2026 Prospects on Day 1 of USAV Nationals

USA Volleyball is hosting the 16 and 17 Division National Championship this week in Dallas, Texas. The Pacific Northwest has a strong group of teams competing in the tournament, aiming to secure as many wins as possible against some of the nation's top teams and clubs. These five 2026 Washington athletes made their mark on day one and will look to keep it rolling with their teams for the rest of the tournament.    Coleman played a terrific match versus PineappleHP 17s on the first day of competition in the 17 Open Division. In the second set, the Santa Clara commit dominated play at the net with multiple down blocks that scored and shifted the match's momentum. Her hang time is impressive, allowing her to work shots when she needs to find a soft spot to score against a solid block. Coleman pushed to the back corner and dropped in a crafty tip to complement her big swings. SIVBC ultimately dropped the match against Pineapple HP in three hard-fought sets and will start day two looking for their first victory.     Riptide is playing in the 17 Freedom Division for the Evergreen Region, and Paradiso plays the six-rotation outside hitter role for her squad. The 2026 prospect from Lewis and Clark had her team on the right track with a monster solo block versus TW Skyline 17 Royal, and the team battled hard in a close first-set loss 25-27 against the team from Texas. Paradiso is athletic and plays with grit, scoring by powering through the block and dropping in a precision roll shot for a kill out of the pipe. Riptide dropped both matches on the day and will have three chances to earn their first victory on day two of the tournament.     Waters is a Northwest Nazarene commit and was working hard in the back row for her 208 VBC team in the 17 American Division. The Northwest Christian standout has played on the outside, and that athleticism is evident when she tracks down caroms and covers ground to dig up a tip. Waters showed good location when she stepped into set the second ball, and looked comfortable using her hands or her platform. 208 17 Elite had challenging matchups on day one, facing off against teams from Memphis, Ohio, and Texas.     Athena 17 Gold posted a solid 2-1 record on day one, playing in the 17 American Division. Thompson is a dynamic athlete on the pin, and she delivered a highlight solo block in the team's match against Red Rock 17 Katie. She can get up and over with her press and can abruptly roof an opposing attacker straight down. That same uber athleticism shows up when Thompson's setters find her on fast-tempo attacks - she is up and hammering the ball before the block is set correctly. Athena 17 Gold will continue to chase the top bracket headed into day two.     Dumontet and her [program_tooltip program_id='747679' first='Emerald' last='Rain'] team played tough in the 17 National Division; they took a skilled and athletic OMNI 17 National team to three before dropping the match and ended the day 0-2. The 2026 setter from Enumclaw played a solid floor game versus Omni, moving the ball around to multiple attackers working as a back row setter. Dumontet flows around the court easily, and she puts herself in a good position to set a hittable ball and transition seamlessly into defense.

USA Volleyball is hosting the 16 and 17 Division National Championship this week in Dallas, Texas. The Pacific Northwest has a strong group of teams competing in the tournament, aiming to secure as many wins as possible against some of the nation's top teams and clubs. These five 2026 Washington athletes made their mark on day one and will look to keep it rolling with their teams for the rest of the tournament.