Prospects Who Climbed from the Class of 2027
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The players below were the biggest climbers from the class of 2027. They made the biggest impact for their team to help them find success during the club season. Every season brings about new and unexpected surprises. Now that the…
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Continue ReadingThe players below were the biggest climbers from the class of 2027. They made the biggest impact for their team to help them find success during the club season. Every season brings about new and unexpected surprises. Now that the club season is winding down the time has come to recognize those who contributed to that success.
That does not mean the season is over. In June and July the national championships for AAU and USAV will be held. After that a slight pause and then once again the high school season will begin. The Class rankings for 2024 will retire to the archives, while the Class ranking of 2028 will make their first appearance.
Virginia Juniors is the third ranked volleyball club in the Chesapeake Region. They also rank in the top 40 nationally. One of the reasons why is the play of outside Coco Lewis Coco Lewis 6’2″ | OH Herndon | 2027 State VA . She stands 6’2″, dominates from the left side and plays all six rotations. She passes well, covers the back row on defense and fires bullets from the back row. At times she can be a one woman army as she leads her team to victory. Her approach jump reaches 10’1″ so despite the height she still has the ability to fly. Her varsity volleyball career was a bit of a struggle as the team finished the season 1-15 but that could change as she makes more of an impact on the game. Coco rises from number 6 to number 2 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Highlights
Alexa Telly Alexa Telly 6'0" | OH Bullis | 2027 State VA left side (Bullis/Metro) – The Metro 15 team lacks a real dominating hitter. Alexa Telly Alexa Telly 6'0" | OH Bullis | 2027 State VA comes close to that, having won the MVP award at the Capitol Hill Classic for the 15 Open. Last year she played middle for Metro so the shift to outside will bring about challenges. She was the lone Metro outside to make my all tournament team for the Chesapeake Regionals, sharing the spot with Coco Lewis Coco Lewis 6'2" | OH Herndon | 2027 State VA and Annila Dandridge. Alexa jumped from number 22 to number 6 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Macie Murray Macie Murray 5'11" | OH Osbourne Park | 2027 State VA left side (Osbourne Park/Metro) – Macie is the younger sister of Mickhaila Murray Mickhaila Murray 5'11" | OH Flint Hill | 2024 State VA , who made her mark for Flint Hill and Metro. As Mickhaila learned, playing outside sometimes brings challenges with players like Emerson Sellman Emerson Sellman 6'4" | OH Academy of Holy Cross | 2024 State #5 Nation VA and Lameen Mambu Lameen Mambu 6'0" | OH Chantilly | 2025 State #64 Nation VA playing in front of you. The younger Murray stands 5’11”, exceeding the height of her older sister. As a frosh she did earn first team honors playing for Osbourne in the Cedar Run District. Macie climbed from number 10 to number 7 in our class of 2027.
Alli had a whirlwind season, winning top performer awards at a Prep Dig DMV Expo 250 in Virginia as well as another top performer at a Prep Dig Expo at the Florida Sunshine Classic. She also led Flint Hill to a state championship as a frosh playing right side. As a middle for Metro she won the best blocker award at Capitol Hill Classic in the 15 Open. In my opinion, she seems to have more success as a middle where she can take advantage of her 6’1″ height and show off her blocking ability. Her hitting mechanics still need some work, but they should come with time. Alli rises from number 25 to 21.
Highlights
Zora Dimbo Zora Dimbo 5'10" | OH Georgetown Day | 2027 State VA left side (Georgetown Day/Metro) – At 5’10 she does not present you with great height. She does fly when she jumps to hit a ball at the net, finishing seventh on the team in kills as a frosh. Her outside play helped Georgetown Day win the DC State championship. Zora moved from 32 to 27 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Siyena Fitsum Siyena Fitsum 6'3" | MB Churchill | 2027 State VA middle (Chruchill/MVSA) – She stands 6’3″ creating quite a presence at the net. At this age group she towers over the competition, tipping balls at will to the floor. She jumped from 43 to 31 in our class of 2027 rankings.
At the Chesapeake Regionals she produced a number of critical right side kills that allowed Paramount to capture second place. In an earlier post we had mentioned her accomplishments at Chantilly high school (fourth in kills and third in blocks) with a comment that it was time to enhance her game at the club level. She appears to be doing that. Paramount recently qualified for the Open Division for the Junior Nationals by finishing fifth in the Northeast qualifiers and earning a bid. The consistency of Erin Green Erin Green 5’11” | RS Chantilly | 2027 State VA ‘s right side hitting was key to that accomplishment. Erin jumped from 37 to 28 in our class of 2027 rankings.
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The consistency in the middle play of Lexiana Everetts Lexiana Everetts 6’0″ | MB | Right Hand Colonial Forge | 2027 State VA has allowed 540 Volleyball Academy rise to number three in the Old Dominion Region 15 U category. The team will be playing in the American Division at Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. Lexiana does a good job of finding the tempo with her setter, running quicks in the middle and shoots to the outside. She also puts up a good block, getting her hands high over the net. For Prep Dig Lexianna jumped from 56 to 32 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Highlights
Jocelyn Gill middle (Georgetown Visitation/Metro) – Though she does not appear in our rankings because of a technical glitch, she fills that blank number 39 spot that is skipped. We hope to fix that glitch shortly. As a frosh she led Georgetown Visitation in kills with a hitting percentage of .345. She plays down for Metro 14 where she dominates at the middle. Jocelyn has climbed from number 42 to 39 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Kaelyn Wharton Kaelyn Wharton 5'7" | OH Independence | 2027 State VA left side (Indepence/ Loudoun Elite ) – Kaelyn was the top hitter for a competitive Loudoun Elite team, though she needs to grow more than her 5’6″ height if she hopes to hit outside at the higher age groups. For Independence she set for them as a frosh, finishing second on the team in assists. Playing the two different positions shows her versatility. Kaelyn climbed from our watch list to 42 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Haile Ma Haile Ma 5'10" | OH Wootton | 2027 State VA left side (Wootton/Maryland Juniors) -At 5’10” Haile is the number two outside hitter for Maryland Jrs. She can play six rotations. Her consistency hitting from the outside has advanced Maryland Jrs. to the Freedom Division in junior nationals. Haile rose from 66 to 48 in our class of 2027 rankings.
Ana Breckons Ana Breckons 6'0" | MB Grafton | 2027 State VA middle (Grafton) – I could not find a club affiliation for her this year, but based on video and her accomplishments at Grafton she advanced from the watch list to number 62 in our class of 2027 rankings. As a frosh for Grafton she finished fourth on the team in kills and first in blocks. Grafton ultimately lost in the finals to Hidden Valley in the Class 3 state championship.
Another watch list player who climbed to number 64 in our class of 2027 rankings. She plays down for a talented Paramount 14 team. She stands 6’0″ now so her approach jump of 9’4″ may be a little greater. I have not watched a lot of 14s yet so most of what I have seen of her has been through video.
Cat Batcheler Cat Batcheler 6'0" | OH Gainesville | 2027 State VA left side (Gainesville/ Paramount ) – Cat is still a bit raw but at 6’0″ she has potential as an outside. She has to enhance her jump but there is some power in her swing. She plays for the Paramount 15 second team which did very well in the rankings, finishing as the 15th ranked Chesapeake 15U team. Cat jumped from the watch list to 71 in our class of 2027 rankings.
At 6’0″ with an approach jump of 9’5″ Olivia brings some promise to her game. While I try to see all the players on the watch list, sometimes that just doesn’t happen so I rely on video. From what I have seen on the video her middle hits go down quickly. Olivia rises from the watch list to number 74 in our class of 2027.
Highlights
At 5’11” she brings some good height for the right side. She started for Lightridge as a frosh and finished third on the team in kills and blocks. There exists enough promise in her game to move her from watch list to number 83 in our class of 2027.
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I watched Jaida play libero for St. James. She showed some quick feet which allowed her to center many of her passes. Love her intensity on the court. Jaida moved from the watch list to number 89 in our class of 2027.
Highlights
Willa Voto Willa Voto 6'0" | RS Riverbend | 2027 State VA right side (Riverbend/Club 540) – A 6’0″ right side who also has the ability to hit left side. Another watch list player who rose to 94 in our class of 2027.