Lots of Surprises at the National Harbor

With [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] and Metro competing in Baltimore and [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] for the most part taking this weekend off it became a very competitive tournament at National Harbor. Virginia Juniors proved they are still a force in the club volleyball scene snagging top three finishes in the 14-17 age group. [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] made their presence felt with three teams finishing in the top five in the 16 and 17 age group. Finally, Maryland Juniors 14 shocked the 15 Open participants by not losing a set and finishing with a point ratio of 1.63. Only Virginia Juniors 16 team topped that ratio at 1.71.   Unlike the Charm City Challenge where the same two teams Metro and Triangle traded off first and second place finishes in the 14-17 age group the National Harbor found a number of different club names in the medal circles. Below are results from the National Harbor matches in the 14-18 Open Divisions.   18 Open   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/02/IMG_6945.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-747826" style="width:441px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: MVSA Chaos</figcaption></figure>   With four 18 qualifiers scattered around the country and the Charm City Challenge in Baltimore fielding 16 teams, only eight teams competed in the National Harbor. MVSA Chaos was the big winner, going the whole tournament without losing a match. MVSA is led by Maryland Gatorade player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='235748' first='Ema' last='Djordjevic']. American Red came in second, losing only the one match to MVSA where they took them to three, falling short in the third set 15-6. American is led by outsides [player_tooltip player_id='470561' first='Grace' last='Francis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='186445' first='Alexis' last='Dietterick'].   A Canadian team DAEnergy finished third. They lost to both MVSA and American Red, although they took MVSA to three, losing the third set 15-10.   There was a one match playoff where MVSA swept past American 25-15 and 25-20.   17 Open   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/102-Violet-Masiello.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-589244" style="width:301px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='500510' first='Violet' last='Masiello']</figcaption></figure>   Premier Edge, from Delaware knocked off Virginia Juniors in the semi-final. The two teams played each other in the first match of the tournament, with Premier Edge beating them as well in a three set match. In the semi-finals it was a sweep, but the 26-24 and 25-23 scores tell you it was a suspenseful match.   [player_tooltip player_id='322107' first='Eden' last='Tardy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='464556' first='Kennedy' last='Peyton'] are the two main left sides for Virginia Juniors. For the most part the two play six rotations. Kennedy belongs to the class of 2027. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='479659' first='Eliza' last='Lowe'] at 6'2" brings the only real height to the team.   [player_tooltip player_id='572043' first='Journey' last='Gardner'] brings some pop with her left handed swing from the right side. [player_tooltip player_id='500510' first='Violet' last='Masiello'] can play both pins and also belongs to the class of 2026. For the most part the Junior pins are undersized when compared to Metro and Paramount. [player_tooltip player_id='333651' first='Sydney' last='Ray'] and [player_tooltip player_id='324765' first='Camille' last='Ciambruschini'] share the setting duties.   The team that found themselves in the finals against Premier Edge was American Red. During the bracket play they lost to both Premier Edge and MVSA Blaze. Both matches went three with American losing by two points in the third set, once 15-13 and the other 16-14. American got some revenge by beating MVSA Blaze in the semi-finals. Again, the match went three, but this time American won the third set 15-10 after getting blown out in the first set 25-16. Premier swept American in the finals,   In the first set of the finals against Premier, American carried a 23-20 lead. Two aces and two Premier kills put the Delaware team ahead 24-23. The last point involved a miscommunication between the setter and middle about what tempo set they would run. [player_tooltip player_id='367784' first='Alexis' last='Steinmetz'] set a higher set while middle [player_tooltip player_id='753047' first='Olivia' last='Schulz'] jumped for the quicker set. The ball landed untouched as it hit the floor. Premier beat them pretty convincingly in the second set for the sweep 25-14.   American has a solid group of back row players on their roster, starting with libero [player_tooltip player_id='525329' first='Jaya' last='Lewis'], with the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='587625' first='Riley' last='Stever'], Merideth Touissant and [player_tooltip player_id='696415' first='Jenna' last='Swale'] mixing in the back row. Any of the four have the skill to play libero. Meridith finished off set two against MVSA Blaze with an ace to capture the second set 25-21. She may have the meanest serve of the foursome.   The key offensive player in order for American Red to achieve success sits with [player_tooltip player_id='238850' first='Sydney' last='Bennett']. She was silent in set one versus MVSA Blaze because their serving produced 9 aces to jump out to a 20-6 lead. In the second set the passing improved allowing Sydney to contribute 4 blocks and two kills in their 25-21 win. Another middle who brings game to the court is Olivia Schultz. With the two of them active it opens up the hitting lanes for the pins [player_tooltip player_id='753053' first='Gretchen' last='Gottschalk'] and [player_tooltip player_id='464562' first='Elizabeth' last='Gordon']. [player_tooltip player_id='490247' first='Leilani' last='Fongyen'] also contributed some big kills from the right side.   Of course, all of this could not happen without setter [player_tooltip player_id='367784' first='Alexis' last='Steinmetz'] making the right choices for the offense.   16 Open   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/20-Kate-Bickel.jpg?w=840" alt="" class="wp-image-729628" style="width:190px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel']</figcaption></figure>   There were two dominant teams in this tournament. Virginia Juniors 16 was one of them. They finished second to Metro 16 in the one tournament they played in a couple weeks ago, losing to Metro in the third set 16-14 in the finals. This was their first local tournament. Because they are 0-1 against local teams Virginia Juniors ranks number 51 in the Chesapeake Region, but from a national ranking they rise to 36. The local ranking should improve after this tournament. Logically, it does not make a lot of sense.   After earning a bye in the first round of the playoffs Virginia Juniors crushed Maryland Juniors in the first set 25-12. Three ace serves from [player_tooltip player_id='359401' first='Chloe' last='Barth'] in a six point scoring run triggered Juniors to an 11-2 lead. Chloe also proved deadly from the back row with her three meter attacks. While she registered just one kill this set she was an offensive force throughout the tournament. [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] also fired up a couple aces to further the onslaught to 16-3.   The second set appeared to be more of the same with Virginia Juniors taking an early 4-0 lead. A [player_tooltip player_id='753059' first='Joelle' last='Vassor'] ace plus kills by [player_tooltip player_id='438098' first='Kennedy' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='753062' first='Madelyn' last='Mauro'] as well as a combo block by [player_tooltip player_id='577516' first='Mariska' last='Ordonez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='753065' first='Isabella' last='Adcock'] put Maryland Juniors ahead 7-5. When Virginia Juniors pulled ahead again 14-13 Maryland Juniors took advantage of a number of Virginia hitting errors and two yellow cards to pull ahead 19-14.   [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] took over from there with three kills to tie the game at 20-20. Virginia Juniors found themselves down again 23-20 after a service error followed by a hitting error and net call. A [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] kill gave them the serve back. A couple Maryland Juniors errors tied the game. [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] snuck into the middle of the court and buried a spike to give Virginia a 24-23 lead. [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] finished her four point service run with an ace to end the match.   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Josie had to fight their way through two opponents to get themselves into the finals. They had an easy time with Prodigy, beating them 25-11 and 25-17. Against MVSA Sparks they collapsed in the first set 25-13. They were able to bounce back to squeeze out a second set victory 25-23 then win the third set handily 15-8.   Virginia Juniors rosters two outsides in [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] who stand over six feet. Their right side [player_tooltip player_id='484960' first='Kinsley' last='Zebatto'] lists at 6'2" while their two middles [player_tooltip player_id='377344' first='Julia' last='Horan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='530367' first='Ava' last='Gill'] both stand over six feet. They also have two excellent back row players in [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] and [player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel'] who keep almost every pass in system. [player_tooltip player_id='359401' first='Chloe' last='Barth'] also plays a solid back row but can be an effective offensive weapon with her back row attacks. [player_tooltip player_id='206729' first='Megan' last='Phan'] ranks as one of the top setters in the class of 2026.   On the other side, [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] does not have any players on their roster who reach 6 feet in height. What they do have is two undersized left sides in [player_tooltip player_id='471485' first='Kaelyn' last='Wharton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='536741' first='Lacey' last='Bogues'] who can put some velocity on balls while also avoiding blocks. They are a scrappy team that started the tournament 2-2 with losses to Maryland Juniors and Virginia Juniors but earned their spot in the finals with four straight wins.   In their first match against Virginia Juniors during bracket play they battled them, losing the first set 27-25 and then the second 25-21. They were hoping for a little better outcome in the finals. The first set Virginia Juniors won easily 25-15. The second set Loudoun found themselves ahead 12-9. A seven point service run by [player_tooltip player_id='472384' first='Kate' last='Bickel'] gave Juniors a 16-12 lead. A [player_tooltip player_id='536741' first='Lacey' last='Bogues'] ace followed by a [player_tooltip player_id='471485' first='Kaelyn' last='Wharton'] kill tied the set at 17-17. Back to back kills by [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] followed by two kills from middle [player_tooltip player_id='377344' first='Julia' last='Horan'] gave Virginia Juniors a commanding 21-17 lead. [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] finished the victory off with back to back kills, the last again attacking from the middle for a 25-19 win.   15 Open   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/31-Emerson-Wolfe.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-589185" style="width:324px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</figcaption></figure>   The other dominant team in this tournament was Maryland Juniors 14. They played up one year because the local 14 teams in open tournaments were not giving them much of a challenge. Turns out, neither did the 15 teams. What stands out as most impressive is they played most of the tournament without three starters who were hit with the flu.   [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe'] became available on the second day. [player_tooltip player_id='753070' first='Avery' last='Lettinga'] did a good job replacing her on the left side during her absence. With both [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'] and Emerson in the lineup Virginia Juniors could not stop the Maryland Juniors attack. And it just wasn't Emerson and Sierra doing the damage. Middles [player_tooltip player_id='748492' first='Paetyn' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='748496' first='Azana' last='Saheed'] and [player_tooltip player_id='753073' first='Aniston' last='Williams'] all contributed burying fast tempo sets in the middle. Right sides [player_tooltip player_id='753079' first='Reagan' last='Barrett'] and Scarlett Netherton were also offensive forces. No lanes could be stopped. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='748500' first='Katherine' last='Liu'] ran a 5/1 because of the absence of their second setter [player_tooltip player_id='749358' first='Eva' last='Bujanauskas']. [player_tooltip player_id='748518' first='Harper' last='Walker'] plays a steady libero. This is a team that probably could have competed in the 16 Open.   The Libero Huskies were the first quality team to try to give Maryland Juniors a challenge. They returned a number of players who earned Libero a Freedom bid in Junior Nationals last year. Left sides [player_tooltip player_id='623088' first='Irina' last='Padden'] and [player_tooltip player_id='782196' first='Samantha' last='Green'], libero [player_tooltip player_id='754951' first='Milica' last='Marden'], middle Victoria Liakos and right side Tayla Tran were returning starters. They also added setters [player_tooltip player_id='536729' first='Katelyn' last='Rolph'] and Alexa Balgavy. Libero had swept their first three opponents prior to their meeting with Maryland Juniors. They must have felt they were hit by a train after being crushed by Maryland Juniors 25-18, 25-12. After Libero took a three set loss to Virginia Juniors, with the third set ending 15-13 they were knocked down to the silver bracket.   Virginia Juniors also brought a talented roster with [player_tooltip player_id='587876' first='Ariana' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='545717' first='Ellie' last='Brumback'] hitting from the left side as well as two talented middles in [player_tooltip player_id='523664' first='Reese' last='Roberts'] and [player_tooltip player_id='728971' first='Mandela' last='Masimini']. Ariana, Reese and Mandela all earned top performer awards at a frosh Prep Dig showcase. Two other top performers [player_tooltip player_id='541140' first='Maris' last='Francescon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='699993' first='Ava' last='Zender'] shared setting duties along with Sophia Grimm. A sixth top performer [player_tooltip player_id='558212' first='Violet' last='Zimmitti'] patrolled the back court as the libero. With all that talent on their roster Virginia Juniors was able to sweep past their first three opponents. Against Maryland Juniors they were the ones swept 25-18 and 25-14.   A three set win over the Libero Huskies earned them a spot in the gold bracket. Another three set victory against the Maryland Juniors 15 team got Virginia Juniors a rematch against the younger team. It was another stumble as they were swept 25-11, 25-20.   14 Open   With the Maryland Juniors 14 team playing up Virginia Juniors was the favorite to win this Division. In their first bracket match they were able to beat a strong Delaware Juniors team in three, taking the third set 15-10. They swept through their next five opponents. Virginia Juniors was led by left side [player_tooltip player_id='754650' first='Madison' last='Meiring']. When she put the ball down it hit the floor fast. There were not a lot of 14 year old arms that could reach high enough to silence her hits. [player_tooltip player_id='748006' first='Alaenah' last='Frank'] also distributed some balls to the floor for Virginia Juniors from the left side. Ava Ibiezugbe controlled one of the middle positions while [player_tooltip player_id='754655' first='Bella' last='Pereyra'] brought a fast arm swing to the right side. Libero Juliana Showen may have been one of the tallest players on the team, but she does a good job covering the back row.   MOCO plays a scrappy game. They swept their first four opponents but then had an epic match against American Red. At this point American had only lost to the Libero Huskies. American won the first set 25-21 but MOCO battled back to take the last two 27-25 and 15-13. MOCO swept Delaware Juniors in the first round of the Gold bracket playoffs to earn a spot in the finals.   MOCO shocked Virginia Juniors with an opening set 25-21 win. They were led by left side [player_tooltip player_id='754662' first='Abigail' last='Rekhtman'] who provided the offense with her three meter kills from the back row. Right side [player_tooltip player_id='754667' first='Katja' last='Nagy'] served back to back aces to give MOCO a 23-20 lead and then Abigail finished it with a cross court kill.   The most impressive player on the court may have been the energetic defensive specialist Clarke Rodney. She probably stands no taller than 5'2" yet during warmups she was banging the ball to the floor from the left side with excellent top spin. During the game she generated constant movement as she anticipated where the hitters may spike the ball based on the placement of the set. She always seemed to find a spot where the spikes traveled to make the dig, diving for a number of driven balls. She also acted as an offensive catalyst from the back row, putting some mustard on a couple three meter sets.   Virginia Juniors came back and won the second set 25-10. They stayed comfortably ahead in the third set 11-8 and 13-10 but they missed a number of serves along the way. One of those serving error and a block by middle Eloise Smith pulled MOCO to within one at 13-12. A foot fault violation by MOCO gave Virginia Juniors match point but [player_tooltip player_id='754662' first='Abigail' last='Rekhtman'] ended that notion with a kill. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='754676' first='Gia' last='Capaldi'] produced back to back aces to give MOCO the 15-14 lead.   The Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='754650' first='Madison' last='Meiring'] prevented any MOCO celebration with a kill to tie the set 15-15. An Olivia Nilsen ace gave Juniors match point but a rare Madison hitting error tied the score again at 16-16. Madison redeemed herself with a tip kill to return to match point. [player_tooltip player_id='748006' first='Alaenah' last='Frank'] ended the match with a kill for an 18-16 win.   The next post will detail some of the rising teams and players who performed well at the National Harbor tournament.

With Blue Ridge and Metro competing in Baltimore and Paramount for the most part taking this weekend off it became a very competitive tournament at National Harbor. Virginia Juniors proved they are still a force in the club volleyball scene snagging top three finishes in the 14-17 age group. Loudoun Elite made their presence felt with three teams finishing in the top five in the 16 and 17 age group. Finally, Maryland Juniors 14 shocked the 15 Open participants by not losing a set and finishing with a point ratio of 1.63. Only Virginia Juniors 16 team topped that ratio at 1.71.