Younger Sisters Making Their Debuts in Class of 2029 Rankings

The high school season has ended. Come January the club season will begin in earnest. Between those two events a number of prospects made their debut appearing in the class of 2029 rankings. As frosh, they made significant contributions to the success of their high school team. A total of 27 new players appeared in the rankings, with at least five of them younger sisters. You have to watch out for those younger sisters. In more cases than not they rise above expectations to become the better player.   Below is a summary of those players.    She actually rose in the rankings, making her debut last year in the mid-30s range. A technical glitch dropped her from the rankings. Now she ranks at 22.   She did well as the libero for Maryland Juniors 14. That skill transferred over to her play for Annapolis Area Christian, one of five frosh who started for the team and led them to an A Bracket IAAM championship. She ranked second on the team in digs and third in service aces.   Harper appears to have switched her club affiliation from Maryland Juniors to Metro for the 2026 season.    33 - [player_tooltip player_id='883712' first='Alivia' last='Breckons'] OH (Grafton) - Her older sister, junior [player_tooltip player_id='465315' first='Ana' last='Breckons'] plays middle. Frosh Alivia hits left side. At 6'1" Ana carries a couple more inches of height than her younger sister. The two combined for 399 kills with Alivia ranking third on the team in kills. They also finished second and third in blocks. Alivia plays all six rotations so she finds herself second in digs as well. Alivia debuts at number 33 in the rankings. The sisters have one more year together to give Grafton a state championship.   34 - [player_tooltip player_id='895852' first='Jessica' last='Murphy'] MB (Garrison Forest) - When you look at the height on this Garrison Forest team you have to wonder how they lose any matches. Jessica at 6'2" is just one of at least four players who stand over 6'0" on this team. She plays middle, leading the team in blocks. As a frosh she still needs more work on her offensive game, sitting fourth on the team in kills. I have yet to find a club fingerprint on her.   44 - [player_tooltip player_id='893947' first='Annika' last='Warren'] MB (Jackson Reed) - I was impressed with her during warmups prior to one of her matches at the Tiger Paws tournament. At 6'0" she brings some height to the middle. While she leads her team in hitting percentage at .466, she still falls fifth on the team in kills. DC high school matches are best of three so DC players do not play in as many sets as players from Virginia and Maryland. Annika does lead the team in blocks. This club season she will play for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] first team. That should give her the touches she needs to improve her game.    I did not see Blake play club last season since she played a year down for the Metro 13 team. With Fairfax playing unusually well during the high school season I went out to see what players were leading them to their success. While Blake played defensive specialist, she showed a propensity to be their libero the next three years now that libero [player_tooltip player_id='800352' first='Elinor' last='Suh'] has graduated..   Blake plays with quick feet and a calm, quiet platform, traits that all good liberos possess. Her anticipation for reading the offense is superb but she can also react when forced to hit the floor. She made my all frosh team joining [player_tooltip player_id='896390' first='Harper' last='Walker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='747458' first='Angelie' last='Rose Carrasco'] for the 2025 high school season.   Blake debuts at number 49 in our class of 2029 rankings.    53 - [player_tooltip player_id='888046' first='Jacqueline' last='Potter'] MB (Robinson) - She brings a number of skills to the court, but what separates her from the others is the enthusiasm she displays once she achieves success. Her skills are still a bit raw, but she will display them for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 15 second team. She stands 5'10" a decent height for a middle at this age.   54. -[player_tooltip player_id='892024' first='Claire' last='Kennedy'] libero (National Cathedral) - She is the younger sister of [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy'], who hit, set and could have played libero for National Cathedral if Clair had not already claimed that position. National Cathedral had one of their best seasons ever with Claire leading the team in digs. When preparing for a game while watching our next opponent play against National Cathedral a couple girls commented on how good the National Cathedral libero was. Last year Claire was a defensive specialist for Metro 14 while her older sister played for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. Claire won honorable mention for the ISL all tournament team, the only frosh to be honored in the AA awards section.    Her older sister got the height standing 6'2". Perhaps there is more growth with Elyse. She brings the hands, setting for Liberty Christian, coming in the back row for the left side to set. She finished second on the team in assists.   The Bulldogs got off to a slow start to the season losing five of their first seven matches. Perhaps it took some time to get used to their frosh setter. Once the season got underway they then went on a 19 match winning streak before losing to the eventual state champion Abingdon in the first round of the Class 3 state championship.   One trait that stands out with Elyse is her volleyball IQ. She spent a lot of time watching her older sister play so she understands the mechanics of the game. That makes the volleyball play come much easier.   Elyse debuts at number 57 in the class of 2029 rankings.      59 - [player_tooltip player_id='888288' first='Lila' last='Cross'] setter (St. Catholic) - Lila is one of two frosh setters to start for St. Catholic. She would sometimes set in a 6/2 and at other times a modified 5/1 where she set in the front row. She finished the season with 78 kills, almost one kill per set. As a setter, she led the team in assists. From what I was told her mother was a top rated collegiate setter so the position would fit naturally. When setting a 6/2 she sometimes stays to hit on the right side.   62 - [player_tooltip player_id='887056' first='Madeline' last='Arnett'] Libero/ds (Landstown) - At the Endless Summer tournament Madeline impressed me with her terrific libero play. For the season she led the team in digs. At 4'10" she can get low to the floor. In my short history of ranking players I don't think I have ever ranked anyone under 5 feet.   63 - [player_tooltip player_id='893943' first='Mila' last='Smith'] OH (Flint Hill) - As the season progressed her game improved. She appeared to be used mostly on the right side. While the main face for the offense was [player_tooltip player_id='437441' first='Hunter' last='Ross'], Mila finished second on the team in kills. Her big issue is gaining consistency with her hits. In the championship match she delivered one of the biggest blocks of the season coming in the fifth set, rejecting a [player_tooltip player_id='357402' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] hit that eventually propelled the Huskies to a VISAA state championship win.   67 - [player_tooltip player_id='903827' first='Moraie' last='Butler'] RS (Chesapeake Math & IT Academy North) - Morai is one of two frosh who accounted for close to half the kills produced by the Tigers offense. [player_tooltip player_id='902360' first='A'vielle' last='Lewis'] stood out as the big bomber. Chesapeake Math reached the semi-finals in the Maryland Class 1 state championship but lost to Patterson Mills. A'vielle will be written about in our highest risers.   68 - [player_tooltip player_id='884164' first='Vivien' last='Eaton'] Setter/DS (St. Johns) - Another sister combination with older sister [player_tooltip player_id='221032' first='Wynn' last='Mendez Eaton'] setting for St. Johns. While Vivien can set as well, her time on the court was mostly spent as a defensive specialist. Her sister graduates this year so next year perhaps Vivien will get more setting opportunities.    She makes her debut at number 59 in our ranking. Her playing time her frosh year was limited but at 6'0" she could be used at the right side or middle for blocking purposes. Her arm swing could use a little work to achieve more velocity on her spikes.   She did get to play in all 88 sets averaging a kill per set. That put her fourth on the team in kills. Improving that arm swing will enhance her offensive game, especially with the height she brings to the right side.   Next year Nika will play a year down for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 14 first team.    70 - [player_tooltip player_id='888289' first='Emmerson' last='Croft'] setter (St. Catherines) - Her older sister set for St. Catherines. She went on to play for Christopher Newport, recently winning AVCA All American honors. She broke the St. Catherines assist record with over 2,400 assists. Emmerson may never reach that goal since she will share the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='888288' first='Lila' last='Cross'], while her older sister set a 5/1 for most of her career. However, Emmerson started her career with over 300 assists during her frosh season. That is a good start. The next accomplishment will be a VISAA state championship, something her sister never achieved.   73 - [player_tooltip player_id='895572' first='Izzy' last='Scimeca'] middle/right side (Grafton) - Her playing time was limited with [player_tooltip player_id='465315' first='Ana' last='Breckons'] and [player_tooltip player_id='810003' first='Kenzie' last='Smith'] playing the same positions. Izzy finished fourth on the team in blocks. At 5'10" she brings good height to the middle/right side for a frosh. Kenzie graduates after this season so Izzy should see more opportunities next year.   76. - [player_tooltip player_id='894716' first='Dina' last='Leigh'] setter (National Cathedral) - National Cathedral was one of the surprise teams in the ISL this year. Dina contributed with her setting, finishing number two on the team in setting. With [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy'] graduating the main setting responsibilities will fall on Dina next year.    She was the defensive specialist for Centerville but her and [player_tooltip player_id='541351' first='Charity' last='Morris'] seemed to smother the back court, digging every ball within their reach. She plays with immense intensity with no fear about hitting the floor to make a dig.   Last year she played for club Libero and I made the comment that it would not surprise me if she became more popular in the club recruiting scene. It appears this year she will play back row for Virginia Juniors, which could be considered a step up in the club pecking order.    79 - [player_tooltip player_id='887067' first='Greta' last='Hausman'] RS (Hickory) - At 6'0" she has nice height for a right side. She ranks second on her team in kills as well as blocks. I only saw a brief ending to a set she played but she showed why she is a big part of their offense even as a frosh. A player to watch for [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] where she is listed as a left side   85 - [player_tooltip player_id='888291' first='Kelsey' last='Routman'] OH (Thomas jefferson) - Kelsey stood out as one of the biggest offensive contributors for Thomas Jefferson. She finished first on her team in kills while playing all six rotations.   86 - Felix He MB (Montgomery Blair) - At 5'8" she is undersized as a middle or right side. As a frosh she still contributed ranking third on the team in blocks. She also broke out a good serve with a half an ace per set the second best on the team.   89. - [player_tooltip player_id='904879' first='Sofia' last='Richards'] MB (Glass) - At 6'0" she stands tall for a middle. While Aubrey Willis accounted for close to 50 percent of the team kills, Sofia still contributed with 74 kills, third on the team.   94 - [player_tooltip player_id='888520' first='Rachel' last='Bauer'] setter (Annandale) - The year before with [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] she hit outside. When she played for Annandale the coach converted her to setter. This year she will again play for [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 15 and will continue her volleyball journey as a setter.   95 - [player_tooltip player_id='895591' first='Aleah' last='Merrbaugh'] ds/libero (North Hagerstown) - With her 5'1" height she is restricted to the libero role. Fortunately, she does it well. While she yields the libero role to [player_tooltip player_id='731631' first='Zalikah' last='Pabalan'] Alexa still manages to contribute on defense as well as serve receive. She will play for the Paramount first team, but again probably taking a back seat to [player_tooltip player_id='747458' first='Angelie' last='Rose Carrasco'] for the libero role.   97 - [player_tooltip player_id='881356' first='Summer' last='Syed'] RS/OH (Briar Woods) - She played right side for a talented Virginia Juniors 14 team. This translated into a role for the most part as a right side for Briar Woods as well.   98 - [player_tooltip player_id='881831' first='Allison' last='Tan'] DS/L (Briar Woods) - She played a solid libero for the Falcons in the match against Riverside. In that match she strung together a number of ace serves towards the end of two different sets that resulted in victories.    Jaycee did not get a lot of playing time for Landstown as a frosh. At 5'7 she was a bit undersized for an outside. In that limited playing time she did finish with 1.4 kills per set. This would rank her fourth on the team.   Ultimately, her focus could be to play the libero position. For travel she will move to play left side where her 5'7" height will not be as challenged. Capturing a couple inches of growth would keep her as a pin hitter.

The high school season has ended. Come January the club season will begin in earnest. Between those two events a number of prospects made their debut appearing in the class of 2029 rankings. As frosh, they made significant contributions to the success of their high school team. A total of 27 new players appeared in the rankings, with at least five of them younger sisters. You have to watch out for those younger sisters. In more cases than not they rise above expectations to become the better player.