Players to Watch at Capitol Hill Classic

Yesterday we posted the teams to watch at the Capitol Classic. This post is for the players to watch who do not play for those top teams. These players have not yet committed while also placing high in our rankings.   18s   Only one player falls within our top 50 rankings who is competing in this tournament from the class of 2025 who has not yet committed. Another player belongs to the class of 2027 and is playing up two years.    Skyler is the sixth ranked right side in the class of 2025. The five right sides ahead of her are all committed. At 5'11" she brings decent size to the position. This year she earned a first team selection to the Class 6B Regional team for her play at Battlefield.   She will play for Virginia Juniors 18. They currently rank number 3 for the Chesapeake Region. The previous four years she played for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. Juniors competed in the USA Division at Ohio Valey Qualifier finishing in seventh place out of 21 teams.   Skyler hits the ball with good velocity. This year she played six rotations for Battlefield displaying an ability to play defense and receive serve. As a right side she did not get that opportunity. A smaller Division I school or Division III looking for some offensive help could find what they need with her play.     After helping Hedgesville win a West Virginia state championship in volleyball she had thoughts of playing basketball in high school. She decided late to focus on volleyball and Liberty Elite had an opening for an outside. Emmeri has the versatility to play either middle or outside with her 6'2" height.   At the Prep Dig showcase she hit outside and dominated on the court, winning a top performer award. For [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] at the 15 age group she played middle. For Hedgesville they list her as outside/opposite. Lots of versatility in her game.   Liberty Elite finished third playing their first qualifier (Ohio Valley) competing in the Liberty Division. This is a young team with some strong talent. None of them younger than Emme.    17s   For the class of 2026 only the uncommitted players from the top twenty are listed.    At 5'11" Aubrey brings height to the setting position. She set both a 5/1 and a 6/2 for Courtland. When setting a 6/2 she stayed in the front row to hit right side. Her team reached the finals of the Class 4 state championship, only to fall to now three time state champion James Wood. At least Courtland took them to five.   Aubrey has strong leadership skills. She uses those skills when communicating to her hitters concerning height and location of her sets. The only setter ranked ahead of her in our class of 2026 is [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'], who sets for Metro 17. Claire also set a 5/1 for Langley, who won the Class 6 state championship for the second straight year.   Aubrey plays for Club 540 Elite. They are the fourth ranked team in the Old Dominion Region. They finished fifth out of 20 teams in the Charm City Challenge. The only team they could not beat was Metro 17. They should be very competitive in this tournament, especially with Aubrey at the helm.     Another top twenty player who suits up for 540. She ranks eight in a talented group of outside hitters. Four of those outsides have already committed. At 5'10 some may consider her undersized for a pin. However, she works very hard at her craft, getting her approach jump to reach 9'10". She also plays a solid six rotation so she could be a defensive specialist that also provides offense in the back row with her three meter kills.   Lindsey earned second team honors All state while also capturing first team all region and all conference. When watching her playing you will be impressed with her volleyball instincts.     At 5'10 another smaller outside who ranks number six in our class of 2026. She shows an impressive approach jump that reaches 9'10". She also plays six rotations and lists libero as a second position. However, using her in the back row as a defensive specialist also provides an offensive presence to attack beyond the three meter line. She possesses a fast arm swing that puts some hot sauce on the ball.   This year she will play for Virginia Juniors at Capitol Hill Classic. Last year she got to compete at the Triple Crown while playing for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. An intense player who likes to compete on the court.     Sofie stands out as our fourth ranked setter in the class of 2026. For her high school she also showed some offensive capability, finishing fourth on her team in kills. At 5'9" she brings an approach jump of 9'0" but with her volleyball IQ she knows where to hit the ball on the court.   She plays for Virginia Elite. While they rank 18th in the Region they have a roster that should compete well in this tournament. She has been used quite a bit as a 5/1 setter in high school and club.     Our fifth ranked setter in the class of 2026 set her high school to a class five state championship. She set a 5/1" for Riverside but will probably run a 6/2 for Virginia Juniors. Her approach jump reaches 9'8".   Sydney made first team all district, all region and all state. She earned most valuable player for the district, despite having National team player [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] on the team. That shows the respect coaches have for her setting ability. her teammates certainly rally around her.   Sydney will set for Virginia Juniors.    16s   The top 20 rankings are filled with Metro, [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Virginia Juniors players. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] will play in the Triple Crown this weekend. [player_tooltip player_id='438086' first='Emmeri' last='Bishop'] would fall here but she will play for Liberty Elite 18 (see above).    Ana ranks as our number two libero in the class of 2027. The number one libero [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'] plays for Metro 17. Her older sister [player_tooltip player_id='235748' first='Ema' last='Djordjevic'] earned the Gatorade Player of the Year award for Maryland this year. So if you are looking for talent in the back row take a look at MVSA 16 Sparks.   Ana played libero for Richard Montgomery as a sophomore. Her steady play in the back row allowed the team to play in system for most of the match. She also brings a good serve to the court. As a frosh she played as a defensive specialist. So she has known nothing but championships at Richard Montgomery.   While her older sister receives a lot of attention providing offense as a hitter Ana is content to play in the trenches to allow the focus to shine on those ending the rally.    15s   If you want to get a head start take a look at these two players from the class of 2028 who rank in our top 20.    Abisola ranks just outside out top ten at number 11, but she sits atop all the middle blockers at number one. Currently, she lists at 5'10", but physically she is a very strong girl. When the timing is right with the quick tempo sets the balls are buried hard to the floor.   She will play for Maryland Juniors 15, which are the third ranked team in the Chesapeake Region. They have won a couple open tournaments and finished third in the National Harbor.     Currently she stands 6'0". It would not surprise me to see a couple more inches of growth. She already hits rockets from the left side. The A Division of the Independent School League (ISL) voted her to the first team all conference, one of two frosh voted to the team. She also earned a top performer award at our Prep Dig frosh showcase.   Ariana will suit up for Virginia Juniors 15 in the Capitol Hill Classic. They rank fifth in the Chesapeake Region.

Yesterday we posted the teams to watch at the Capitol Classic. This post is for the players to watch who do not play for those top teams. These players have not yet committed while also placing high in our rankings.