Can Howard close it out after a near-miss last season?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I, like many others last season, were shocked when Howard lost to close out the season. If I were a betting man, I would have had a lot of money on them bringing home the state title. It's hard to call anything an upset, because so many of these teams are deserving, and it's not like it was a fluke loss, it was a tough battle against a good team. This year could be their year. Returning a monster lineup, they are my favorite to carve through the ranks, but like they say...the game isn't played on paper. That being said, here are some Howard County teams that should make some noise:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Howard:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top to bottom, this HS roster could beat many club teams in this area. From MB [player_tooltip player_id='506629' first='Dylann' last='Loggins'] who recently committed to Indiana State, is one of the best middles in the DMV, to Lib [player_tooltip player_id='800521' first='Miranda' last='Ball'], or OH [player_tooltip player_id='835938' first='Mckenna' last='Brown'], their senior class is loaded. Their junior class is just as scary with one of the top Setters in [player_tooltip player_id='698761' first='Imagine' last='Peltier'], DS [player_tooltip player_id='753439' first='Joelle' last='Vassor'], OH [player_tooltip player_id='832940' first='Jackie' last='Klugh'] and monster RS [player_tooltip player_id='577516' first='Mariska' last='Ordonez'], this team is going to be tough to beat. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["577516"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ab4b7671e60"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mariska is a very talented hitter. She's played a lot of RS in her day, but could easily be an OH as well. She focused a lot of training on her defense and can play all the way around. Her hitting is downright terrifying, with the ability to go line or cross at will, and her serving is a solid weapon as well. She's a player that colleges should get on sooner than later, as someone is going to scoop her up and get a major addition to their program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atholton:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another deep team with club players, Atholton features a lot of Maryland Juniors players, and is a very veteran lineup loaded with hitters. Middles [player_tooltip player_id='809811' first='Morgan' last='Vanderwagen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='763123' first='Carly' last='Tillman'] are 2026 players to be wary of, as well as 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='850110' first='Olivia' last='Lewis']. They all have good size and athleticism and have moved between the different hitting spots. Another senior [player_tooltip player_id='325601' first='Sydnee' last='Peters'] adds to that depth, and Soph. [player_tooltip player_id='612397' first='Eliana' last='Koram'] has played Middle and RS and is coming off a stint with the US National Development Team. RS [player_tooltip player_id='850114' first='Kelsi' last='Hendershot'] is another hitter in the lineup with a big shot, and makes this one of the deepest front lines in the DMV. Senior Setter Katie Brown will have to make sure those hitters have something to hit, but with all of those front-court options, this team could give real matchup problems.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glenelg:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a school that was always in the state title hunt, between it's pipeline of great club talent, and good coaching. A coaching change may have come and gone, but it hasn't dropped Glenelg from the hunt, and with a couple big-name players, I fully expect them to be in the mix. Glenelg features one of the top-tier setters in the area in [player_tooltip player_id='529251' first='Jessica' last='Li'], a rising Junior, has some solid defense and leadership from Senior Libero Isard Bernandez, and also some solid future potential in Soph. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='800306' first='Bella' last='Chen'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["612397"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68ab4b7671ed7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Eliana is a major prospect. Tall, strong, and a major hitter, she's played Middle in club, and I've seen her get some time at RS as well. Her power is something very tough to overcome, especially during HS season, and her defense at the net is in the same class. It will be interesting to see if she plays around or if she's at MB, but either way ,she is going to be a problem for most Howard County teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>River Hill:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is another long-term contender that is hard to read this year. They are usually in the mix for things, and keep finding new talent at tryouts each year and this year are led by OH [player_tooltip player_id='857979' first='Joyce' last='Hu'], and rising junior middle Noya Offering.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are a few schools that have a player here or there who are top talent players, but maybe don't have the depth as some of the other schools. Some players to watch out for over the season on individual teams are:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='831110' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha'] - Guilford Park. One of the top players in the DMV, she is going to draw some major attention as one of the top club players in the area. She's powerful and hard to stop offensively. The question is, since it's a fairly new school, what other complementary pieces will she have? This is a storyline to follow this season as those parts and pieces introduce themselves, and we see how much noise they can make as a whole. You've also got [player_tooltip player_id='783297' first='Aanya' last='Sinha'], a very good DS from Marriots Ridge as an incoming freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='800545' first='Riley' last='Ko'] is one of the top Liberos in the area for Resevoir, and Wilde Lake has MB Junior [player_tooltip player_id='764688' first='Lindsey' last='Doggette'] as a player to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howard County as a whole is always good for some good Volleyball, so it will be fun to watch the stories play out and see what new players throw their hat in the ring to try to claw to the state title game. Howard is still poised to dominate, and the question this year is, can they close the deal when they get there? After last year's close call, these girls deserve it, and with an extra chip on their shoulder, I won't be surprised to see them holding the title come November.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->