moved the score to 13-17. Unfortunately, two more AJV points kept the deficit at six, 13-19. [player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman'] gave Metro serve back with a kill. With her serving another Bowser block, a [player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens'] kill and then [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'] took over the set. Her three kills towards the end of the game put Metro on top 25-22.   They went on to win the second set 25-18 and then won the championship match against the Rev Raptors 25-16 and 25-20 to win the Northeastern Qualifier. It was the second time Metro had beaten the Raptors in the tournament. Since both teams had already earned a bid to the Nationals by appearing in the finals the championship match was for pride only.   This was perhaps the first tournament Metro 17 played in which they were running on all cylinders. [player_tooltip player_id='180295' first='Ryla' last='Jones'] returned packing a punch, combining with her sister [player_tooltip player_id='181232' first='Renee' last='Jones'] to put up a formidable block against the left side hitters. At 6'5" each, the two formed a giant wall that responded with a return to sender on many attempted kills by the left sides. [player_tooltip player_id='180296' first='Madison' last='Bowser'] also returned a number of attempted kills back to sender. For Metro 17 there always seems to be a block party going down.   [player_tooltip player_id='180283' first='Natalie' last='Nguyen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='180281' first='Erin' last='Debiec'] orchestrated the offense with precision. At 5'5" Natalie still has the ability to leap at the tight sets near the net and one hand the ball to the middle or push off a set outside. With Erin standing 6'1" the middles do not seem bothered by the difference in height. [player_tooltip player_id='180295' first='Ryla' last='Jones'] destroyed a number of quick middle sets that crashed untouched to the floor. It did not matter who the setter.   [player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens'] had some crucial kills from the right side. For a Metro team she stands an unconventional 5'9" but has tremendous leaping ability that allows her to block right side and rifle it past the bigger blocks. She has no fear of swinging hard and if blocked she comes at them again.   [player_tooltip player_id='180300' first='Mailinh' last='Godschall'] plays an incredible libero. No matter how hard the driven ball she always seems to get some contact on the ball to pop it up. She habitually cleans the floor with her jersey, saving tips from hitting the floor. Her passing stays so consistent that when she shanks one you have to look again to validate it was her who attempted to pass the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='233010' first='Mickhaila' last='Murray'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'] shared one of the left sides. Mickhaila is the more consistent passer but when Lameen hits the ball it reaches the floor quickly. Lameen sits at the top of the class of 2025 so she is playing up.   However you want to spread the accolades to the various players, the one constant force on this team is left side [player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman']. This is her team. Last year with Macaria Spears the two shared in the super stardom. With Spears departure to Texas Metro rises with one leader, [player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman'].   Paramount   Paramount is still trying to find itself. They lost their first three matches, all going three games. That eliminated them from any bid consideration. The second day they won both their matches to put them in the bronze. They lost in the final of the bronze medal match.   The loss of [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'] to Metro hurt. [player_tooltip player_id='180294' first='Kiylah' last='Presley'] has moved from middle to outside. She still struggles with the timing of the high outside set but with more repetition the consistency will come. She also passes in a two person serve receive and struggles at times.   Last year Paramount ran a 5/1 with [player_tooltip player_id='180282' first='Paige' last='Ahakuelo']. Now they have [player_tooltip player_id='180285' first='Clara' last='Yu'] to set and run a 6/2. As a setter I always felt more tied to the game when I ran a 5/1 so it may take some time as well to adapt to a 6/2. Paige ran a 6/2 when setting James Woods to the Class 4 high school state championships.   [player_tooltip player_id='209795' first='Harlan' last='Wyche'] has really upped her game in the middle. She has grown a couple inches and her reach has always been impressive. She turns on balls, burying them to her left and then just when you shut that area down with the block she cuts the ball to the right. Her 10'1" approach jump stands second to [player_tooltip player_id='180294' first='Kiylah' last='Presley'].   With time, this team will be in the hunt. Talent overflows on this roster.   Virginia Elite   They got stuck in a tough pool the first day, losing to AVC CLE Red (fifth place) and Miz LB Rockstar (8th), eliminating them from any bid contention. They took AVC Cle to three sets, losing the final 15-9. Five of their seven matches went to three sets. They won two of them.   The team carries some height in 6'1" setter [player_tooltip player_id='180284' first='Chloe' last='Hokenson'], 6'2" middle [player_tooltip player_id='180298' first='Alice' last='Holoubek'] and outsides 6'1" [player_tooltip player_id='233013' first='Gabriella' last='Flamish'] and 6'4" [player_tooltip player_id='237239' first='Azavia' last='Thomas']. They just need more consistency from them. Perhaps their most consistent player is their smallest player. [player_tooltip player_id='180303' first='Karen' last='Cao'] has emerged as a strong libero, providing good passing and a strong defense.   18 Open   Metro   This team made a remarkable comeback in a third set match that gave them an opportunity to reach the finals of the gold bracket. Against AJV Adidas, Metro fell behind early 2-10. They fought but still found themselves down 7-13, two points away from dropping down to the Silver Bracket.   [player_tooltip player_id='181183' first='Pam' last='McCune'] contributed a kill in the middle to give Metro serve. Two blocks by [player_tooltip player_id='181178' first='Milan' last='Rex'] and a McCune block closed the gap to 12-13. An AJV kill put them within a point of winning, but [player_tooltip player_id='238859' first='Sydney' last='Bryant'] dashed those hopes with a kill. [player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor'] tied it with a kill at 14-14 and another [player_tooltip player_id='238859' first='Sydney' last='Bryant'] kill put them ahead 15-14.   A serve into the net knotted it at 15-15. This gave AJV the serve. With the pass close to the net and [player_tooltip player_id='181185' first='Brielle' last='Kemavor'] in the air ready to hit a quick set, [player_tooltip player_id='181178' first='Milan' last='Rex'] pulled out one of the gutsiest plays you will see in a volleyball match. Instead of doing the obvious and setting Brielle, she finessed a two hand back set to land gently into the "4" spot to give Metro a 16-15 lead. Brielle blocked the next ball and Metro won 17-15.   Unfortunately, Metro lost in the finals to Gainesville Juniors in an incredible match, 26-28, 26-24 and 15-13. The team played without [player_tooltip player_id='181097' first='Safi' last='Hampton'], who was at the tournament but not dressed to play. They missed her outside play.   Frances Torres-Esperanza had a solid tournament. She played right side, passed incredibly well while playing six rotations and buried balls to the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='181178' first='Milan' last='Rex'] fed her a number of back sets and Frances rewarded her effort with the finish. First time I have seen her play. The Colgate commit deserves a spot in the 2023 rankings.   Paramount   They had to play without [player_tooltip player_id='181098' first='Grace' last='Maria'], who was resting a minor injury. That forced the team to move [player_tooltip player_id='181201' first='Hannah' last='Howard'] from libero to outside, a position she played for them last year. Paramount lost the first match 27-25, 23-25, 15-13, as they got used to their new structure. While they won the next two, a loss in the fourth match knocked them out of bid contention.   Paramount has already earned a bid so this tournament gave them an opportunity to experiment with their lineup. They won their next three, but lost in the first round of the bronze bracket.   [player_tooltip player_id='209185' first='Carly' last='Zimmet'] got some libero time with Hannah moving to left side. Love her attitude and hustle on the court.   Chesapeake Chirps: In the Sunshine Qualifier Paramount finished in second place in the USA Division. They lost in the finals to OK Charge, losing the third set 15-13. Hopefully, a second place finish earns them a bid. They were the only Chesapeake or Virginia team to finish in the top ten in the various divisions.

The Northeastern Qualifiers were played in Philadelphia this past weekend. At stake were bids for various 18 Divisions and the 17 Open. Below is a discussion of the two open age divisions. The other divisions in the 18U will be discussed later this week.