New Additions to Class of 2024 Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 rankings are out. Below are some of the new faces who have filtered the list. For this class a number of players chose not to play travel ball, notably some of the higher ranked players like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180288' first='Emerson' last='Sellman']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180295' first='Ryla' last='Jones']</strong>. Instead, they have chosen to enter college early or just take some time off from playing the sport. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Columbia </strong>saw a number of players added to the list after winning the Chesapeake Regionals. <strong>Metro North</strong> and <strong>Maryland Juniors </strong>also saw multiple additions. Below are the players added, starting with the highest to the lowest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>23. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517498' first='Ziqing' last='Zhou']</strong> left side (Maryland Jrs) - There exists a you tube video of a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517498' first='Ziqing' last='Zhou']</strong> touted as being the best high school level libero in China (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKM0FeKfYOQ">Top talent Libero/DS from Beijing, China: [player_tooltip player_id='517498' first='Ziqing' last='Zhou'] (youtube.com)</a>. She brings a solid offensive game and a wicked jump spin serve to the court as well. Like the Maryland Jrs. Zhou she belongs to the class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Zhou that plays for Maryland Jrs. has the same style of game. She plays excellent defense, hits the ball hard with a whip like arm swing and brings a wicked jump spin serve. Zhou stands out as a difference maker. She stands about 5'10 with a good vertical that can reach 10 feet. Maryland Jrs. finished second in the Chesapeake Regional Bid tournament but were later reallocated to a spot in the National Division for the Junior Nationals in Baltimore. They are also scheduled to play in the National championships in Louisville Kentucky on April 11-13. Definitely an impact player to watch. Zhou debuts at number 23 in our class of 2024 rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>48. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517924' first='Rayah' last='Howell'] </strong>middle (Garrison Forest/Columbia) - While Columbia earned a second seed in the Chesapeake Regional Bid, it still came as a shock to see them win the tournament. The 5'10" middle [player_tooltip player_id='517924' first='Rayah' last='Howell'] was a key driver to lead them to this championship. She runs the slide well from the middle and puts up a formidable block. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore commit debuted at number 48 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>65. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515538' first='Rosemary' last='Degn']</strong> middle (McLean/Virginia Jrs) - At 6'2" Rosemary can put up a good block in the middle. She runs the quicks well while also moving fluently to the pins when forming a block. She also lists right side as another position. Virginia Jrs will be playing in the Freedom Division in Junior Nationals at Baltimore so if you need some height you might want to take a look. She appears at number 65 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>74. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517920' first='Lena' last='McCarthy']</strong> Libero/DS (Clarksburg/Metro North) - Lena Impressed me with her libero play at the Chesapeake Regionals. She can certainly cover the floor with her defense and shows a good platform for passing. For Clarksburg High she earned a spot on the first team for Montgomery County. Lena slots in at number 74 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["363593"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6606f724a5606"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>76. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517927' first='Neve' last='Norris'] </strong>Libero/DS (Gaithersburg/Columbia) - Neve also made the Montgomery County first team as an outside hitter, as well as a place on the Post All Met team as an honorable mention. For Columbia she played as a defensive specialist. She used her outside hitting skills to pepper some back row attacks when she came in as a defensive specialist at the Chesapeake Regionals. The Towson commit slides in at number 76 in our class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>83. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517929' first='Abena' last='Asomani']</strong> left side (Oxon Hill/Columbia) - We first saw Abena at the Clash of the Titans tournament at Alexandria high school. While her outside hits impressed she showed too much inconsistency to slip into our rankings. She showed more consistency at the Chesapeake Regionals, her hitting critical to her team taking the championship. She also earned an honorable mention nod on the Post All-Met team. Abena debuts at number 83 in our top 150.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>84. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523308' first='Madison' last='LaRue']</strong> left side (Loudoun County/[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']) - Madison appears to prefer the sand than the hard court. She did win player of the year in the newly formed Catoctin District as an outside hitter while playing for Loudoun County. At 5'9" she falls a couple inches short of an ideal pin hitter. The first time I watched her play was at the Shamrock festival in 2024. She played middle. A little out of position for her, especially with her height but when she rotated into the back row she stayed there to play defense and pass. A six rotation player who appears to have fun on the court while she competes. Madison slots in at number 84 in our class of 2024, but perhaps if I saw her play outside she would climb higher. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>91. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515534' first='Jocelyn' last='Torres']</strong> setter (Georgetown Day/Maryland Jrs) - A very smooth setter. For Georgetown Day she lacked opportunities because they used DC Gatorade player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='180285' first='Clara' last='Yu'] as their primary setter. When not setting she got some opportunities to play as a defensive specialist. For Maryland Jrs Jocelyn fit in as their primary setter. When the team ran a 6/2 she rotated out in the front row for a taller setter. Maryland Jrs will be playing in the National Division at the Junior Nationals in Baltimore if you are in need of a setter. She lists at 5'8" and fits in at number 91 in our class of 2024 rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>99. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515601' first='Claire' last='Burducea'] </strong>left side (Wakefield/Virginia Elite) - At 6'0" Claire brings good height to the pin position. She relies more on good location than velocity for accumulating her kills, attacking from both the back row and front row. She plays six rotations. Virginia Elite will appear in the junior nationals for the first time in 2000 that I can remember, playing in the American Division. The Franklin and Marshall commit ranks number 99 in our class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>110 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515539' first='Tiana' last='Stubbs'] </strong>middle (Chancellor/540 VB Academy) - The Old Dominion commit stands 5'10". What she lacks in height she makes up for in quickness. She was the top hitter and blocker on her high school team. That got her named to the All Region and All District first teams. Tiana ranks number 110 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>119. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515542' first='Kaylee' last='Fang'] </strong>setter (Thomas Wooten/Metro North) - When I watched her at an 18 Open tournament she ran a 5/1 while leading her team to a gold medal win over a talented Maryland Jrs team. She also put up a critical block in the championship game. Metro North fell short of qualifying for Junior Nationals when they played the following week in the Chesapeake Regionals. Kaylee ranks 119 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>120. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523314' first='Sarah' last='Starling']</strong> middle (Sherando/[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']) - At 5'11" she puts up a bigger block than you would expect from her height. The Mary Washinton commit earned a first team spot in the Northwestern District. She also earned a spot on the all area first team in the Winchester area. Sarah slides in at number 120 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>132. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='515545' first='Jasmine' last='Sires'] </strong>left side (Watkins Mill/Metro North) - She stands 5'10" with an approach jump reaching 9'11". Her left side attacks proved potent in their championship win against Maryland Jrs in an 18 Open tournament. Jasmine fits in at 132 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>137. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517934' first='Selah' last='Brashear']</strong> left side (Garrison Forrest/Columbia) - At 5'7" Selah would be a smaller left side. She can fly though, with her approach jump reaching 9'8". Her height did not seem to be an issue in the Chesapeake Regional championships. Columbia will play in the National Division at Junior Nationals in Baltimore. Selah ranks number 137 in our class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>145. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='517932' first='Valerie' last='Ashamu']</strong> right side (Oakland Mills/Columbia) - Playing right side Valerie rifled the match winning kill off a Maryland Juniors block to give Columbia a 15-13 win and a slot to play in the National Division in Baltimore at the Junior Nationals. Another player you can see play at the Junior Nationals 18 in Baltimore at the National Division. Valerie squeezes in at 145 in our class of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->