Top 50 Uncommitted Players to Watch in Capitol Hill Classic

While everyone's attention will be on Kansas City for the Triple Crown, some very impressive athletes will be battling it out in DC at the Capitol Hill Classic. This includes some very impressive players from Metro, which the Triple Crown would love to see compete in Kansas City. On the bright side they still get a talented participant in Paramount, who will be the one DMV club playing in Kansas City. Watch for big things from Paramount 17 and Taylor Harrington.   At the Capitol Hill Classic from the Class of 2026 and 2027 below are some of the top uncommitted players ranked in our DMV (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) Top 50 who will play in DC. A number of players like UCLA commit [player_tooltip player_id='437441' first='Hunter' last='Ross'], and Virginia commit [player_tooltip player_id='941986' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] will also clash for superiority in DC. Our next post will identify some top players from the class of 2028 and 2029 that can be seen in DC. Focus too much on Kansas City and you will miss out on some very impressive players from that 16 and 15 under class who may next star in the Big Ten.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2026</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/Skyler-Riley.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-732556" style="aspect-ratio:1.501502019107653;width:489px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='716365' first='Skyler' last='Riley']</figcaption></figure>   Metro   A number of Metro players who have committed to top Division I colleges fill the top 20 but most of them have chosen not to play this year. That means this Metro 18 team is filled with uncommitted players looking for an opportunity. It might be a good idea to check them out to see what is available. Two rank in the class of 2026 top 50 while one ranks in the class of 2027.   [player_tooltip player_id='220923' first='Soleil' last='Rancourt'] OH - She won player of the year for the Class 6B Region while also making the first team Class 6 All State. A 6'2" outside who played six rotations for Patriot High School this past season. Soleil jumped up in the rankings from 26 to 19 based on her performance in high school making her now the second highest player in the top 50 yet to commit. She did not get a lot of exposure playing behind the previous pins playing for Metro last year. Those players committed to schools like Baylor, Marquette, Tennessee and Kentucky. However, without them on the roster she should see more playing time. This is her opportunity to shine. Despite all the players they have lost Metro 18 has finished well in the Qualifiers with two seventh place finishes. Short of a bid but making progress.   [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy'] Libero/Setter/Outside - At 5'5" hitting outside is probably not what she will play at Metro, but for her high school she was one of the top hitters for National Cathedral. She also set for them as well. She finished second on the team in kills, second in digs, first in service aces and first in assists. As a result of her accomplishments she made the Independent School League (ISL) first team. For club her focus is mainly at the libero position, but Metro may use her more as a defensive specialist to take advantage of her versatility. She ranks at number 33 in our class of 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='716365' first='Skyler' last='Riley'] outside - Skyler ranks at number 36 in our class of 2027. She replaced Lameen Mambu, who committed to Georgia Tech, but will now play for Purdue, as the primary outside hitter for Chantilly. Skyler stands 5'10" with a good vertical that allows her to approach 10 feet. While she may lack the power and consistency of Mimi she still has another year of development to enhance her game. A six rotation player who improved greatly from her sophomore season to her junior season. Playing a year up for Metro will force her to put a little more discipline in her game.   [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']   [player_tooltip player_id='322106' first='Bailey' last='Loving'] Libero - Some say liberos are a dime a dozen, but if you can find the right one she can be worth six figures. Bailey ranks number 32 in our class of 2026. Definitely stands out as one of my favorite liberos because of her personality on the court and her ability to read when playing defense. She can pancake when tips seem out of reach, but most of the time she finds herself in the right spot to make the dig without hitting the floor. Bailey is the second highest ranked libero in the class of 2026, one spot ahead of [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy']. The highest ranked libero is [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin'] who has committed to James Madison. Bailey can certainly separate herself from many of the other liberos in the mix.   MVSA   [player_tooltip player_id='346818' first='Charlotte' last='Deraleau'] setter - I like her disposition on the court. She seems to communicate well with all her players. At 5'8" she has decent height for a setter. For her high school she appears to have set a 5/1 picking up 490 assists. Her younger sister hits outside for the team. Charlotte ranks at number 39 in our class of 2026, the second highest ranking for a setter yet to commit. Nine other setters ahead of her in the rankings have already committed.   Maryland Juniors   [player_tooltip player_id='238595' first='Sofia' last='Delarosa'] outside - For the past couple years Sofia played a year down for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''], for the most part being used on the right side. For her Bishop McNamara team she played left side leading the team in kills. Sofia ranks at number 42 in our class of 2026. At 6'0" she puts good velocity on the ball with a decent jump to put up a good block on the right side. A competitor when on the court who goes all out to get the win. While she plays six rotations there still is some inconsistency in her passing so hiding her in serve receive would still get you an offensive game in the back row. For her last year she will play for Maryland Juniors.   Heart of Virginia (HOV)   [player_tooltip player_id='229773' first='Evie' last='Ballengee'] middle/right side - For the last couple years she played for Academy Volleyball Club in North Carolina. There were a couple opportunities to compete in Triple Crown when playing for them. This year she decided to avoid the commute and return to her original club HOV. Now, she will show off her skills in D.C. She stands 6'2" with the flexibility to play both middle and right side. She ranks at number 43 in our class of 2026, the highest ranked uncommitted middle that continues to play during her 18 season. For her high school Liberty Christian her middle/right side play got them into the states. She finished first in blocks and third in kills. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round to the eventual state champion.   Virginia Elite   [player_tooltip player_id='443570' first='Lexiana' last='Everetts'] right side/middle - Lexiana ranks at number 47 in our class of 2027. She will play up for Virginia Elite. She started her career in Virginia then moved away to Ohio for a couple years. Upon her return she made the decision to play for Virginia Elite. When she was younger she played middle. Now she plays right side. She stands 6'0" with an approach jump of 9'9". She played for Colonial Forge this past high school season, which just missed qualifying for the state bracket.   [program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave']   [player_tooltip player_id='465315' first='Ana' last='Breckons'] middle - Ana is a 6'0" middle who plays for Grafton. She played middle and right side, finishing second on her team in kills and blocks. Her younger sister started for the team as a frosh finishing third on the team in kills and blocks while hitting outside. Ana made the class 4 state second team. She ranks at number 39 in our class of 2027.   Tidewater/757 Black   [player_tooltip player_id='484751' first='Riley' last='Erwin'] setter - At one point all my top 20 ranked players had committed. [player_tooltip player_id='220923' first='Soleil' last='Rancourt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='484751' first='Riley' last='Erwin'] both had outstanding high school seasons and moved up in the rankings. Riley set for Kellam and got them to the finals of the Class 5 State championship before losing to defending champion Riverside. She made Class 5 first team all state which resulted in a move up in the rankings from number 43 to 13 in our class of 2026. Now, Riley sits as the highest ranked player that has yet to commit. She is a 6'2" setter who also hits the ball very hard from the right side. Perhaps some colleges forgot about her. Time for someone to give her a second look. She dominates on the floor.   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] (Marissa)   While it is still early in the club season [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] surprised many by winning their first two tournaments. They received a bit of a reality check when they finished 23rd out of 24 teams in the Ohio Valley Qualifier this past weekend. Despite that finish they are still sandwiched between Paramount and Metro as the second best regional team so that garners some attention.   Definitely a player to watch on this team is [player_tooltip player_id='475397' first='Amaya' last='Bowles']. She reminds me a lot of Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'] with her athleticism. Only 5'7" but she is virtually unstoppable in the front row. Unlike Laila she continues to hit outside during the club season rather than switch to libero. A college looking for a back row player who can fire missiles from behind the three meter line might want to take a look at her. For Division III schools there also may be other appetizers to look at such as middle [player_tooltip player_id='734897' first='Amara' last='Pope'] (141) and outside [player_tooltip player_id='728441' first='Jaylen' last='Burgess'] (165). Three players have already committed - [player_tooltip player_id='354086' first='Nina' last='Schweigert'] (Brandeis), [player_tooltip player_id='754929' first='Keira' last='McManus'] (Saint Benedict) and [player_tooltip player_id='535101' first='Kamora' last='Mack'] (Ithaca). Not a lot of Division I prospects but certainly some Division III hopefuls.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2027</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/Olivia-Garey.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-589325" style="aspect-ratio:1.501502019107653;width:601px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='469197' first='Olivia' last='Garey']</figcaption></figure>   Metro   If there is one team to watch for Prospects it is Metro. They probably have the best setting duo in this age group with DC Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum'] (8) and [player_tooltip player_id='478903' first='Barrett' last='Bolter'] (23). [player_tooltip player_id='469197' first='Olivia' last='Garey'] (21), [player_tooltip player_id='437985' first='Zora' last='Dimbo'] (34) and [player_tooltip player_id='437988' first='Sasha' last='Plummer'] (49) play the pins. [player_tooltip player_id='438077' first='Averi' last='Hanna'] (33) is a 6'3" middle with great arm extension. The scary thing is not all of these players are starters, but they all fall in the top 50 of the DMV rankings. [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum'] carries the highest rank of these players at number 8.   Virginia Juniors   They are probably the third most talented club among the class of 2027 in the DMV. This is one team who would be very competitive if playing in Kansas City. Four players rank in the top 50 however they have yet to commit. [player_tooltip player_id='290176' first='Kieran' last='Rhoton'] (12) and [player_tooltip player_id='529439' first='Jasmine' last='McBorrough'] (47) are two hard hitting right sides who can mash the ball as hard as anyone. Kieran actually played for Metro last year. [player_tooltip player_id='438068' first='Ayla' last='Sayd'] (15) is a 6'0" outside who seems to have added some muscle to her game. She should definitely exist on someone's watch list. Finally, you have the 6'2" [player_tooltip player_id='530367' first='Ava' last='Gill'] (50) who plays middle. Those are a fearsome foursome to add to the Virginia commits [player_tooltip player_id='941986' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] and setter [player_tooltip player_id='206729' first='Megan' last='Phan'] who has committed to Brown.   MVSA Blaze   Last year they played in a number of qualifiers and earned three bids. This is another talented class of 2027 team with more than one uncommitted player worthy of a look.   [player_tooltip player_id='491007' first='Ana' last='Djordjevic'] libero - She ranks at number 19 in our class of 2027. Only two other DS/Liberos rank higher than her and both have committed. One of those liberos even won the Gatorade Player of the Year for Virginia as a Junior. Ana's older sister Ema also won Gatorade player of the year last year. However, Ana has won two Maryland state championships with Richard Montgomery. Probably her biggest attribute is her ability to get along with her teammates and create a good chemistry while on the court. This usually is a good recipe for winning. Ana has the makings of being a good team leader. Those kind of players are difficult to find.   [player_tooltip player_id='465322' first='Siyena' last='Fitsum'] right side - Last year she played middle. This year it appears she has moved to right side. Her 6'3" height will certainly neutralize some of the better left side hitters. Siyena ranks at number 26 in the class of 2027. This past season her high school Churchill upset Richard Montgomery in the state play offs to advance to the semifinals only to lose to the eventual state champion Broadneck. In the five set match against Richard Montgomery Siyena led both teams with five blocks while also finishing with 9 kills. Overall, for the Bulldogs she finished second on the team in kills and second in blocks. Moving to the right side could enhance her offensive game.   [player_tooltip player_id='438097' first='Haile' last='Ma'] left side - Haile ranks number 27 in our class of 2026. She lists at 5'11" but delivers excellent velocity on her kills. She is the top offensive player for Wooten, which lost to Arundel in the quarter finals of the Maryland Class 3 state playoffs. Last year was her first year with MVSA after playing for Maryland Juniors the previous year. Her ability to generate offense from the left side certainly helped MVSA earn three separate bids from Qualifiers.   757 Black (Tidewater)   [player_tooltip player_id='545710' first='Avery' last='Osler'] left side - Avery is a 6'0" left side with an approach jump of 9'5" who ranks at number 28 in the class of 2027. She hit at a .317 percentage, second best on the team and her 1.5 kills per set were third best on the team. Her ability to play six rotations is enhanced by her competing in beach tournaments. Last year at Capitol Hill Classic she was awarded best attacker with her team finishing in third place. It seems every time I watch her play her game improves a notch.   [player_tooltip player_id='618590' first='Lyla' last='Shannon'] middle/Right Side - Lyla ranks at number 31 in our class of 2027. She plays for Ocean Lakes, which beat Frank Cox in the Regionals last year. Ocean Lakes lost in the semi-finals of the Class 5 Virginia State championship to eventual champion Riverside. Lyla earned a spot on the Class 5 first team All State. She stands 6'2' with an approach jump of 9'11". Recently, at our Prep Dig Exposure tour in Richmond she won a top performer award. A fun player to watch dominate at the middle, hitting slides, shoots and quick tempo sets. She plays just about everywhere along the net, which makes her difficult to block.   Virginia Elite   A number of talented players on this team. Their whole roster carries a ranked player with four appearing in the top 50. [player_tooltip player_id='488812' first='Olivia' last='Boggs'] (32) is the highest ranked at 32. The 6'1" middle is almost automatic with her kills in the middle with great arm extension to create panic in the back row trying to defend against her hits. She also brings a promising serve that with a little more consistency finding the court could bring a lot of aces. She earned a spot on the first team in the WCAC. [player_tooltip player_id='720348' first='Milena' last='Kibret'] (37) is a 6'3" middle who is improving as she gains repetitions. Her blocking is strong and her offense keeps improving. She earned a spot on the Class 6 second team All State.   [player_tooltip player_id='437448' first='Eva' last='Collingham'] (38) is a strong 6'0" left side hitter who came into her own last year for South Lakes. She led her team in kills as well as serving aces while playing all six rotations. That earned her a slot on the Concord Conference first team. [player_tooltip player_id='359401' first='Chloe' last='Barth'] (42) stands only 5'9". Until last year teams had relegated her to back row play where she was used as an attacker. Madison high school used her this past season on the right side where she finished second on the team in kills. Only Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'] had more kills than Chloe. Madison lost in the semi-finals of the Class 6 state championship with Chloe earning second team All state honors and first team honors for the Concord Conference.   MOJO   [player_tooltip player_id='699993' first='Ava' last='Zender'] setter - This past high school season Ava set a 5/1 leading Flint Hill to the VISAA state championship. She earned a spot on the VISAA state second team. In the past she has always played a year down sharing setting duties with a couple other setters. This year she plays her age and the setting opportunities will be more frequent. Ava ranks at number 48 in our top 50, settling in as the number eight ranked setter in the class.

While everyone's attention will be on Kansas City for the Triple Crown, some very impressive athletes will be battling it out in DC at the Capitol Hill Classic. This includes some very impressive players from Metro, which the Triple Crown would love to see compete in Kansas City. On the bright side they still get a talented participant in Paramount, who will be the one DMV club playing in Kansas City. Watch for big things from Paramount 17 and Taylor Harrington.