Clash of the Titans Standouts
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Alexandria City High School ran their annual Clash of the Titans tournament this past weekend. It was scheduled to be played earlier but severe weather forced the school to cancel that date. Three teams had to drop out of the…
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Continue ReadingAlexandria City High School ran their annual Clash of the Titans tournament this past weekend. It was scheduled to be played earlier but severe weather forced the school to cancel that date. Three teams had to drop out of the rescheduled tournament so they had nine teams playing in three pools of three teams each. I could only stay for the morning part of the clash but that was enough time to watch some players from each team stand out.
Oakton
If I was to guess who won the tournament my first pick would be Oakton. No team had a pair of outsides who could hit like seniors Seliz Aktuglu Seliz Aktuglu 5'9" | OH Oakton | 2024 State VA and Jocelyn Shortle Jocelyn Shortle 5'9" | OH Oakton | 2024 State VA . Both players are listed at 5’9″ but their athleticism allows them to play above the competition. If that was not enough junior Sadee Gedse Sadee Gedse 5'6" | DS/L Oakton | 2025 State VA was perhaps the top libero at the tournament. That led to good passing and strong defense. Another player who stood out was their senior middle Olivia Liebermann. At 5’11” she stands short for a middle but finds a way to put the ball away.
West Potomac
They have a stand out frosh in right side Olivia Garey Olivia Garey 6'2" | RS West Potomac | 2027 State VA . She brings height to the position and hits the ball hard. The hitter they seem to rely on most to win rallies is junior middle Olivia Hatcher Olivia Hatcher 6'0" | OH Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA . She also put up a good block and completed a critical redirect kill to earn critical points. At left side junior Ava Dushaw Ava Dushaw 5'8" | OH West Potomac | 2024 VA brought a good back row attack as well as providing the traditional front row kills. The setter and captain of the group was senior setter Caroline Christensen. She played good defense, ran the 5/1 offense well and surprised the opposition with some well placed setter dumps.
Highlights
Wakefield
They had a few players missing because of college visits and SATs. One player they did have was frosh middle Taylor Harrington Taylor Harrington 6'2" | MB Wakefield | 2027 State VA , the number one prospect in the class of 2027. Despite the team struggling to pass, making the middle set difficult to hit, Taylor played with the same intensity as she would with Paramount. When she did get the set it usually hit the floor for a Warrior point. Junior MacKenzie Williams played a strong right side and even buried some balls from the left side.
Washington Liberty
Frosh setter Kathryn Wagener Kathryn Wagener 5'8" | S Washington-Liberty | 2027 State VA impressed with her defense. She appeared to dig everything hit her way. The Oakton dup of Aktuglu and Shortle hit a number of hard balls at her. She stood her ground popping up digs that floated to the three meter line. She also set a 5/1 and ran the offense like a veteran. Another frosh Evelyn Donavan played good defense in the back row. She also hit the ball well from the left side. The big hitter from the left side was senior Rachel Lenz Rachel Lenz 6'0" | OH Washington Liberty | 2024 State VA . The six footer provided offensive fire power from the back row as well as the front row.
Alexandria City
Repeating as Class 6 state champs may be tough. They got off to a slow start, losing eight of their first 10 games. Once Regional play began they won seven of ten and now sit in third place behind Woodson and West Springfield in the Patriot Region. Catching Woodson will be tough but they still have a shot at second in the Region.
The 6’1″ junior Julia Kelly Julia Kelly 6'1" | OH Alexandria City | 2025 State VA has been hitting well from the pins. She combines with senior Bridie Wendling Bridie Wendling 5'10" | OH Alexandria City | 2024 State VA to give them offense at the pins. Junior Casey Donahue Casey Donahue 5'5" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 State VA has taken over the libero role and kept the team in system with her passing and defense. Sophomore setter Alicia Randall Alicia Randall 5'8" | S Alexandria | 2026 State VA appears to be getting more comfortable running the offense after taking over from two time state champion Chloe Wilmot. Senior Harper Travis Harper Travis 5'11" | MB Alexandria City | 2024 State VA provides solid play and leadership at the middle position. They may not be able to repeat as state champions this year, but they can build the blocks to better themselves for next year.
McLean
Not a lot of wins in their season, but they get some good offense from junior left side Goldie Woods Goldie Woods 5'8" | OH McLean | 2025 State VA . She stands only 5’8″ but she puts the ball away. In the sets I watched she only played three rotations in one set, but also was part of a two person serve receive while playing back row in another set. At 5’10” senior Adrienne Long Adrienne Long 5'10" | OH McLean | 2024 State VA gave the team some offense at the pins. She also contributed to a right side block.
Justice
At 5’10” junior middle Piper Koury brought much of the offense to this team.
Highlights
C.D. Hylton
CD Hylton appears to rely on three sophomores to lead their team. The first is libero Kadie Cardozo Kadie Cardozo 5'5" | DS/L Colonial Forge | 2026 State VA . She handled the position well starting the offense off with good passing. At 5’6″ Harley Barney Harley Barney 5'6" | DS/L C.D Hylton | 2026 VA got credit for a block in the middle. She is listed as a defensive specialist/outside hitter but blocked a lot of middle in the sets I watched. The third sophomore Kylee Cookson Kylee Cookson 5'8" | OH CD Hylton | 2026 State VA strung together some decent hits from the left side. They were playing Oakton in the set I watched and they got beaten badly.
Oxon Hill
This was a Maryland school that came down to play in the tournament. Their schedule showed them undefeated when they entered the tournament, but they are not undefeated anymore. Junior libero Kaylana Padre did a good job passing. Junior Ashley Fru set a 5/1. At 5’7″ she stood a bit short when playing in the front row. Though she was a bit inconsistent, the big hitter on the team was their 5’10” senior left side Abena Asomani Abena Asomani 5'11" | OH OXon Hill | 2024 State VA -Martin.
Chick Chortles: Briar Woods got a second opportunity to beat Riverside but lost in four. Riverside remains undefeated at 15-0 and now has a two game lead over Briar Woods…In another top twenty match Holy Cross played in a tournament going against Flint Hill. Holy Cross, led by Emerson Sellman Emerson Sellman 6'4" | OH Academy of Holy Cross | 2024 State #5 Nation VA won in three 25-23, 21-25 and 15-7. Holy Cross got a late start to their season, but they remain undefeated at 19-0. An updated DMV ranking will appear next week.