New Chesapeake Region Faces Appear in NTDP Training Sessions

The National Team Development Program (NTDP) invites players to various locations to compete with other elite players as well as work with national team coaches to enhance their game. At one point it was a rarity for the Chesapeake Region to have more than a couple players attend these events. For this coming session 11 different players joined the more than 185 others to train in two different locations.   The U19s and U20s trained in Kansas City. While the Chesapeake Region did not have any participants in the U20 age group they did bring four participants for the U19 group. [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] (Baylor), [player_tooltip player_id='555602' first='Bryah' last='Breaux'] (Kentucky), [player_tooltip player_id='227251' first='Morgan' last='Williams'] (Tennessee) and [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'] (Oklahoma) represented the U19 category. Nadiya ranks number one in our class of 2026, Morgan Willaims number four while [player_tooltip player_id='555602' first='Bryah' last='Breaux'] has climbed to number 17.   The relative newcomer is [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'], who sits at number four in our class of 2027. While it is rare for a libero to rank so high Laila can also hit a pretty good left side. At 5'8" she won player of the year as an outside hitter in the Concorde Conference. She began attending these NTDP events in 2025. All four players compete for Metro. For these players their training occurred December 18-21 so they have completed their training.   What is nice to see is that some of the newer players representing the Chesapeake Region are not all affiliated with Metro showing off the diversity of talent in the area. Next on the agenda I hope the Old Dominion Region gets some consideration. I name a couple players below that are at least deserving of a look. It should be noted that many players are asked but sometimes they are unable to attend.   In Colorado Springs a mixture of old and new players will participate in two different age groups from December 27-30. Below a little bit of detail on these players.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">U18 Participants in the NTDP</h2>    She ranks number one in our class of 2027. All the number one ranked players in the various age groups from the DMV have been invited. Taylor has already competed with the National team in an international event in Canada. She may be the first non-Metro player invited to the NTDP. Showing her dedication, after the Canadian event was completed and the USA won gold, she hopped on a plane to fly to Dallas to compete with [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] in the Open Division at junior nationals.   [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] struggled during the tournament. Relying on an exhausted Taylor may have been their downfall but who can blame them. Overall, she may be the top player in the Region. With no international events on the agenda for this year [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] should compete better with a more rested Taylor.   Taylor has committed to Penn State. Three other Chesapeake Region players will compete for Penn State next year. Emmerson Sellman, Alexis Ewing and the recently transferred Ryla Jones.     Hunter ranks second in our class of 2027. She almost single handedly led Flint Hill to the VISAA state championship this past season. In what was supposed to be a down year for Flint Hill Hunter rose up while hitting outside to lead her team with 446 kills. She fires her missiles from both the back row and front row. She ranked sixth in the state of Virginia in kills.   It will be interesting to see what position she decides to play for her future. She is a dominate middle, but now she has shown an ability to bring an offensive presence to the pins. Her back row play still needs improvement but with more play there she has the athleticism and drive to succeed. She certainly has shown her versatility with her outside dominance at Flint Hill. For Metro she still lists middle as her position with a 10'5" approach jump.   Hunter has committed to UCLA. She earned the Player of the Year award in the VISAA.    [player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] OH (Richard Montgomery/Metro) - Katherine ranks number one in our class of 2028. She showed her dominance at the Junior Nationals in the National Division last year, winning the MVP award as she led Metro to the gold. She ranked number one for Richard Montgomery with 416 kills. That put her third in the state of Maryland. And to think she is only a sophomore. Her top spin serve can also be quite deadly when it is on. At 6'1" she brings good height to the left side with an approach jump at 9'11". She plays a solid six rotations capable of creating offense from the back row. After their success last season the goal for this season would be to repeat the gold accomplishment except win it in the Open Division.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Under 15/16/17 Participants in the NTDP</h2>    Carolyn ranks as the top prospect in the class of 2029. She earned first team WCAC as well as first team VISAA all state. MaxPrep also found room for her on their frosh All-America team.   She plays both setter and right side. She hits at a .409 clip, the ninth most effective in Virginia. No other frosh or sophomore ranks above her.   She can set a 5/1 but then you miss her offense in the front row. She can also attack from the back row but then you miss her setting. If only you could clone her and she can do both, set a 5/1 while also creating offense from the front and back row. It is rare for a player to carry so many skills.   If you watch her pass you could swear she would make a very good libero as well.    [player_tooltip player_id='750047' first='Caroline' last='Conroy'] middle (Walt Whitman/Metro) - At 6'3" she brings some good height for a frosh. In our class of 2029 she ranks number 14. She plays for Walt Whitman, who advanced to the Maryland Regional finals. Whitman does not report information into MaxPreps so it is difficult to assess her contribution to the team. However, for Metro last year she provided a mixture of offense and defense for the team. She hits the quick tempo sets well and puts up a good block. Her game right now fits more in the potential category. Her approach jump of 9'9" equals that of [player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria'].   [player_tooltip player_id='612397' first='Eliana' last='Koram'] middle (Atholton/Metro) - She ranks at 14 in our class of 2028. At 5'11" her height falls a bit short for middle but she brings an approach jump of 10'2". Her ability to also hit right side increases her versatility. Eliana plays for Atholton which lost in Class 3 in the semifinals of Maryland Regional play. While she finished second on her team in kills her blocking fell short. That could just be a reporting error. Eliana plays both an athletic as well as physical game. Last year she won an Under Armor MVP.    She becomes the second non Metro player from the Chesapeake Region invited to an NTPD event. As far as I know she becomes the first Virginia Juniors player invited.   Her middle blocking for Flint Hill proved impactful in leading them to a VISAA state championship. She led the team in blocking as well as hitting percentage. She also finished tied for second on the team in kills, behind [player_tooltip player_id='437441' first='Hunter' last='Ross'], another NTPD participant. At 6'4" she also brings broad shoulders that cover a wide area.   Her frosh year she played for Archbishop Carroll. I remember seeing her at a Prep Dig showcase where she won a top performer award. At that time she told me she was looking at transferring. Turned out it was a very wise decision.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Old Dominion Candidates</h2>   During my watch at Prep Dig I cannot remember an Old Dominion player participating in an NTPD event. Caleigh Ponn, who went to Kansas State and started there as a libero was an ideal candidate. She broke the VHSL record for kills as a 5'7" outside while leading Hidden Valley to two Class 3 state championships. Her back row play is pretty special as well. Ultimately, she also won Gatorade player of the year for Virginia her senior year. However, as far as I know there was no NTDP invite, even as a libero.   Below are two players who I think are deserving of an NTDP invite.    Caleigh Ponn only held the record for kills for one season. The 6'1" [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] broke that record this year. She rampaged through the competition leading Giles to the class 1 state championship. The previous two years they have fallen short but Sophie still won player of the year. Her selection this year gives her three straight player of the year awards.   Sophie fires missiles from the left side. She also has the ability to play six rotations. At 6'1' she is one of the more dominant players in Virginia. She ranks number 7 in our class of 2026.   MaxPreps voted Giles the number one small school in the country. They also named her to the small school All-America second team.   In the past Sophie has played club for [program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors']. Last year they competed in the Triple Crown in Kansas City. She played with Caleigh Ponn and they finished 41st out of 96 teams.   Sophis has committed to Ole Miss.     The first time I saw her play was at the recently held Prep Dig Exposure Tour. With over 100 players competing she won the unanimous selection as the MVP of the event.   Currently she only ranks at 36 in the class of 2028. However, that ranking only relied on video and stats from her play at Lancaster. She earned a spot on the State Class 1 first team, while [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] won the MVP. Lancaster lost in the semi-finals to Middlesex.   Alexis lists at 6'1". She plays a solid six rotations. She led the team with 412 kills, which ranked 10th in the state. It also ranked the highest among her class.   Alexis will play for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']. While they normally play in AAU events they will compete in the Big South as well as the Northeast Qualifier.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Penn State and Purdue Stocking up on Players from the Chesapeake Region</h2>   Two Chesapeake players entered the portal this year. Ryla Jones from Pittsburgh and Lameen Mambu from Georgia Tech. Ryla Jones was grabbed by Penn State. She will join current players Alexis Ewing and Emmerson Sellman. When Ryla graduates middle Taylor Harrington will attend there in 2028. Ryla and Emmerson were teammates at Metro.   Purdue snagged Lameen Mambu from the portal. She will join Isabelle Bardin on the team. They both played for Metro but were never teammates. Lameen joined Metro after Macari Spears moved to Texas. Lameen played a year up at 17s but did not play her 18 season. Akasha Anderson also played for Purdue this year. A number of years ago she won Gatorade player of the year for Virginia playing for Herndon. She played for Virginia Elite, went to Auburn for two years, Michigan State for one then finished her college career with Purdue. She finished third on the team in kills as she led them to the Elite eight in the NCAA championships.   That is seven Chesapeake Region players on two Big Ten teams. Next year those Purdue/Penn State matches should prove a bit more animated.

The National Team Development Program (NTDP) invites players to various locations to compete with other elite players as well as work with national team coaches to enhance their game. At one point it was a rarity for the Chesapeake Region to have more than a couple players attend these events. For this coming session 11 different players joined the more than 185 others to train in two different locations.