DMV Players Invited to the Under Armor Camp in Louisville

As a player you have to find ways to generate exposure if you want a college coach to notice you. That includes creating an online presence, playing in competitive tournaments while also competing well as a team in those tournaments. Also, identifying colleges you might have an interest in and appearing at any college camps they may offer. Showcases are another way to attract interest. The Louisville UnderArmor Next Camp is one of those showcases.   It is an invite only camp. Athletes have to be nominated for the camp. This nomination would be done by a coach, whether it be high school or club. Once nominated you complete a questionnaire and submit that along with video of your play. If an invite arrives they provide you with a list of camps to attend. There exists no cost for attendance other than your own travel cost. Additionally, the players are outfitted with lots of Under Armor swag (if that is still a relevant word).   The six Under Armor camps for this year are Kansas City (during the Triple Crown weekend), Louisville (this weekend for the Bluegrass Festival), Indianapolis (March 18th), Houston (April 2), Los Angeles (May 22) and Orlando (June 28). At the camp they will select the players to compete in the All America Under Armor game. [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] (2025) and Kiylah Presley (2024) were our local representatives the last two years.   In our class of 2026, 87 of our 215 ranked players have committed to a college. That calculates to a little over a 40 percent commitment rate, perhaps underrepresented since I don't learn about all the commitments. Many of those players who have committed bring a high level of on line visibility that allows the college coaches to find them. Below are four players performing at the UA Next Camp this week for the opportunity to perhaps be seen by some of those college coaches. If they are talented enough maybe this year they will compete in the Next UA All America Game.    Charlotte participated in the Prep Dig showcase at the Junior Nationals in Dallas last year. She received praise for her great angles when passing. Her calm presence when under pressure as well as her smooth movement along the court impressed the scouts who watched her.   She was part of a Maryland Juniors 14 super team that qualified for Open at the last Junior Nationals. Three of those players left to compete on a superstar Metro 15 team this year. This group earned an Open bid in their first Qualifier they played in, defeating two teams that finished second and third in Triple Crown to win the event.   Charlotte made a decision to stay with the Maryland Juniors team. This gave her more opportunity for playing time, especially in the libero role. She impressed at a recent Volley by the James tournament showing off her range when covering the court. While making the roster of a super team is nice, if the playing time does not exist it becomes harder for college coaches to notice you.   Charlotte has chosen her own both and finding success along the way.       [player_tooltip player_id='750047' first='Caroline' last='Conroy'] has improved her game immensely from last year. The 6'3" middle hits the ball harder and moves quicker with her blocking assignments than she did last year. Her approach jump reaches 10 feet and her timing for the quicks is very consistent.   This past summer she received an invite to her first National Team Player Development (NTPD) camp to work with others representing the United States junior national team. Getting that kind of coaching in and of itself can help in the development of her game.   Caroline plays middle for this Metro 15 travel super team mentioned above. They recently won their first Qualifier, the Sunshine Classic, defeating two clubs who finished second and third in the Triple Crown to win the event. Her middle offensive presence is a key factor in allowing the pin hitters to power down with only one block to stop them. If they ignore Caroline in the middle, she makes them pay a stiffer price.     She plays right side. Her left handed swing stands out as a reason for that. While her 5'9" height is undersized for a right side the ability to approach jump a little over the 10 foot mark makes up for that.   Only recently did she find her name in our rankings. When those rankings came out her listed height showed at 5'7". Two inches of growth to 5'9" has occurred since then. A couple more inches of growth would make her a legit right side for Division I school standards.   She plays for Northern, who lost early to Reservoir in their Maryland Class 3 playoff run. A switch from South River Volleyball Club (SRVC) to Maryland Juniors could put more eyes on her.   She reminds me a lot of the 5'10" [player_tooltip player_id='325601' first='Sydnee' last='Peters'], who recently committed to Loyola Maryland. Sydnee is left handed with an approach jump of 10'1".     One of the top liberos in the D.C./Maryland area. Her passing and defensive play led Maryvale to an IAAM crown in 2024. This past year they finished second to a very stacked Annapolis Area Christian team.   Victoria has already committed to Bridgewater. Interesting that six of the top eight liberos in the class of 2027 have committed. Perhaps colleges are recognizing the importance a talented libero creates to a good offense   If you go back to the 2022 Capitol Hill Classic award winners Victoria won the best receiver award. [player_tooltip player_id='491007' first='Ana' last='Djordjevic'] won best server while [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] best digger as well as MVP. [player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington'] won best blocker and [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum'] best setter. That is a pretty impressive group, especially when you look at what they have accomplished in the four years since.

As a player you have to find ways to generate exposure if you want a college coach to notice you. That includes creating an online presence, playing in competitive tournaments while also competing well as a team in those tournaments. Also, identifying colleges you might have an interest in and appearing at any college camps they may offer. Showcases are another way to attract interest. The Louisville UnderArmor Next Camp is one of those showcases.