A Baker's Dozen that Shined at Chesapeake Bid Regionals

Below are 13 players from the 17 and 14 age groups who really made an impression at the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championships. Six players competed at the 17 age level while seven played with the 14 age group.   17's    I did not watch a lot of Metro play since these players are very familiar to me. However, I did catch the last set of the championship match between Metro and [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. It was set three after [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] took the first while Metro came back to win the second set.   Nadiya was on fire in that third set. She finished with seven kills and one block in Metro's 15-8 third set win, including scoring four of the last five points at the end of the set. Based on that she would get my vote as the MVP of the tournament for the 17s.   Not many players out there can overtake her 10'8" approach jump. The fact is the Baylor commit carries so much potential the USAV junior national team included her on their roster this past summer to play in international events. Still a lot of upside to her game.     At 5'9" you would think she would be too small to play middle. That might be true for most players, but when you watch Simone jump it makes you think otherwise. Her approach jump lists at 10'2". At the tournament she flew high over the net creating excellent timing for her quick tempo sets. She also did not show problems reaching the pins for blocking. She sacrifices height for quickness.   Somebody else must have been watching as well. Shortly after the tournament Simone announced her commitment to George Washington. She will be joining teammate [player_tooltip player_id='238358' first='Evie' last='Huang'] to compete in the Atlantic 10 conference along with class of 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='727892' first='Alexis' last='Badu'].     I first noticed her hitting outside for Chantilly this past high school season. While there was some inconsistency in her hitting, for a sophomore she put enough balls down to make herself an offensive presence. When you also consider her other left side was [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'], the top prospect in the class of 2025 that is a giant shadow to play under.   She also appeared in the Prep Dig showcase. While she missed out on winning a top performer award, she received numerous accolades for her play from the Prep Dig scouts who watched her play.   For club she plays a year up for Virginia Juniors 17. Her play on the left side earned Virginia Juniors a bid to the Junior Nationals. She was a terror on the left side, combining with [player_tooltip player_id='322107' first='Eden' last='Tardy'] to form a deadly offensive combo. A player who has definitely improved from the last time I saw her play.     At 6'2" Eliza brings good height to play the middle. In the third place match against Premier she put together some clutch hits to give Juniors leads of 24-23 and 25-24. That first set 26-24 win proved critical as they won the second set 25-13 to clinch what appears to be an American bid in Junior Nationals.   Eliza also has the ability to play right side. Her blocking height can be used to neutralize the left side hitter.   The previous years she played for MVSA. Her play at Juniors provides more exposure for her abilities while also giving Juniors strength at the middle. Their success at the Chesapeake put them in the top 100 nationally.     Potomac School pulled some big upsets over the high school season. I never got the chance to watch them play, but the more I witness the players in the club environment, the more I realize how good Potomac actually was.   Avery plays a strong middle for MOJO. She runs the quicks well while also moving to the pins with her blocks. Her 5'11" height may be a bit undersized for a middle, but she impressed with her play at the Chesapeake.   She does appear to be a newcomer to the sport delaying her volleyball career until a frosh in high school. That tells me there is still some upside in her game. Her approach jump reaches 9'9"showcasing the athleticism in her game. Earlier in her life she excelled at basketball and lacrosse.    Kennedy Pavlekovich (Premier Edge/Newark Charter) - Normally, I do not write about players from Delaware but for Kennedy I made an exception. Her left handed swing makes her a perfect fit for the right side, but she also uses that swing to hit just as well from the left side. Last year she made the second team all state for Delaware. For Premier she hit the pins while also providing a back row attack. For her high school she identifies as a setter/right side. She lists at 5'8".   14's    Her right side hitting and setting led Metro to a first place finish in the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championship. She earned my vote as the MVP for the tournament.   She has the offensive ability to hit the ball with power down the line as well as she does cross court. This makes her difficult to defend. While she would rank as the top hitter for almost any team what sets her apart is her ability to set as well. Despite her 6'0" frame she moves quickly to the ball. Her soft hands are consistent with location and height. She ran a couple back ones to her middle, an impressive feat for this age. The only wart in her game might be her quickness at reacting to tips in the back row but that will come with time.   It would not surprise me to see her shine her frosh season in high school.    [player_tooltip player_id='755672' first='Jaylin' last='Park'] libero (Metro) - Maryland juniors hit some pretty vicious spikes her way, but Jaylin stood her ground popping them up just like you would when playing pepper. In the championship match against Maryland Juniors her defensive performance was clearly one of the best I have seen. Without her defensive play outcome of this match would be different. She is a smaller libero that brings tremendous quickness on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='747458' first='Angelie' last='Rose Carrasco'] libero ([program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - What impressed me about Rose was her passing accuracy. Everything she passed hit the "3" category. She also showed some quickness on defense. Another player who would not surprise me hitting the varsity ranks her frosh season.   [player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton'] right side (Maryland Juniors) - At 5'9" Scarlett is not as tall as the two left sides for Maryland Juniors. However, she might hit the ball harder, barreling some balls down the line that would make a 17 year old smile. If Maryland Juniors had won the Chesapeake she may have earned my vote as the MVP.   [player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton'] setter (BAVA Wave/Lanham Christian) - She made her varsity team as an 8th grader. For Bay Area Volleyball Academy (BAVA) she set a 5/1. She impressed me with her ability to run the offense. Though there were no quick tempo sets that I witnessed Brie showed soft hands while setting the ball. She brings some good height for a setter, getting credit for at least one block on the right side.   [player_tooltip player_id='762826' first='Avery' last='Nierenberg'] outside (Virginia Elite) - Avery impressed me with her hitting from the left side. She brings some height to the position at 5'10'. It would not surprise me to see more growth. Although Virginia Elite failed to win a match in the Chesapeake tournament, Avery kept them in the games with her outside hitting. Definitely the go to player on offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='762829' first='Angela' last='Zhang'] outside (MVSA) - [player_tooltip player_id='762829' first='Angela' last='Zhang'] showed a good swing from the left side for MVSA. When I asked a coach about her, I was told this was her first year of club volleyball. She already shows a good swing with the ability to hit the balls to the floor quick. Her height looks good with some growth still yet to come. She also competed well in all six rotations.

Below are 13 players from the 17 and 14 age groups who really made an impression at the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championships. Six players competed at the 17 age level while seven played with the 14 age group.