Stock Up Showcase Middles and Pins/First Scrimmage Report

Not every player can earn a top performer award. That does not mean players did not make an impression. Below are some of the middles and pins who caught my attention. The idea is to keep on pushing yourself so that next year you can earn that top performer award. While the showcase happened more than a week ago I did not want to ignore these players talent.   Also, below is my first scrimmage report. North Stafford invited Midlothian and Colgan to play some scrimmages at their gym. There may have been other high school teams competing but I could only see the afternoon session because of our own Saturday volleyball practice. More scrimmage reports next week.   Middles    Naomi listed herself as a middle in our showcase, but her profile shows her as a right side. For either position her quick feet allow her to transition well. At this point her ability to block stands out as her best quality. Her height and jump allow her to get her hands high over the net. For hitting she still needs to enhance her transition and arm swing to elevate her power and consistency.       [player_tooltip player_id='600990' first='Reese' last='Roberts'] is a bit undersized for a middle at 5'9". She showed the ability to attack quicks in the middle despite her smaller stature. The showcase was the first opportunity for me to get to see her play.   Patriot already has two quality middles in [player_tooltip player_id='238850' first='Sydney' last='Bennett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='464562' first='Elizabeth' last='Gordon']. However, if you show you can play the coach will find room for you.    Pin Hitters    Gabrielle has already been mentioned as one of our highest climbers in the new 2025 rankings. She went from 73 to 63. One of our scouts watching on baller TV expressed shock that a 6'2" outside who could hit as well as her had not yet committed. That is no longer the case. Gabrielle recently committed to Hampton.   Now the high school season begins. The Dragons are a smaller school but they have two quality players in [player_tooltip player_id='493358' first='Kennedy' last='Cummins'] and Gabrielle. Kennedy won a top performer award at the showcase.     A solid outside hitter, Eva will get a chance to show her hitting abilities with South Lakes high school this year. For [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] she did not get the playing time that she received the previous year. This year she made South Lakes varsity as a sophomore. This provides an opportunity for her to hit sets from her younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='521323' first='Ilana' last='Collingham']. Ilana lacks the height of Eva but still made the team as a frosh for her setting ability.       Mariska (photo above) impressed with her ability to hit right side. She is part of that talented Maryland Jrs 15 team that finished in 17th place in the American Division at Junior Nationals. At 5'11" she has good height for a class of 2027. With just a couple more inches of growth she could become an impact player at the pins.   As a frosh last year Mariska finished second on her team in kills and third in blocks. They lost in the finals of the Regionals, falling just short of making states. A player to watch in the high school ranks.     The showcase was my first opportunity to see Marcy play. She listed herself as a right side, but when I saw her play she was in the back row. She made a good pass and rocketed a spike from behind the ten foot line. At 5'10" she also carries some height coming into her sophomore season.   Last year Great Bridge lost in the semi-finals of the Class 5A regionals to Kellam. Marcy will step her game up to improve on that finish.    Scrimmage at North Stafford   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/21-Sienna-Mitchell.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-589176" style="width:293px;height:auto" /></figure>   I took a trip to North Stafford to see three teams play some afternoon volleyball. Because these matches are scrimmages coaches do not play to win but to fit players in various lineup schemes to see where they fit best. While the coaches do not play to win the players still play hard. An opportunity exists to earn a starting job on the varsity.   Colgan - Colgan won a Class 6 state title three years ago and finished second to Alexandria City two years ago. They have lost quite a bit of talent in the last three years, but the quality of players still streams in. A number of frosh impressed at the scrimmage. Brooklyn Rothwell looked good at the libero position and [player_tooltip player_id='550688' first='Sienna' last='Mitchell'] (pictured above) banged spikes from the outside. Sienna made an appearance at our frosh showcase and won a top performer award. Another frosh, [player_tooltip player_id='587027' first='Courtney' last='Miller'] looked pretty good hitting from the left side. At 5'6" her stature is small, but she hits the ball well.   A fourth frosh Gabrielle Cherry still carries a lot of rawness in her game. Her transition movements to put herself in a good position to hit needs work but at 6'0" she brings good height to the floor. The future looks bright for the Sharks if these frosh can develop.   Midlothian - Midlothian won the Class 5 state championships two years ago and with a young team last year they went 15-0 in the Dominion Region. They fought their way into the State bracket last year but lost in the first round to Riverbend in five. This year they are hoping for another year of maturity from those young players. Midlothian lacks roster information on line so it becomes difficult to identify players. [player_tooltip player_id='519343' first='Dylan' last='Cline'], a smaller outside at 5'9" stands out as their go to player. She plays six rotations, gets high enough over the net to complete two blocks and places her hits to all areas of the court. Not a powerful hitter, but a savvy hitter.   North Stafford - [player_tooltip player_id='471627' first='Allison' last='Spittal'] is a quality libero. She comes back to high school after finishing fourth in the 18 Open Junior National beach tournament. Watching the team warm up in the hitting line she shows the ability to hit the ball, enough so as to fill a left side slot. I also came away impressed with their left side frosh [player_tooltip player_id='466369' first='Cailin' last='Connors']. She will compete with current left sides [player_tooltip player_id='221415' first='Lindsey' last='Canty'] and [player_tooltip player_id='643769' first='Sascha' last='Cotton']. [player_tooltip player_id='294589' first='Maya' last='Tillman'] also took some left side swings but she lists as a right side/middle. Jordan Ellis looked good playing middle.   The Wolverines hope to build on last season when they lost to Battlefield in the first round of the Regional playoffs. Getting into the state backet should exist as a goal.

Not every player can earn a top performer award. That does not mean players did not make an impression. Below are some of the middles and pins who caught my attention. The idea is to keep on pushing yourself so that next year you can earn that top performer award. While the showcase happened more than a week ago I did not want to ignore these players talent.