A Dozen Class of 2027 on the Rise

Taking a look at our class of 2027 who among these players ranked below the century mark will rise into the double digit rankings. Also included are three non-ranked players that should see a significant rise.    At 6'1" Lyla brings height to the net. She has the versatility to play both right side and middle. Her approach jump currently hits 9'8"but with a little more physical conditioning that should rise.   For Ocean Lakes she was able to make the Region 5A first team. A little more explosiveness and faster arm swing could make her an impact player either in the middle or on the right side. She appears to play a decent back row creating a good platform for passing.   757 has mostly played in JVA tournaments but they have beaten some talented teams in [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 16 and Virginia Elite 16. They did play in one Qualifier, the Mideast Qualifier, finishing 69th out of 128 teams    [player_tooltip player_id='557876' first='Kinsley' last='Flores'] [program_tooltip program_id='549544' first='Club' last='757']/Norfolk Academy - A teammate of Lyla at 757. She also has the versatility to play either right side or middle. At 6'0" she also brings the height to dominate at the net. For her high school Norfolk Academy she led her team in blocks and hitting percentage. This production resulted in a Regional honorable mention appearance. Her play led [program_tooltip program_id='549544' first='Club' last='757'] to a surprising third place finish in the Capitol Hill Classic volleyball tournament.    Lacey shows tremendous athleticism in the way she plays the game. At the Prep Dig showcase she caught the eye of one of our national scouts for her ability to use all her skills on the volleyball court.   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] has surprised with a number of high finishes at volleyball tournaments. Lacey combines with [player_tooltip player_id='471485' first='Kaelyn' last='Wharton'] to form a duo of impactful outsides who can end rallies with their ability to put the ball away.   Lacey plays six rotations showing good quickness in the back row. When given an opportunity she can also provide offense with the back row attack. For Lacey height is only a number she can overcome with determination.     At 5'10" she normally sets the front row in a modified 5/1 for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony. Her setting ability in the front row allowed [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] to finish second in the Shamrock Showdown. Even when not setting she can still be used on the right side for her hitting ability.   She is listed as a setter for her high school team Westfield. At that position she earned an all district honorable mention award for both her setting and right side hitting. She still needs to work on the consistency in the location of her sets, especially with the quick tempo sets.     The best position for [player_tooltip player_id='520868' first='Caroline' last='Semko'] is libero. For Flint Hill they were short of pins so they used her at outside. Because of her ability to play back row she normally played six rotations.   For Virginia Elite they used her at the libero position. She showed the skills to play there, although the passing needs more consistency. The quickness exists to make the spectacular defensive play. She led her team to a fifth place finish in the 16 Open at Capitol Hill Classic.   Next year she should return to the libero/defensive specialist position.     While Benisa lacks the height she makes up for that with the hops. She led her high school team in kills, service aces and even digs. All this earned her a second team all state selection, one of only three sophomores to earn this honor. The other two sophomores rank in the top five for our class of 2027.   At MAPL she looked very good on the offensive end with [program_tooltip program_id='549544' first='Club' last='757']. Where she struggled a bit was with her passing.       Karinne plays a solid middle for 540. She has the ability to hit her quick sets along all areas of the net. Her middle play helped [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] to finish first at the Shamrock Showdown. She brings a strong physical presence at the net with a quick whip like swing with her arm action.   This year she should have an opportunity to team with [player_tooltip player_id='397397' first='Jasmine' last='Williams'] to play middle for Colonial Forge.     At 6'0" she has been used at almost every position but libero. At MAPL she set and played outside for [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave']. She showed a good serve with strong downward trajectory when it flew across the net. This accumulated a number of aces. Her setting location could use more consistency and her arm swing could show a quicker follow through to put more velocity on the ball.   For Jamestown she finished second in assists. She was not given a lot of opportunity to play front row. That should change next year as her arm swing to the ball improves. Her 9'6" approach jump could use some enhancement to improve her blocking on the right side.    [player_tooltip player_id='735315' first='Zaire' last='Hewlett'] setter ([program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']/Northwest) - Zaire plays down a year, sharing the setting duties for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 15 team with [player_tooltip player_id='749346' first='Ellyn' last='Kim']. Ellyn will take over setting duties for two time defending Maryland state champion Richard Montgomery. At 5'8" Zaire is the taller of the two setters. Her left handed swing would make her a good fit on the right side but [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] is loaded with a number of pins standing 6'0" or greater. Zaire has the soft hands to run the quick sets with the middle. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] recently qualified for Open in the 15 Junior National with a fourth place finish playing in the Far Western National Qualifier.   [player_tooltip player_id='744458' first='Arielle' last='Stopak'] middle ([program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']/Georgetown Day) - Arielle is another [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] player who competes down a year. At 6'1" she plays middle and right side. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] carries at least five players on their roster who list 6'0" or over who play either middle or right side. They recently earned an Open bid by finishing fourth in the Far Western National Qualifier. Last year Georgetown Day won the DC State championship. Arielle did not start for the Mighty Hoppers but filled a role by playing at the Endless Summer tournament and other matches as they needed her. She should contribute more next season.    Brianna has reached 6'0 in her height. While I have not officially seen her play yet her videos look pretty good. She runs the quicks well. Her team also qualified to play in the National Division at USAV Junior Nationals in Dallas.   Brianna has the ability to play outside. This gives her some versatility with positions. Her platform for passing on video looks pretty good. She can also use her hands when making out of system sets.   Looking forward to watching her play. Brianna currently is not ranked.        [player_tooltip player_id='768547' first='Nadia' last='Jastrzemski'] middle (Momentum/Central Virginia Home School) - At 6'2" she has some height. Broad shoulders allow her to block a good portion of the net. I first saw her play at the Gran Prix in Richmond. She ran the quick sets well while playing middle. An older sister already plays college ball while a younger sister hits outside. The younger sister also plays for Momentum and belongs to the class of 2030. She also lists at 6'2".

Taking a look at our class of 2027 who among these players ranked below the century mark will rise into the double digit rankings. Also included are three non-ranked players that should see a significant rise.