Top Performing Teams at the East Coast Championships

Last post we focused on the two teams Maryland Jrs and 540 Academy who won the Beast of the East Division. This post is for those teams that finished in the top three of the Beast of the East or Select Division.   [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] (18 Select - First Place)   For the most part the season for 18s is complete. A few tournaments are left such as AAUs. Because of this I have not watched a lot of 18s once the Junior National tournament in Baltimore ended. However, [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] rely on two sophomores to make this team roll. [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] is a 6'1" left side who won state player of the year for class one. [player_tooltip player_id='495264' first='Ela' last='Shepherd'] sets and plays right side. She swings left handed and stands 5'10', stringing together 200 kills. Her efforts got her named to the Class 3 All State.   River Valley came into the tournament seeded fourth. While they swept all their opponents in the matches they won, they also took one loss to Flight Black, getting swept 25-22, 27-25. They played them again in the first round of the gold playoffs and turned things around with two 25-19 victories for the sweep. That was the first match loss for Flight in the tournament. In the finals they beat CADO Destiny in three 25-20, 24-26 and 15-9. Again, up until that point CADO had swept all their opponents.   A nice win for River Valley. They are also scheduled to play in the AAU 18 Premier.   MOCO Matrix (17 Select - second place)   MOCO lost their first match to HVVC Blue on the first day of pool play 25-10, 16-25 and 15-11. They were able to play them again in the semifinals and beat them in three, 25-15, 29-31 and 21-19. Talk about some wild games. The finals against AVBC Elite were almost as wild, but MOCO fell short losing 25-23, 19-25 and 15-12. AVBC finished the tournament undefeated, only losing two sets.   MOCO has a foursome of stand out players ranked in our top 150. The 6'1" middle [player_tooltip player_id='472234' first='Tessa' last='Fergusson'] actually belongs to the class of 2026. She ranks number 52 in that class. Defensive specialist/libero [player_tooltip player_id='490811' first='Ella' last='Higday'] also belongs to the class of 2026, ranking in at number 148. [player_tooltip player_id='434853' first='Elizabeth' last='Higday'] fits in the class of 2025 as a setter ranked at number 62. [player_tooltip player_id='397545' first='Katelyn' last='Strike'] is a 6'4" middle ranking in at number 147 in the class of 2025.   South River Volleyball Club (17 Select - third place)   South River lost to eventual champion AVBC 25-12 and 25-13 in the semi-finals. [player_tooltip player_id='479336' first='Gretchen' last='Brady'], a 6'3" middle ranks number 64 in the class of 2025 plays for them.   Virginia Juniors (17 Beast of the East - third place)   When you look at Virginia Juniors all their teams in the 14-17 age groups made it into the gold bracket. Unfortunately, all of them fell short of getting to the finals. Virginia Juniors finished second in their pool on the first day, losing to 540 Academy 25-21 and 25-18. On the second day they lost two matches but were fortunate enough to be the best of the three 1-2 teams in their pool. That was enough to advance them into the gold bracket.   In the opening round of the gold bracket playoffs they found themselves up against 540 Academy, who had beaten them that first day. This time around it was a little different result. After losing the opening set 25-23 Juniors bounced back to win the next two 25-14 and 15-12. They next had to play against Infinity Green. They were beaten by identical 25-17 scores.   Virginia Juniors is led by left side [player_tooltip player_id='235283' first='Racquel' last='Frazier'], who produces offense from the back row and front row. [player_tooltip player_id='496520' first='Rowan' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='230817' first='Riley' last='Lynch'] share the middle responsibilities but both can shift to the right side when needed. The setters are [player_tooltip player_id='284195' first='Daisy' last='Pentorn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181245' first='Anisa' last='Flowers']. They have a couple of back row players who can smother the back court in libero [player_tooltip player_id='184604' first='Nia' last='Thomas'] and defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='245602' first='Bridgette' last='Templeton'].   Maryland Juniors Yellow (16 Select - third place)   The Yellow team is normally the second team for Maryland Juniors. They rolled through their opponents like the Black team, taking the first five matches. The fifth match against Niagara Frontier Red turned into a classic, with Maryland Juniors taking the third set 19-17. Despite losing their last match to River City Volleyball Academy the Maryland Juniors still qualified for the Gold bracket.   The Yellow team beat a couple strong teams in the first round of the playoffs, downing Pittsburgh Elite in three 25-21, 23-25 and 15-10, as well as 540 Academy 25-17, 16-25 and 17-15. The eventual champions Sky Elite Black swept them in the semi-finals 25-20 and 25-21. Sky only lost one set in the tournament and that was in the finals. A pretty good outing for a second team.   As far as I could see there were no players ranked in our top 150 that played for Maryland Juniors Yellow.   [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave'] Elite (16 Beast of the East - second place)   Did not get to see [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave'] 16 play but watched the 17 team play (see below). Wave finished third in their pool, losing to the top two teams Force and Virginia Juniors. A three set crossover win over Fusion put them in the gold bracket. From there they went on a role, taking a three setter from SCBandits and then giving the number one seed ForceVC their first loss 25-19, 25-19. That put them in the finals against 540 Academy where they won the first set 25-23. Wave stumbled in the last two sets 25-17, 15-11.   Libero [player_tooltip player_id='238858' first='Allyson' last='Burke'] ranks number 69 in our class of 2026.   Virginia Juniors (16 Beast of the East - third place)   Virginia Juniors made a run, going 4-1 in pool play with their only loss to number one seed ForceVC. They qualified for the gold bracket, but in the semi-finals they lost two tight matches 27-25, 25-23 to eventual champion 540 Academy.   [player_tooltip player_id='333651' first='Sydney' last='Ray'] not only set in the back row but she also hit right side when in the front row despite her 5'7" height. [player_tooltip player_id='455177' first='Briana' last='Vo'] also set in the back row, but she also played as a defensive specialist when Sydney set in the front row. [player_tooltip player_id='238850' first='Sydney' last='Bennett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='739911' first='Colette' last='Mercker'] shared middle blocking duties. It could have been a coaching philosophy but in the match I watched the Juniors middles did not go up to block the back row attacks and it appeared to put them on the defensive.   Left side Makenzie Williams (class of 2025) strung together some late kills in their 25-23 loss against 540 Academy in the second set. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='434861' first='Bailey' last='Swinton'] and defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='346817' first='Celiana' last='Caraballo'] played some solid defense in the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='572043' first='Journey' last='Gardner'] brings a strong left handed swing to the right side.   Overall, a solid showing for Virginia Juniors (six of their players pictured above).   Club 540 National (15 Select - first place)   You know your club is making advances when the second team wins a tournament, taking down a few first teams along the way. They went 10-0 in the tournament, only losing one set. Once they reached the gold bracket they swept through their opponents, not allowing 20 points until their last set. Perhaps they should have played in the Beast of the East Division.   Despite being a second team they did carry some ranked players. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='438126' first='Micayla' last='Hnyla'] ranks number 85 in our top 100 in the class of 2025. Libero/DS [player_tooltip player_id='507548' first='Cristina' last='Shumanski'] and outside [player_tooltip player_id='536957' first='Ava' last='Young'] both appear on our watch list.   757 National (15 Beast of the East - third place)   This team played solid fundamental volleyball. They did the little things well, passing and playing defense. As the top seed in their pool and number three overall they went undefeated until the crossover match against Virginia Juniors. In those first five victoreis they lost just one set, the second set in their first match against team ECV. Even after the loss to Virginia Juniors they appeared in the gold bracket, ultimately losing their semi-final match against Maryland Juniors, despite dominating them in the first set 25-13.   While they have no players in our top 100 for the class of 2025, this should change when the list is updated. [player_tooltip player_id='471714' first='Ryann' last='Bothof'] appears on our watch list. She plays the libero position with confidence, showing aggressiveness when going after balls. Her passing seemed to always find the setters hands and her serve created a number of points. [player_tooltip player_id='545710' first='Avery' last='Osler'] stood out as their primary attacker on the left side. She ended the first set against MVSA Charge with a kill off the block to give 757 the 25-23 win. Overall, 757 finished 6-1 in two point sets. Sadie Stafford played solid defense playing opposite Avery.   Loved the hustle of Elisa Chamness. She played a six rotation right side, creating offense from the back row and front row. Her defense was incredible. A very atypical right side you see in travel ball these days. [player_tooltip player_id='498364' first='Savanna' last='LeGrand'] set in the front row and Emmie Irving set from the back row. They also used Caroline Vuckovich at the setter position. [player_tooltip player_id='618590' first='Lyla' last='Shannon'] put up some good blocks in the middle while creating a number of aces with her serves.   Virginia Juniors (15 Beast of the East - third place)   Virginia Juniors came into this tournament as the number one seed, so a third place finish has to be disappointing. They plowed through their opposition, winning every match while losing just two sets. They even beat their third place counterpart 757 in three sets, winning the third 15-9. A big stumble against the Canadian team Venom Vipers in the semi-finals sealed their third place finish.   At 6'2" left side [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] ranks as the number two prospect in the class of 2027. She plays six rotations, creates offense from the back and front row while still contributing on defense and serve receive. The 6'0" [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] also brings offense to the front row but yields on the defensive end to [player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel']. The middles [player_tooltip player_id='377344' first='Julia' last='Horan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='530367' first='Ava' last='Gill'] create strong blocks and run the quicks well to open up the pins. The 6'1" [player_tooltip player_id='484960' first='Kinsley' last='Zebatto'] packs a punch from the right side.   [player_tooltip player_id='359401' first='Chloe' last='Barth'] can also hit right side. She stands just under 6 foot but comes in for Zebatto in the back row where she creates offense while also improve the defense and serve receive. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='206729' first='Megan' last='Phan'] acts as the conductor for this orchestra, keeping the defenses guessing with sets at varying heights and locations along the net. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] and defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel'] handle the back row. Katie can also play libero, as she does with Holy Cross during the high school season.   [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] (14 Select - third place)   [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] rolled through their competition, losing only one set in their first eight matches. They were swept in the semi-finals by Rising Tide 25-17, 27-25. I have not done a lot of ranking for the class of 2028.   MVSA Force (14 Beast of the East - second place)   MVSA played an excellent tournament, winning all their games until their last when they lost a three setter in the finals of the gold bracket to Force VC. The third set final ended 15-8.   I thought I was watching them play but their uniform numbers on the court did not match their roster. The team they were playing, Virginia Juniors had players on the court whose numbers matched their roster.   Virginia Juniors (14 Beast of the East - third place)   Virginia Junors won all their matches until the crossover, when they lost a three setter to second place MVSA Force. They still qualified for gold, but like MVSA Force, they were beaten by Force VC in the semi-finals 25-14, 25-12.   A number of players on that team impressed. Left side [player_tooltip player_id='545717' first='Ellie' last='Brumback'] mixed her shots well. She does not show a lot of velocity yet, but she can break out the roll shot and hit from the back row. [player_tooltip player_id='545719' first='Julia' last='Heinzelmann'] stands tall in the middle giving her the ability to stuff dunk volleyballs on the other side of the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='545723' first='Ella' last='Jarvis'] provides a good left side attack and also put up a good block. The libero [player_tooltip player_id='545721' first='Emelyn' last='Shen'] covers a lot of court in the back row. Vaughn Fu is a small back row setter with good hands who also plays solid defense.   [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave'] 17 (Beast of the East - 11th place)   While [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave'] 17 did not finish in the top three, a number of their players did well on the court. They have twins from the class of 2024 in left side [player_tooltip player_id='574200' first='Mina' last='Faw'] and middle Jolie Faw. Mina creates power with a fast arm swing but only plays three rotations. [player_tooltip player_id='545714' first='Kaylie' last='Klemm'] is a solid setter, running a 5/1 in the set that I watched. Allison Trogdon plays a small middle but shows good placement with her hits and relies on precision timing to create solid blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='248639' first='Alana' last='Washington'] hits the ball hard despite her small size for a left side.

Last post we focused on the two teams Maryland Jrs and 540 Academy who won the Beast of the East Division. This post is for those teams that finished in the top three of the Beast of the East or Select Division.