Pin Hitters Added to the Class of 2026 rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 33 new players added to our class of 2026 rankings. Opportunities open up when you expand the rankings to 200 players. Our first review includes the ten pin hitters added to the 2026 rankings. The ten players below were added because either they impressed me with their play in a high school match or outshined others at a show case. These ten pin hitters do not include the 24 players added to the watch list. These are players who recently established profiles or appeared in a showcase but need more review before being included in the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>45 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='721753' first='Kennedy' last='Smith'] </strong>left side (Broadneck/Bay Area Volleyball Academy) - She was the top offensive player for Broadneck. At 6'0"she brings power and athleticism to the left side. Broadneck reached the semi-final of the Maryland Class 4 state championships but ultimately lost to two time defending champion Richard Montgomery. For club Kennedy will play up for the Bay Area Volleyball Academy 18 team. Kennedy has yet to commit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>84. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='702631' first='McKenna' last='Brown'] </strong>outside (Howard/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - [player_tooltip player_id='702631' first='McKenna' last='Brown'] starred for Howard this year leading the team in kills while hitting from the left side. A six rotation player who can provide offense from the front and back row. Howard only lost one match all year. That was the semi-final match to Wootten in the Maryland class 4 state championships. McKenna will take her skills to a talented [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 18 team, playing up one year. Watch for her at the Triple Crown. McKenna has yet to commit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>124.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='696417' first='Sydney' last='Hudson']</strong> outside (Jackson Reed/MVSA) - At 5'7" Sydney is a tad undersized for a left side. Despite her smaller stature she finished second on the team in kills. This is a big upgrade than her first two years when she was just a role player. In the semi-final match of the DC state championship she brought a team leading eight kills. Unfortunately, after winning the first set the Tigers lost the next three to suffer elimination. Sydney will be taking her game to MVSA playing for the Chaos with Maryland Gatorade player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='235748' first='Ema' last='Djordjevic'] and Corrinne Howard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>127. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='720606' first='Maecy' last='Frizzelle'] </strong>outside (Fort Defiance) - One of the rare players who appear in the rankings who I have yet to see play. She earned a spot on the Class 2 Virginia All state team, leading Fort Defiance in kills with close to 6 per set. She also finished with a hitting percentage of .318, pretty impressive for a left side. Maecy also ranked third in blocks and second in digs. This year she passed 1,000 kills for her first three years at Fort Defiance with the 565 kills this past year her career best. No club foot print found for Maecy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>159. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='670560' first='Ann' last='Musick']</strong> RS/Middle (Collegiate) - At the Virginia Volleyball Showcase she powered the Cougar offense into the gold bracket. They beat a strong Holy Cross team to achieve that. At 6'0" Ann brings good height to either the middle or right side. The two previous years she played club for River City but for this year she lacks a club footprint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>172. [player_tooltip player_id='609533' first='Madeline' last='Dumais'] right side (Colgan/540 volleyball academy) - Despite her 5'9" height Madeline was consistently terminal when she struck the ball. With Colgan running a 6/2 she did not get any back row opportunities. She has only been playing club volleyball for three years. Last year she was named the most improved player on the Colgan team. Her athleticism allows her to pick this game up quickly. Madeline will play for 540 volleyball academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>188. [player_tooltip player_id='664956' first='Harley' last='McAndrew'] right side (Lake Braddock/St. James Navy) - At 6'1" she brings some good height to play right side. Still a bit raw with her game. At this point her blocking outshines her hitting. Last year she played for Virginia Elite. This year she will play for St. James Navy. Harley still needs to work on that arm swing to get greater velocity in her kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["622063"],"_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-6785be94f0373"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">190. She played middle when I watched her at Washington Liberty. She brings a lot of enthusiasm to the game. There was one set where she actually swung and missed at the ball. She smiled and shook it off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The times she makes contact she can hit the ball hard. She swings left handed which can be awkward for a middle. For MOJO she plays right side for a team that recently won the 17 Open Division. In the picture above Sydney is # 16 on the far left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another player still a little raw in her game but she carries that height. If she can put it together, she could be an offensive force.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["728441"],"_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-6785be94f03dd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] finished second to MOJO in the [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 17 Open tournament. Jaylen played left side. She brings a good vertical, burying a number of balls past the block. She also played six rotations and walloped a few back row attacks as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A team player on the court. She did not get a lot of playing time for her high school team last season. A year of club ball should improve her consistency. She needs to find the court more without sacrificing her aggressiveness. Next year Lightridge will be in need of a pin hitter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>195. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='699991' first='Elianette' last='Escalera']</strong> outside (Jackson Reed) - Normally, DC public schools have weak volleyball programs. In order to get competition Jackson Reed needs to play Maryland or Virginia high schools. Last year Jackson Reed captured a big win over Alexandria City, a team that reached the Class 6 state bracket, only to lose to Chantilly in the semi-finals. Elianette led the team with 16 kills in the four set win. At 5'8" Elianette is undersized for a pin, but she makes up for it with the intelligence of knowing where to hit the ball. Overall Elianette finished first on the team in hitting. She also played a strong back row ranking third on the team in digs. As yet, there is no club foot print for Elianette.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->