Eight to Watch from Class of 2027
In this article:
Seven players and a group of setters are the players on my radar for the class of 2027. Players can rise and fall very quickly at this class. Growth can still occur. Athleticism has just begun to sprout her wings.…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSeven players and a group of setters are the players on my radar for the class of 2027. Players can rise and fall very quickly at this class. Growth can still occur. Athleticism has just begun to sprout her wings. There are also many who play in the anonymity of the junior varsity or frosh courts who are just picking up the game. Below are the players on my radar for the class of 2027.
Setters – Caycee Chhum Caycee Chhum 5'7" | S Georgetown Day | 2027 State VA (Metro/Chantilly), Ingrid Smith Ingrid Smith 5'8" | S Dominion | 2027 State VA (Dominion/ Paramount ), Danika Swanson Danika Swanson 5'9" | S Patriot | 2027 State VA (Patriot/American), Anna Dierks Anna Dierks 5'9" | S West Springfield | 2027 State VA (West Potomac/ Paramount ), Paisley Cook Paisley Cook 5'5" | S Millbrook | 2027 State VA (Millbrook/ Blue Ridge , Annabelle Kim Annabelle Kim 5'8" | S Heritage | 2027 State VA (Heritage/Virginia Elite VB Club), Kathryn Wagener Kathryn Wagener 5'8" | S Washington-Liberty | 2027 State VA (Washington Liberty/ Loudoun Elite ), Vivian Ngan Vivian Ngan 5'3" | S Clarksburg | 2027 State VA (Clarksburg/MVSA) – The one thing all these girls have in common is they set for their varsity team during their frosh season. While there were no state championships for 2023 the following year could be a different story. Cayccee and Paisley earned spots on a first team while Ingrid, Danica and Annabelle took home second team honors. The club season is the opportunity to enhance those setting skills. It will be fun to watch their progress along the way.
It will be interesting to see what role Alyssa plays for her club team. Last year she went back and forth between middle and outside but spent the majority of her time at middle. During the high school season the Commonwealth District voted her to the first team as a middle. She has inched up to 6’0″. With more experience it will be interesting to see what improvements she has made to her game. Personally, I would love to see her focus on outside.
Highlights
Last year at the club level she buried balls from the left side for Virginia Juniors. She also played six rotations. The high school season had to be a disappointment. She made the varsity team for Herndon, but with the loss of their setter to injury the Hornets could only win one match. Coco has got to be hungry for a fresh season.
Highlights
Macie Murray Macie Murray 5'11" | OH Osbourne Park | 2027 State VA outside (Osbourne Park/Metro) – Her older sister Mickhaila played for Flint Hill and won a VISAA state championship. Her younger sister chose the public school route playing for the Yellowjackets. While the team struggled for victories Macie earned a spot on the Cedar Run District first team. Like her sister she hits the ball hard with the ability to play six rotations. While she was absent on the roster for the Rock and Rumble tournament in Cleveland my understanding is she will be with Metro this year.
Katherine is a teammate of Alyssa at Mountain View but played for the junior varsity team. In her early years she set but she enjoyed the rewards of hitting so much she decided to focus on the hitting aspect of the right side. Her lefthanded swing is perfect for the position as is her 6’1″ height. Katherine still needs to work on improving the rawness in her game but the tools that exist are promising.
Highlights
Jolie Vignier Jolie Vignier 6'2" | MB Battlefield | 2027 State VA middle (Battlefield/American) – Last year the Bobcats were filled at middle so Jolie was sent down to get playing time with the junior varsity. The team did pretty well, going undefeated for the year. Jolie moved from Paramount to American this year. She impressed with her middle play at Paramount and still brings that dominant presence over to American. She made a couple critical blocks and her kills in the middle helped bring American to a second place finish in their first tournament of the season. at Maryland Juniors. A promising start to the season.
Eva was one of the primary left side hitters for Paramount last year. Things may be a little different this year. The team has added Louise Neuhart Louise Neuhart 6’0″ | OH Independence | 2027 State VA to add depth to the roster. Eva may bounce between both pins to create offensive opportunities. Or moving to the middle could also be an option. There is a lot of flexibility in her game. It will be interesting to see how her role plays out.
Highlights
Last year I did not get to see Averi play. Her high school team went undefeated last year. She was listed as one of the captains on the team. That is pretty impressive. She also was just one of two frosh named to the Post All Met team as an honorable mention. Laila Chadwick Laila Chadwick 5’8″ | DS/L James Madison | 2027 State VA was the other. That is pretty high company to keep. Add to that her 6’2″ height plus playing for Metro and getting some accolades from some who have seen her play was enough to spot her in the rankings at 54. My suspicion is that ranking may rise once I see her play.
Highlights