DMV Showcases Shaping Up

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Showcases for DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) are shaping up nicely. At the beginning there was some concern about the size for the frosh showcase but the attendance numbers have shot up to 26. That showcase will be used to develop the first ranking for the class of 2028. While I captured a number of talented players for the 2028 rankings based on their performance in the Junior Nationals at Las Vegas, not every player got an opportunity to play in that event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is good to see a number of unfamiliar names on the frosh list, including some of those I noticed at Las Vegas. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569865' first='Eireni' last='Scott']</strong> ([program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536726' first='Chloe' last='Canetto']</strong> (Metro), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='437457' first='Jasmin' last='Tucker']</strong> (Metro) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='545725' first='Abisola' last='Adeyemo']</strong> (Maryland Jrs) are three recognizable names from Junior Nationals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='569865' first='Eireni' last='Scott'] played left side and stood out as probably the top offensive player for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 14. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] finished 23rd in the National Division, just missing qualifying for the gold bracket after it lost two three set matches in the second round of pool play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='545725' first='Abisola' last='Adeyemo']</strong> played a solid middle for Maryland Jrs, creating an offensive presence while also putting up a solid block. She has the potential to dominate a game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536726' first='Chloe' last='Canetto']</strong> is a 6'3" right side for Metro who competed in the Open Division. She swings lefthanded. Finally, Jasmin swings from the pins and at 6'0" brings a lot of potential to the either outside position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The frosh will run in the morning on August 3. Those who still want to sign up can use the code AbelsDig2024 for a $10 discount.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The afternoon session showcases those from the classes of 2025-2027. This registration sits at 70 names. The strength for this showcase lies in the class of 2027. If a coach could put together a 16U club team with this class next year it would be one of the top club teams in the Chesapeake Region. The top names for this class of 2027, with their rankings listed in parenthesis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["435745"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66996ae98bad8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Alyssa tends to shift between left side and middle. She is effective at both positions. The last two tournaments she hit left side and played six rotations. At 6'0" her ideal position fits best on the left side. That takes some time to get used to with the different approach. Sometimes she has a tendency to approach too far inside which results in a tip when the set goes too far to the outside. With more repetitions she will adapt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Her passing and defense appear solid. Because she plays beach during the summer those two skills remain strong. Once she gets used to the height of the set and the outside approach the consistency will appear.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>left/right - [player_tooltip player_id='435745' first='Alyssa' last='Kumah'] (3), [player_tooltip player_id='528707' first='Annika' last='Dandridge'] (7), [player_tooltip player_id='437457' first='Jasmin' last='Tucker'] (12) and [player_tooltip player_id='437448' first='Eva' last='Collingham'] 36)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle/Right - [player_tooltip player_id='469197' first='Olivia' last='Garey'] (17), [player_tooltip player_id='496044' first='Cat' last='Batcheler'] (71) and in emergency [player_tooltip player_id='435745' first='Alyssa' last='Kumah']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setter - [player_tooltip player_id='448705' first='Danika' last='Swanson'] (20), [player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter'] (25)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Libero - [player_tooltip player_id='491007' first='Ana' last='Djordjevic'] (14), [player_tooltip player_id='530368' first='Sadie' last='Barrera'] (46) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That leaves ten players and two open positions to fill a 12 person team. Or perhaps some of the unknown players will shine and climb ahead of some of the more known names. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='547072' first='Victoria' last='Small'] </strong>impressed at her libero position at Junior Nationals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The strength of the class of 2026 lies in the liberos::</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["397414"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-669976b040143"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] carries so many talented players in the class of 2066 that they formed two teams to deal with the numbers. Isabella is the defensive specialist/libero for this second team. Despite being a second team they qualified for Junior Nationals to play in the Freedom Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='493358' first='Kennedy' last='Cummins'] (61), [player_tooltip player_id='238860' first='Mia' last='Fornasiero'] (62), [player_tooltip player_id='397414' first='Isabella' last='Park'] (86) and [player_tooltip player_id='475397' first='Amaya' last='Bowles'] (143)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And finally the setters:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='525341' first='Genevieve' last='Willis'] (88), [player_tooltip player_id='399708' first='Aven' last='Thorn'] (90), [player_tooltip player_id='374420' first='Sadie' last='Fester'] (116), [player_tooltip player_id='490057' first='Avery' last='Lefman'] (144) and [player_tooltip player_id='535101' first='Kamora' last='Mack'] (WL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A talented group to watch when finalizing the updated rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->