More Virginia High School Regional Breakouts – Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This post looks at the Concorde, Dulles, Liberty and National Regions. They are broken out into contenders, a sleeper or two and other. The rosters used are for 2023 from Maxpreps so there could be changes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Concorde</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["265167"],"_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-66abcbfacf8c4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Laila plays libero for the Metro 16 team. Last year as a frosh for the Warhawks she stood out as one of the top left sides in the Region. Despite the departure of the Warhawks libero this year do not expect Laila to slide over to that role. She can hammer the ball from the left side despite her 5'8" height. In high school there exist a number of liberos in club ball that have achieved tremendous success as outside hitters. Liberos <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='196556' first='Caleigh' last='Ponn']</strong> for Hidden Valley and<strong> Mailinh Godschall </strong>for Centennial won state championships last year for their high school teams as outside hitters. Laila hopes to do the same for James Madison this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders</strong> - <strong>James Madison</strong> (8-2) should win this Region but it will be a battle for the number two spot. The Warhawks return two of their middles <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230817' first='Riley' last='Lynch']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181314' first='Aubrey' last='Loughlin']</strong>. They should also have another returning from injury in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='397550' first='Chloe' last='Bonney-James']</strong>. That would allow one of the middles to move to the right side. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick']</strong> returns for her second season providing offense on the left side. She will be joined by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377336' first='Callie' last='Agniel']</strong>, who also is coming back from injury. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='359401' first='Chloe' last='Barth']</strong> can do some damage on the right side as well. Plus, she can play back row and add some offense there. They also appear to have three returning setters in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='455177' first='Briana' last='Vo']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='537586' first='Judy' last='Backman']</strong> and <strong>Norah Vaudo</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='520362' first='Abby' last='Nguyen']</strong> is primed to take over the libero position. Lots of talent. Plus, lots of depth in that talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chantilly</strong> (8-2) has the top prospect from the class of 2025 in left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu']</strong>. The Chargers can also bring some pop with right side<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='455102' first='Erin' last='Green']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181284' first='Nola' last='Murphy']</strong> returns from the beach to take on the libero role. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377344' first='Julia' last='Horan']</strong> impressed with her middle play at Junior Nationals. The biggest loss is the transfer of setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum']</strong> to Georgetown Day. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240899' first='Sarah' last='Kim']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='664141' first='Hala' last='Younes']</strong> will be called on to fill the position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oakton</strong> (8-2) lost their two starting left sides to graduation, so they will be tough to replace. They do have two capable right sides who could move to the left in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238857' first='Julie' last='Xu']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='465321' first='Marissa' last='Turek']</strong>. Also, coming up from the junior varsity will be pins <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='297645' first='Mieke' last='Gruizenga']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='307949' first='Lauren' last='Paris']</strong>. They have a premier libero in<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='235291' first='Sadee' last='Gedse']</strong>. The graduation of four seniors at critical positions will make it a challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper</strong> - <strong>South Lakes </strong>(4-6) will be a more experienced team. They have some height in the middle with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569730' first='Ava' last='Grilliot']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='526752' first='Ella' last='Wang']</strong>, who list 6'2" and 6'1" respectively. They just need some varsity experience. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='437448' first='Eva' last='Collingham']</strong> is slated for one of the left sides. Another possible left side coming in from the beach to play the hard court game is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='582244' first='Jaida' last='Schramm']</strong>. Watching some of her beach play on video leaves me pretty confident she can take over the other slot. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='520360' first='Carmen' last='Quinn-Irons']</strong> should occupy a pin but played right side in travel ball. What they lack in experience they should make up for in height. <strong> [player_tooltip player_id='559650' first='Rhea' last='Bhatia']</strong> could win a spot in the setter's role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others</strong> - <strong>Centerville</strong> (2-8) and <strong>Westfield</strong> (0-10). Westfield has the promising <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483129' first='Louise' last='Z Atiz'] </strong>who provides offense from the left side. That should eliminate the doughnut from last year and give them some victories.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dulles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["298857"],"_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-66abcbfacf962"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ingrid won the starting setter job for Dominion last year as a frosh. They fell just short of making the playoffs. This year they have a number of returning players and Ingrid hopes her second season will lead to a playoff run in the state bracket. Last year they got knocked out by Loudoun County in Regional play, losing the fifth set 15-12. There exist a number of strong teams in the class 4 Division but few of them can brag about their returning talent as the Titans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders </strong>- <strong>Dominion </strong>(5-3) brings too much talent not to win this Region. Led by returning setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='298857' first='Ingrid' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='520365' first='Elyssamae' last='Shifflet'] </strong>this should ignite their offense. Their pins are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='346738' first='Alena' last='Smith']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='352831' first='Megan' last='Hiltner']</strong>,<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='240027' first='Kaitlyn' last='Demitz']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='475397' first='Amaya' last='Bowles']</strong>. They may be undersized but they are effective at finding the court. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240025' first='Abigail' last='Vasak']</strong> is a quality middle. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240029' first='Juliet' last='Correll']</strong> can also hit outside, but she could also be used for her defense in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper</strong> - <strong>Heritage</strong> (5-3) is one of those young teams that will improve as they gain more experience. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325403' first='Annabelle' last='Kim']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490057' first='Avery' last='Lefman']</strong> are quality setters. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443558' first='Emily' last='Kolas']</strong> plays a solid libero. This trio solves the first two contacts of a rally. Now they need the production of the third contact. That could come from newcomers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='529439' first='Jasmine' last='McBorrough'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530395' first='Ella' last='Grove']</strong>. Watch for middle <strong>Shannon Treloar</strong> to take over one of the middle spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others</strong> - <strong>Rock Ridge</strong> (8-0), <strong>Loudoun Valley</strong> (1-7), <strong>Tuscarora</strong> (1-7) - Rock Ridge still has some talented players to finish second in this Region with setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242039' first='Michelle' last='Kim']</strong>, middle turned outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483590' first='Rania' last='Lahbibi']</strong> and libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='437984' first='Asiya' last='Bakr']</strong>. But they lost three critical starters. This will make it tough to compete with Dominion this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["181242"],"_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-66abcbfacf9c7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Last year Herndon went 0-12. They missed their setter [player_tooltip player_id='181242' first='Shylah' last='Swope']. They hope to have her back this season where she and [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] could create some chaos in the Liberty Region. The previous season when Shylah played for the Hornets they went 5-7. They lacked an impact player like Coco, our number two ranked player in the class of 2027. They will be an interesting team to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders </strong>- <strong>Langley </strong>(12-0) won the Class 6 State championship last year. While they lost some key players they should still have enough talent to win this Region. The two outsides of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181298' first='Ana' last='Toumazatos']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181307' first='Leni' last='Stanton-Parker']</strong> stand out as probably the best one/two punch in the DMV area. They bring back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo']</strong> to set. The question to ask is whether she will set a 5/1 or get help from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530362' first='Claire' last='Nitowski'] </strong>or <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239322' first='Hailey' last='Park']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='476364' first='Amber' last='Smith']</strong> handles the libero responsibilities while the under rated <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470555' first='Ava' last='Barnett']</strong> takes care of one of the middles. Finding some potent attackers for the right side would determine what offense is best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper</strong> - The battle for second could fall on any of these three teams. The first, <strong>Wakefield</strong> (6-6) attacks <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington']</strong> from the middle. She ranks as the top prospect in the class of 2027. The second, <strong>Herndon</strong> (0-12) failed to win a match in Regional play but they return one of the top setters in the area <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181242' first='Shylah' last='Swope']</strong>. She can also hit right side. <strong> [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis']</strong>, the number two ranked player in the class of 2027 can dominate the left side and plays six rotations. Finally, <strong>Washington Liberty</strong> (8-4) returns a young team with setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='466569' first='Kathryn' last='Wagener'] </strong>and left sides <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='525352' first='Gabriella' last='Netwall']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470447' first='Evelyn' last='Donovan']</strong> all playing in their second year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others</strong> - <strong>Marshall </strong>(9-3), <strong>McLean</strong> (3-9) and <strong>Yorktown</strong> (4-8). Marshall has a talented left side in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'],</strong> who is the younger sister of the departing Samia. In addition, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523340' first='Naomi' last='Lucas'] </strong>brings some size to the pins at 5'11". Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369730' first='Gracie' last='Froemling']</strong> will take care of the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>National </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["181310"],"_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-66abcbfacfa26"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='181310' first='Ava' last='Stewart'] led her team in kills last year and finished second in blocks. She also finished third in aces. Definitely a player who produces points. She can play both middle and right side. It would not surprise me to see her voted the MVP of the National Region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders</strong> - This division is somewhat of a mystery to me. It lacks ranked players. <strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong> (13-1) brings back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181310' first='Ava' last='Stewart'] </strong>in the middle. They also have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='582241' first='Diane' last='McCaskill'] </strong>from the left side. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='248685' first='Anjali' last='Sattiraju']</strong> returns as the libero. <strong>Falls Church </strong>(12-2) brings back setter <strong>Elaina Tamayo</strong> but loses a lot of their offense with the departure of <strong>Charlotte Nguyen</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleepers</strong> - Almost any team can rise to the second spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others</strong> - <strong>Hayfield</strong> (10-4), <strong>Justice </strong>(9-5), <strong>Lewis</strong> (4-10), <strong>Mount Vernon </strong>(2-12), <strong>Edison </strong>(6-8), <strong>Annandale</strong> (0-14)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->