Sunshine Classic - Class of 2028 DMV Players to Watch

The first Qualifiers for the age groups 14-17 will begin this weekend. One will be in Boston while Orlando will host the second qualifier. Thought I would start with Orlando (Sunshine Qualifier) by naming one D.C./Maryland/Virginia player to watch from each club participating that has a player ranked in the class of 2028. When watching this player perhaps others will stand out on the team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open</h2>   Metro Travel   [player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] left side - The top prospect in the class of 2028 has already won a plethora of MVP awards. Last year she won the MVP at Junior Nationals in the National Division for leading Metro to a first place finish. More recently she won the MVP for D.C. Capitol Hill Classic. She also is being looked at by the United Stats National team with an NTDP invite. A clear Power four college standout who plays six rotations and can blister opponents with a vicious top spin serve.   Sleeper Picks - Pin [player_tooltip player_id='550688' first='Sienna' last='Mitchell'] or right side [player_tooltip player_id='536721' first='Ana' last='Woods']. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='612396' first='Natalie' last='Hobson'] will also impress. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'] as well as outside [player_tooltip player_id='787533' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha'] are future stars in the making. This team is loaded with talent.   Virginia Juniors    At 6'4" she has some impressive height to cover the middle. She recently led Flint Hill to the VISAA state championship, leading the team in hitting percentage and blocking.   This year she got her first invite to NTDP. Because of an early season injury this will be her first tournament this club season so she may be a little rusty. She can cover a lot of ground blocking. Her competitive volleyball career only recently began last year when she transferred to Flint Hill from Arhbishop Carroll. She also played for Virginia Juniors. As she gains more experience at the elite level her game will improve.      Sleeper Picks - Libero [player_tooltip player_id='725456' first='Audrey' last='Busch'] or left side [player_tooltip player_id='768529' first='Tess' last='Mahon']. The two setters [player_tooltip player_id='536724' first='Ariel' last='Callwood'] and [player_tooltip player_id='562335' first='Zeynep' last='Anaz'] are the highest ranked players on the team at 16 and 21.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">USA</h2>   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']    Good middles can be difficult to find but Alexis easily brings the tools needed to play the position. She dominates the game with her reach, giving her the ability to tip over blocks to find the open areas of the court. She can also put some pop on the ball when the timing is right.   In high school she played for the West Virginia school Spring Mills. Like Mandella, she led her team in hitting percentage and blocks. She also finished third in kills.   Alexis older sister also played for Spring Mills and [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] to pave a path for Alexis to follow.    Sleeper Picks - left sides [player_tooltip player_id='536738' first='Avery' last='Fauver'] and [player_tooltip player_id='830996' first='Catherine' last='Warren']   [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] Black   [player_tooltip player_id='617089' first='India' last='Starr'] right side - India started her career as a middle because of her height. She now appears to play right side for her high school Cox as well as East Coast. With her height sprouting to 6'4" she is an ideal player to track. She ranks at number 9 in our class of 2028. For her high school she finished second on her team in blocks. Her offensive game still needs some development but that should come with repetition and experience. Last year was her first year to play right side.   Sleeper Picks - middle [player_tooltip player_id='617109' first='Margaret' last='Manzer'] and outside [player_tooltip player_id='746323' first='Isabella' last='Decker'].   Libero Huskies    It appears the focus is on height with these recruits. At 6'0" Katelyn brings plenty of that to the setter position. Last year she set for Bullis in a down year after they won the ISL championship the previous year. She was one of the few returning players from that team. They went from first to last in the ISL.   Katelyn has played for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''], but the last two years she has set for Libero. One of the rare players who has won two top performer awards from our Prep Dig showcases.   For the Libero Huskies she runs a 6/2 and stays in the front row to block and hit.    Sleeper picks - middle [player_tooltip player_id='934826' first='Victoria' last='Liakos'] and left side [player_tooltip player_id='754951' first='Milica' last='Marden']. Milica is actually a 2029.   Metro National    She lists herself as setter but until this year she played right side. At 6'0" she can certainly provide some offense from the right side. I saw a little bit of her setting at a Prep Dig showcase. It will be interesting to see how that jorney progresses.   Next year Langley will lose [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] so the setting position will open up. She currently ranks number 54 in our class of 2028, but that was as a right side. If the setting works out that ranking should rise. Volleyball is still relatively new to her. Her initial sport was softball where she played shortstop.   The athleticism shows when you watch her play volleyball.    Sleeper picks - middle [player_tooltip player_id='545725' first='Abisola' last='Adeyemo'] and libero [player_tooltip player_id='731631' first='Zalikah' last='Pabalan'].   Virginia Elite    Iris earned the starting setter job for Thomas Jefferson as a frosh setting a 5/1. She continues that as a sophomore. In addition to leading the team in assists she also leads the team in aces. For Virginia Elite she normally sets a 6'2". Her 5'7" height in the front row is a bit undersized.   The previous season she had set for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] second team. After watching her I came away impressed with her defense for the position. She stands her ground well and can pop up some of the hardest hits.    Sleeper picks - left side [player_tooltip player_id='587036' first='Olivia' last='Black'] and libero/defensive specialist/setter [player_tooltip player_id='521323' first='Ilana' last='Collingham']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Liberty</h2>   [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']    Sometimes a player has been under your nose for a long time and you just have not noticed her. That is the case with Maggie. I saw her set briefly at the Exposure tour in Richmond and came away impressed. I made it a point to watch her at Volley by the James. She certainly impressed as a setter.   Maggie set a 6/2 but showed good hands to move the ball around, especially when timing the quick tempo sets. She even showed off a one handed push set to the outside on a tight pass. She sets for Massaponax which had a strong year last season.   An example of a player who attended one or two Prep Dig showcases before I could get a feel for her skill level. Or perhaps she just got better when I saw her at the Prep Dig Exposure showcase a second or third time.    Sleeper Picks - middle [player_tooltip player_id='937250' first='Joy' last='Fawole'] and libero [player_tooltip player_id='664973' first='Annalese' last='James'].   American Red    Sometimes it is difficult to separate liberos from the pack. Lily did stand out in our Prep Dig showcase in December of 2024. She showed a scrappiness on defense and the ability to finesse a short serve for aces.   She plays at Forest Park as a sophomore where she receives significant playing time. Based on her performance at the showcase she ranks at 127 in our class of 2028. I have not seen a lot of her play since then.   Got to put American Red 16 on my calendar.    Sleeper Picks - libero/DS [player_tooltip player_id='587034' first='Mackenzie' last='Gregory']   Liberty Elite   [player_tooltip player_id='889251' first='Mia' last='Johnson'] setter - This was her first year setting for North Hagerstown. At 5'9" she played right side when she was not setting. She was able to hit at a .255 hitting percentage. In the end North Hagerstown lost to an extremely strong Howard team in the finals of the Maryland Class 3 state championship. Mia set well enough in her debut this year to earn a 110 ranking.   Sleeper Picks - outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='612405' first='Sloan' last='Dunn'] and middle [player_tooltip player_id='764676' first='Isabella' last='Spinelli'].   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">American Blue</h2>   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Reggie   [player_tooltip player_id='755857' first='Caitlin' last='Sallee'] right side - At 5'7" she is a bit undersized for a right side. She debuted in our rankings at 169 when she showed good defense in the back row and put away a couple shots from the right side at a tournament I watched . What was even more impressive was the enthusiasm she showed on the court. Might be a long term player to watch. She finished third on Broad Run in kills.   Not familiar with any other player to identify a sleeper pick.

The first Qualifiers for the age groups 14-17 will begin this weekend. One will be in Boston while Orlando will host the second qualifier. Thought I would start with Orlando (Sunshine Qualifier) by naming one D.C./Maryland/Virginia player to watch from each club participating that has a player ranked in the class of 2028. When watching this player perhaps others will stand out on the team.