Dozen Who Stood Out at East Coast Championship

For the most part many of the players named below are unheralded from a ranking stand point. At the start of the season they were not even considered the top player on their team. At the East Coast championship they stood out. Below the dozen who made an impact for their team.    She was the floor captain for the 540 16U team, who finished a respectable fifth place in the tournament. They lost in the first round of the gold bracket to the number one seed Virginia Juniors. The match went three before Juniors pulled out the third set 15-13.   Jalyn was the big offensive performer for 540, delivering some clutch kills from the left side. At 5'8" she falls a tad on the short side for a front row player. What she lacks in height she makes up for in her vertical jump. She seems to find the empty areas of the court with her cerebral placement of shots.   While they finished fifth in this tournament Jalyn stood out at the Shamrock Showdown as well when they won the event.    [player_tooltip player_id='778715' first='Kayla' last='Cotton'] outside ([program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']/Mountain View) - At 5'11" it appears that Kayla played middle last year. In the match I watched she hit left side. Her timing appeared good, especially when you consider the sets were fast, even for the outside hitters. 540 won the 17 Beast of the East Division with Kayla contributing significant offense from the left side. With her height she also shows the flexibility to play any position in the front row. During the finals she only played three rotations so there was no opportunity to assess her back row play.   [player_tooltip player_id='754942' first='Xinyuan' last='Cui'] setter (Maryland Juniors/Sandy Springs Friends) - Last year Xinyuan shared the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='529251' first='Jessica' last='Li']. Jessica went on to play for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Xinyuan has been thrust into setting a 5/1. She plays a year down with the 16s. That provides the experience to captain the offense. It all went well as evidence by their third place finish. Xinyuan lists at 5'10 which would be a good height for a setter. She carries a calm demeanor on the court, a trait valuable when chaos erupts.   [player_tooltip player_id='779506' first='Feliza' last='Faradonez'] left side (MEVC) - While the club only won a single match Feliza was a one woman wrecking crew for MEVC. She played six rotations, attacking balls from the back row and the front row. Overall, the team finished poorly with just one match win but Feliza did not seem to be disturbed by that. She gave it her all no matter the score.    Maris was one of three setters used by Paul VI last year. As a frosh she was the youngest of the trio. With [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='333650' first='Louise' last='Neuhart'] possibly transferring to the Panthers that will certainly enhance the pins.   Maris showed good hands and a strong serve in the one set I got an opportunity to watch for Virginia Juniors 15. She brings the energetic charm you like to see in a setter.   Maris will compete in the Junior Nationals in Dallas as will two other setters from the Panthers, [player_tooltip player_id='728459' first='Ali' last='Joyce'] ([program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) and [player_tooltip player_id='722900' first='Amanda' last='Dadio'] (Paramount). You also have the returning senior [player_tooltip player_id='308751' first='Olivia' last='LeBlanc']. The Panthers have an embarrassment of riches at this position.    [player_tooltip player_id='778720' first='Jordyn' last='Goh'] left side (MVSA) - Another one of those unranked players who seemed to turn it up at the East Coast Championships. Her opposite [player_tooltip player_id='772016' first='Molly' last='McWhorter'] also contributed. In the finals Jordyn seemed on fire putting balls away each time the set came her way. Unfortunately, it all went for naught as MVSA fell short and was swept in the finals. Jordyn brings good wrist snap to her swing driving the ball to the floor. She also fills six rotations. MVSA will play in the Freedom Division in Junior Nationals.    This is her second appearance on a dozen list. She played well at the Shamrock Showdown leading 540 to a first place finish. While they fell short of a first place finish at the East Coast championship they almost upset the number one seed Virginia Juniors in the first round of the gold bracket, losing to them in the third set 15-13   Karinne shows good athleticism in the middle, with quick, fluid movements. She can put up a strong block as well as power down the quick tempo sets. A player on the rise that you can watch at AAUs in the Elite Division.    [player_tooltip player_id='438091' first='Catherine' last='McIntyre'] left side (Virginia Juniors/Holy Cross) - Normally, playing time is rough for Catherine with [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] and [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] the primary left sides. With Coco unavailable Catherine got an opportunity to show off her skills. While she is not as dynamic as Ayla or Coco she knows where to place the ball with her hits. She also plays an impressive defense in the back row allowing her to play all six rotations. At 5'9" she is not big for an outside. Her ability to play back row opens up a position for her as a defensive specialist that can contribute some offense with back row attacks.   [player_tooltip player_id='484405' first='Brenna' last='Raymond'] libero ([program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']/Massaponax - It takes some time to recognize a good libero. Brenna first earned a spot in the rankings January of last year after earning a second team spot on the Class 5d Regional team. She played a strong libero in the championship match to allow [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] to knock off VolleyFX. 540 likes to run a fast offense. This does not work without good passing. Brenna provides that as well as showing strong defense in the back row.   [player_tooltip player_id='697424' first='Ellie' last='Silberfeld'] setter (MVSA/Walter Johnson) - Her older sister reached 1,000 assists in high school. Ellie hopes to do the same. She ran a 5/1 for MVSA 15. You usually do not see that at younger age levles. It worked for MVSA as they finished in second place overall, losing to Synergy Genesis in the championship match. It was their only loss of the tournament. Ellie does a solid job distributing her sets, using the middles for the quick tempo sets and once showing that as an option hitting the pins. She also is not afraid to set the bic. For a 15 team Ellie orchestrates a very sophisticated offense.   [player_tooltip player_id='778640' first='Mollie' last='Smith'] middle ([program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors']/Woodrow Wilson) - For River Vally Mollie was more of a role player. She ran the quicks in the middle to open up the attacks on the outside. The big hitters were stationed at the pins. What is most impressive about her play is that she belongs to the class of 2028 but played in the 18 select. Mollie held her own. At 6'0" she brings good height for the middle with more potential growth in the future.    Her left handed swing is ideal for the right side. The last time I watched her play she played a six rotation right side, banging a number of balls from the back row setter position. For this tournament injuries forced [program_tooltip program_id='494491' first='DMV' last='Elite'] to move her to left side. Her offensive game did not slack off. She still played six rotations.   Last year was a down year for Oakton. With Marissa hitting the pins and [player_tooltip player_id='238857' first='Julie' last='Xu'] setting a 5/1 they could again be a compeitor in their district.

For the most part many of the players named below are unheralded from a ranking stand point. At the start of the season they were not even considered the top player on their team. At the East Coast championship they stood out. Below the dozen who made an impact for their team.