Other Winners at Endless Summer

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James Woods was not the only winner at the Endless Summer tournament. There were other teams and players who stood out. Below are some of them. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">StoneBridge Cavaliers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cavaliers won the Division I Varsity, defeating Grassfield in two sets 25-21 and 27-25. They are a Division II school in the VISAA. Last year they were moved midseason from Division III to Division II where they were eventually swept by The Covenant in the VISAA state championship. They finished the season 31-4. As one parent explained to me, they are two girls away from qualifying for Division I.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the four wins in the Endless Summer tournament they are now 22-0 for this season. While they lost one set to Perquimans Couty it was the last set in a three set match. A sweep of Albermarle put them in the gold bracket playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the semi-finals they slipped past Chelsea Academy with two 26-24 wins. Last year Chelsea Academy lost in the finals in Division III in the VISAA. StoneBridge had swept Chelsea earlier in a regular season match 25-21, 26-24. The big hitter in this match was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887042' first='Madalyn' last='Wartick'] </strong>with her 15 kills. For the tournament she finished with a team high 55 kills. It was her kill through the block that gave StoneBridge their 26-24 win in the first set. In the second set <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828505' first='Zara' last='Ofole']</strong> made a beautiful stuff block over the net to give the Cavaliers a 25-24 lead. A hitting error by Chelsea ended the match. Zara finished the tournament with 11 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>StoneBridge would sweep Grassfield in the finals 25-22, 27-25. This time <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887032' first='Payton' last='Weatherford']</strong> led the team in kills with 14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really impressed with the blocking of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828505' first='Zara' last='Ofole']</strong>. The secret to blocking is not how high above the net a blocker gets but how far over the net her hands can reach. Zara has a good jump allowing her to reach her arms far over the net to accumulate numerous blocks this season. Other players who impressed for the Cavaliers included libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887040' first='Libbie' last='Plumlee']</strong>. She kept rallies alive with some impressive digs but showed good hands for setting as well. Setter<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='887038' first='Selah' last='Telfer'] </strong>ran the offense, dishing out over 100 assists while running a 5/1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Annapolis Area Christian</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["753070"],"_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-68cacef87674d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">During the club season [player_tooltip player_id='753070' first='Avery' last='Lettinga'] may have been out of the spotlight. She played for Maryland Juniors 14, sharing an outside position with [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas']. That created shortened playing time. I was fortunate to see her hit left side when [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe'] was under the weather during the National Harbor tournament. She sprayed some high velocity hits all over the court. Unfortunately, a knee injury limited her season after that tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">She did get to play at the Junior Nationals sharing the libero position with [player_tooltip player_id='748518' first='Harper' last='Walker']. Her coach felt she had the best passing platform on the team. With her knee still restricting her from jumping he used her as a libero at Junior Nationals in Dallas in the Open Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Now that the high school season has started Avery is the starting left side as a frosh on an Annapolis Area Christion team ranked 15th in the DMV. She wears a knee brace but still finished the tournament with 22 kills and 21 digs. As she gets stronger her game should improve immensly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While they did not make it to the gold bracket in the Varsity Champions Division it was because they were in pool with number one ranked Georgetown Day and number 12 ranked Kellam. Annapolis Area Christian ranked number 15 in my initial top 25 teams in the DMV. Annapolis almost upset Kellam in the first match of the day, falling short in the opening set 31-29. They also lost the second set 25-15 but took the third 25-22. Georgetown Day lost the first set 28-26 but came back to win the next two 25-16, 25-13. Unfortunately, losing those two matches dropped them into the bracket for fifth place.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prior to playing in this tournament the Eagles had yet to lose a set much less a match. These two match losses did not get this team of frosh down. They went down to the fifth place bracket, first sweeping Bishop McNamara 25-15, 28-26, then also sweeping Flint Hill 27-25, 25-22.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The team was led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong>, who led the team in kills banging out 44 from the left side. She finished with 18 in the match against Kellam. For Maryland Juniors she mostly hit right side and set. In this tournament she proved she can also play six rotations. Not extremely tall at 5'9" but she brings a powerful hit that can find the holes. The Georgetown Day team has two girls over 6 foot blocking for them and they could not stop her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other left side is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='753070' first='Avery' last='Lettinga']</strong>. She was the third hitter for Maryland Juniors and after her knee injury came back and played libero for them in junior nationals. Now with Annapolis she is the other left side who should only get better after getting fully healthy. At 5'10" she brings height to the left side position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What is most impressive about the duo is both are frosh. So too with their middle<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='748492' first='Paetyn' last='Brown'],</strong> who led the team in blocks for the tournament with 7. Like Avery and Scarlett she too played for Maryland Juniors 14. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='545725' first='Abisola' last='Adeyemo']</strong> also plays middle. As a sophomore she is considered one of the veterans of the team. She runs the quick tempo sets well and is fourth on the team in kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":781831,"width":"238px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/1-Harper-Walker.jpg?w=961" alt="" class="wp-image-781831" style="width:238px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='748518' first='Harper' last='Walker']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Annapolis likes to run a modified 5/1 with junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='749757' first='Dakota' last='Pentorn']</strong> as the back row setter and frosh <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton'] </strong>as the front row setter. Frosh <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748518' first='Harper' last='Walker']</strong> is the primary libero. Frosh <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='749642' first='Sophia' last='Groshek']</strong> hit right side. She finished third on the team in kills and second in blocks. Since both Avery, Sophie and Scarlett play six rotations there is not a lot of playing time for some talented defensive specialists on the bench.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Winners</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ambassador Christian out of North Carolina won the Varsity Division 2a. They did not lose a set in the tournament, defeating Great Bridge and Kempsville in the finals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Academy of Notre Dame in Pennsylvania won the Varsity Division 2b. They battled Indian River in the finals where their opening 25-17 loss was their only loss of the tournament. They bounced back to win the next two 25-14, 15-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bayside out of Virginia Beach won Division 3. They also lost only one set in the tournament to Mountain View in the semi-finals, losing the first set 25-21. The Marlins bounced back to win the last two sets 27-25, 15-6. They beat Denbigh Baptist Christian in the finals 25-8, 25-20. Unfortunately, no volleyball rosters are available for Bayside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Denbigh Baptist Christian <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='752075' first='Julia' last='Kinney']</strong> was named Player of the Week by MaxPreps for Virginia during the first week of the season. She is a smaller left side who plays six rotations. A solid player who seems to have mastered all the skills, though I never saw her use her hands to set the ball. She leads the team in almost all categories, kills, serving aces and digs. Her hitting percentage sits at a masterful .376. Her 249 kills rank top in the state while her .376 hitting percentage is fifth. A player worth watching if you are a Division III college. Julia belongs to the class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Players Who Impressed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["748487"],"_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-68cacef8767ea"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another frosh who is shining at the high school level hitting left side. She starred for a Maryland Juniors 14 team that qualified for the Open Division in Junior Nationals this year in Dallas. Now she is playing with her sister [player_tooltip player_id='490021' first='Imani' last='Thomas'] for a Bishop McNamara team that for the first time in their school history beat a Flint Hill team. Now with Sierra hitting left side they will be gunning for a WCAC championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As a frosh Sierra leads her team in kills with a hitting percentage of .295. Frosh normally struggle when they play their first year in high school but Sierra seems to be fitting in fine. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746325' first='Cheyenne' last='Wright']</strong> left side (Landstown) - While Landstown got knocked into the bronze bracket early in the Varsity Division 2a Cheyenne showed impressive potential to be a dominating hitter from the left side. When I first saw her playing for 757 she was playing right side. In the game I was watching she played left side for Landstown. At 5'10" she brings good height for the position, leading her team in kills. She ranks number 67 in my class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746323' first='Isabella' last='Decker']</strong> was also hitting the ball well from the left side. She also lists 5'10 and ranks number 51 in our class of 2027. Isabella ranks second on the team in kills. They also had a frosh libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887056' first='Madeline' last='Arnett'] </strong>who played a great game defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landstown plays in the tough Beach Region with Ocean Lakes, Frank Cox and Kellam. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887067' first='Greta' last='Hausman']</strong> right side (Hickory) - A class of 2029 Greta played right side for the Hawks. At 6'0" she has good height for the position. She ranks third on her team in kills and second in blocks while also leading the team in service aces. Because I only watched the last few points of the match I did not see a lot of her play but definitely a player to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though sophomore setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887089' first='Kyla' last='Goode'] </strong>ranks only 4th on the team in aces she showed a good serve against Landstown, stringing together a seven point serving run. At 5'6" she is the primary setter for Hickory. Sophomore middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887087' first='Delaney' last='Gray']</strong> leads the team in blocks and has the top hitting percentage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hickory appears to be another team building for the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another team to watch for the future is Chelsea. They may always be a smaller team but they finished second in the Varsity Division I with perhaps the youngest team in the tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='625566' first='Olivia' last='Barvick']</strong> is a sophomore right side who can also set while 8th grader <strong>Malta Klassen</strong> is their primary setter. Another 8th grader <strong>Charlotte Barvick </strong>plays libero. At times this team can have four Barvicks on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Holy Cross Wins Battle of Bethesda Over Richard Montgomery</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":781906,"width":"297px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/83-Trinity-Rowles.jpg?w=910" alt="" class="wp-image-781906" style="width:297px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='809896' first='Trinity' last='Rowles']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year it was Richard Montgomery that won the Battle of Bethesda. This year it is Holy Cross as they beat the Rockets in three 23-25, 25-20, 15-13 last weekend. As the scores would indicate these two teams are tightly matched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] was the big force for Richard Montgomery with 19 kills. It appears the Rockets used a 6/2 in the match with [player_tooltip player_id='749346' first='Ellyn' last='Kim'] and <strong>Hannah Carter </strong>sharing in the setting duties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Holy Cross [player_tooltip player_id='829469' first='Ana' last='Woods'] led the team in kills with 14 while also contributing 4 aces.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='887098' first='Vivian' last='Blue'] </strong>was the primary setter with 19 assists though sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='809896' first='Trinity' last='Rowles'] did come in to do some setting with 6 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Cross remains undefeated for the season while Richard Montgomery dropped to 7-2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->