Metro Travel Sweeps Through First Opens

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Historically, Metro usually plays in the first Open tournament held by Maryland Juniors. The Chesapeake Region requires clubs to play in at least two open tournaments to qualify for the Chesapeake Regional Bid. The Capitol Hill Classic is also considered an Open tournament which is hosted by Metro. Now that they have one tournament under their belt teams can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the remaining Opens will probably not include Metro.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They swept all the age Divisions in the 14-18 Open with the 14 age group hosted by [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']. Below are the summary of the results. Most of my time was spent watching the 15 and 16 Opens. A second post will name some of the players who stood out in the Maryland Junior Open tournaments held over the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryland Junior 16 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":787823,"width":"350px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.7500151800352177","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/IMG_4214-rotated.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-787823" style="aspect-ratio:0.7500151800352177;width:350px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'], [player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='787533' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha'] at Junior Nationals after 1st place finish</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one surprise from this age group is Metro National failed to earn a spot in the gold bracket. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] swept them pretty convincingly 25-14 and 25-20 while Liberty Elite also swept them. St. James almost split with them, losing the second set 27-25. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] swept Liberty Elite 25-22, 25-18 to finish 3-0 in the pool while Liberty Elite advanced to the gold as the second place team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second pool was only a three team pool. These three teams played three full sets. Metro swept both American and the Libero Huskies to advance as the first place team. The Libero Huskies squeezed past American in the first two sets 25-23, 28-26 to advance as the second place team. American finally beat Libero in the third set 25-22 but they were still relegated to silver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first playoff match [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] and Libero split the first two sets, [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] taking the first 25-21 while Libero took the second 25-20. The 6'2" <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536736' first='Alexis' last='Stephens']</strong> dominated the third set with three kills, two tips over the block and another pounded to the floor. She also contributed two blocks to put [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] up 11-7. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] cruised after that for a 15-9 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro Travel blew past Liberty Elite in the first set 25-17 but Liberty Elite battled in the second set. An <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536721' first='Ana' last='Woods']</strong> kill gave Metro a 24-23 lead while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] </strong>finished the match with a kill of her own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Metro took charge in the first set jumping out to a 19-9 lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'] </strong>served well and Mitchell and Woods continued their barrage. A <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='787533' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha']</strong> deposit to the floor made it 24-14 with [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] tacking on four points at the end to make it appear closer than the score would indicate. Chika finished it off for the 25-18 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] played the second set much closer. An <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536736' first='Alexis' last='Stephens']</strong> block pulled [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] to within two 21-19. Metro went on a four point run after that, courtesy of two [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] hitting errors, another <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko']</strong> ace and a Chika kill to end the match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryland Junior 15 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":781835,"width":"350px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.9394102785309342","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/5-Neely-Olish.jpg?w=962" alt="" class="wp-image-781835" style="aspect-ratio:0.9394102785309342;width:350px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='766895' first='Neely' last='Olish']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This tournament was played on Sunday. The first pool turned into a three way battle. Metro National dominated [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] in the opener 25-22, 25-15. Coming off that sweep BAVA caught them a bit flat footed. With [player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton'] on the other side of the net now playing for Metro National, BAVA went with the 6'1" <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='766895' first='Neely' last='Olish']</strong> to run the 5/1 offense. She won a top performer award at our frosh showcase held last summer, but she was a hitter at the time. Neely used [player_tooltip player_id='902360' first='A'vielle' last='Lewis'], another top performer on the left side to fuel the offense. BAVA shocked Metro with a 25-19 win in the opening set. Metro recovered to capture the second set 25-15, giving them the tie breaking head to head overall point advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>BAVA and [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] then battled for that second place position. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] won the first 25-19. In order for BAVA to advance to the gold bracket BAVA needed to win the second set to gain the split. They fell just short 26-24. A serving error gave [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] serve and two aces followed by a block gave [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] the sweep 26-24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro Travel bulldozed through their competition, not allowing any team to reach 20 points. St. James Navy played some scrappy ball and touched 18 points against them, as did American. American split with Liberty Elite 25-15, 20-25 but won on the tie breaker by scoring more points against Liberty Elite. Both teams swept St. James Navy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the gold playoffs Metro National easily disposed of American 25-13 25-18. Metro Travel found their match a little more difficult trailing [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] early in the first set. Down 20-21 Metro Travel rallied for five points to finish it off 25-21 on a quick tempo back set from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria']</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong> that ended the first set 25-21. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong> had a critical block to give them a 22-21 lead then on her third kill attempt of the rally found success to put the ball away for a 23-21 lead. The second set Metro Travel stormed ahead 18-7 and easily disposed of [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 25-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That set up a match between Metro National and Metro Travel. Metro Travel picked up three players from the Maryland Juniors 14 team, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='753073' first='Aniston' last='Williams']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong>. The Nationals picked up a few more players from the Maryland Juniors 14 team including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='896390' first='Harper' last='Walker']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='753070' first='Avery' last='Lettinga']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748492' first='Paetyn' last='Brown']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='749642' first='Sophia' last='Groshek']</strong>, as well as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762829' first='Angela' last='Zhang']</strong> from MVSA, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton']</strong> from BAVA and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762826' first='Avery' last='Nierenberg']</strong> from Virginia Elite. Brie was sidelined for this tournament because of injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the sets were close Metro Travel got too much out of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong>, as well as mainstays <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750056' first='Kiera' last='Jordan']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750047' first='Caroline' last='Conroy']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750050' first='Raquel' last='Telly']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762240' first='Timea' last='Ioana Vladoianu']</strong> to take the match 25-19 and 25-18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryland Juniors 17 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":906004,"width":"486px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/11/Bolter-with-the-set.jpg?w=945" alt="" class="wp-image-906004" style="width:486px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro travel cruised through their pool winning all three sets. In their last match, after defeating [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] in the first set 25-18 they battled in the second set to win 27-25. However, once Metro got past 18 points they had already won the tie breaker over [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] also swept their first two matches against Annapolis and BAVA to advance to the gold as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro National split with Liberty Elite in their opener, losing the second set 25-23. They were able to sweep past Maryland Jrs and American to win their pool. They just squeezed past Maryland Juniors in the second set 25-23. Because Liberty Elite was able to sweep American while Maryland Juniors split with American the Liberty Elite split with Maryland Juniors advanced Liberty Elite to the gold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro Travel easily disposed of Liberty Elite in the playoffs 25-11, 25-11. Metro National trounced [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] in their opener 25-14 but then were able to squeak past [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] in the second set 26-24. Travel then did a deja vu defeating National by the same 25-11 scores that took care of Liberty Elite. This team looks pretty powerful with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray']</strong> on the outside and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='437441' first='Hunter' last='Ross'] </strong>in the middle, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter']</strong> setting up the offense. Last year they finished second in the Junior Nationals National division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryland Juniors 18 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Metro came with vastly revised rosters because of the early departures of a number of college committed players choosing to pass on another year of club. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] was also playing without [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin']. While [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] swept past their three opponents they still had trouble with [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'], winning 28-26 and 25-23 in their last pool match. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] was able to advance to the gold by virtue of their sweep over Maryland Juniors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a three team pool Metro was able to sweep both Liberty Elite and Academy. Liberty Elite swept past Academy to advance to the gold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro had a pretty easy time disposing of [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 25-13, 25-10. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] easily beat Liberty Elite in the first set 25-13 then battled in the second set to win 27-25. That brought the first [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] versus Metro duel of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Metro won the first set 25-19. A kill by [player_tooltip player_id='702631' first='McKenna' last='Brown'] in the second set gave [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] a 22-17 lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek']</strong> was brought in about this time to block middle in an attempt to turn the tide for Metro. It worked.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She produced a big block to cut the Paramount lead by two points 20-22. A hitting error by [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] pulled Metro to within one. An ace by [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] tied the score at 22-22. Another hitting error by [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] put Metro up by one but Metro followed with a hitting error to leave the score knotted at 23-23. A gutsy quick tempo set by [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek']</strong> gave Metro a 24-23 lead. It appeared [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] scored a point to tie the score but [player_tooltip player_id='493358' first='Kennedy' last='Cummins'] made a tremendous save with a desperation platform pass over the net. [player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek'] then rejected an attempted [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] spike to give Metro the sweep with a 25-23 second set win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 14 Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This event was held at [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']. In pool play the one challenge Metro 14s encountered was in the second set against [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']. They had already won the first set 25-16 so once they surged past 16 points in the second set they had won their pool. Ultimately, they also won the second set 28-26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 14 also swept their pool, not allowing any team to reach 20 pints in their 6-0 run. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] and Liberty Elite took second in their respective pools to advance to the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] surprised [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] in the semi-finals, beating them 25-20, 25-23. Metro ransacked Liberty Elite by identical 25-10 scores. Metro then took care of [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] 25-20, 25-17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] 16 Wins Virginia Beach Brawl</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":790404,"width":"354px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.9208470322056068","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/50-Margaret-Manzer.jpg?w=942" alt="" class="wp-image-790404" style="aspect-ratio:0.9208470322056068;width:354px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='617109' first='Margaret' last='Manzer']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In one of the first multi day tournaments for Virginia [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] won the Virginia Beach Brawl, finishing 7-0. They did not lose a set. They defeated Albermarle Regional Volleyball Cub (ARVC) in the finals 25-20, 25-14. In their seven matches Albermarle was the first team to score 20 points against them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Coast has a number of ranked players from the class of 2028. The highest at number 9 belongs to the 6'2" right side<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='617089' first='India' last='Starr']</strong>. She is joined by middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='617109' first='Margaret' last='Manzer']</strong>, outside hitters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746323' first='Isabella' last='Decker']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='894199' first='Alyssa' last='Ellerbe']</strong>, setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746327' first='August' last='Bridges'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887089' first='Kyla' last='Goode']</strong> as well as libero/ds <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='617112' first='Ava' last='Davis']</strong>. Definitely a team to watch if looking for talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another team rich in talent, [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] finished in third place. They lost to ARVC in the semifinals. After defeating ARVC 25-6 in the second set, they lost in the third set 15-11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] is also filled with talent in our class of 2028 highlighted by number 12 ranked outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536717' first='London' last='Jones']</strong> as well as our MVP in the Exposure tour <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='768375' first='Alexis' last='VerMeer']</strong>. The also have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464573' first='Blake' last='Crawford']</strong>, a bit undersized at 5'8" but ranked at number 16 in our class of 2027 based on the power she packs in her swings. They are another club that bears watching. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->