Shamrock Standouts and a Metro Open Bid Sweep

There were some players who performed exceptionally well at the Shamrock Showdown that they deserve their own evaluation for their performance. In addition, Metro won Open bids in the 14 (Mideast) and 18 (Northeast) age group giving them Open bids in the 14-18 age category. It is the second time they have accomplished that feat in their club history.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shamrock Showdown Standouts</h2>    I was watching Virginia Elite do battle with [program_tooltip program_id='893362' first='Capital' last='Volleyball Club']. Virginia Elite eventually won in three winning the third set 15-9. That # 12 CVBC certainly impressed me with her libero play. She was all over the place making plays on defense.   Go back to write the article and learn that # 12 was none other than [player_tooltip player_id='893067' first='Clara' last='Hays'] the Paul VI libero who was a key player for the Panthers winning the WCAC and finishing second in the VISAA. Initially, I thought she focused on beach because I could not find a club foot print on her. Not the case.   CVBC is not one of the major indoor clubs in the Chesapeake Region. They also have a beach program. Clara has the skills to play libero for the top clubs in the area, if she chose to do so. She led the Panthers in digs while acting as a rock on serve receive. One of the reasons Paul VI went from mediocre to top of the class.     Zoey is one of many athletic players on the 540 Club Academy 14 team. She plays middle and brings a good jump to her blocks. She reaches so high that she can get her hands over the net. Imagine the possibilities as she gets older That ability makes me think she is greater than her listed 5'5" height.   She even has the skill to run to the right side to hit the slide. Not a lot to brag about yet with her hitting. She is still young and working on her transition and timing. It would not surprise to see her eventually hit outside if there is little growth.   Next year Zoey has the intention of playing for Mountain View     MOCO brought a talented 15 team to the Shamrock Showdown, finishing in second place. The captain of the court who seems to stay calm even among the chaos is their setter.   She has good hands for setting, has the athleticism to jump set on a tight set and avoid the net while also bringing a good serve with velocity and a downward trajectory when it crosses the net. A lot to like about her game other than her setting.   On the court she carries a maturity beyond her 15 years. She set a 5/1 as well as a 6/2 in the match I watched, coming out of the game in the front row when setting a 6/2.   Zenia goes to Wootton high school, which fields a good volleyball program but does a poor job of providing roster information. MOCO finished second in the 15 Open for Shamrock Showdown.     At 5'8" Maya is not a tall girl for an outside. However she has an incredible jump that puts her high over the net. Whether she hits the ball cross court or down the line the ball seems to hit the floor without being touched by the blockers or defenders. As she rises to higher levels that ease with which she terminates balls will not come as easy without additional growth. Currently she reaches 9'7" with her approach jump.   She was identified as a player who shined at Volley by the James and now for the Shamrock Showdown. That shows a consistency in play. She also is a six rotation player who provides offense by attacking from the back row. There is a lot to like about her game.   Virginia Elite finished third in the Shamrock Showdown.     At Volley by the James she stood out for her left side play but was only in for three rotations. At Shamrock Showdown she played middle dominating the court. She flies in the air so 5'8" at this age with her jump is not an issue. It shows her versatility. And when you see her hands cross far over the net to block that is all she needs for playing middle.   [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] won the 15U Shamrock Showdown. A coach who played against her was in awe of how terminal she was with her hits. With a little more growth she could become a premium player. Even with no growth she will be a player to watch.     Isabelle set a 5/1 in the set I watched. Her defensive play was stellar. There are also a number of weapons on this 540 team that she can set, giving her lots of choices. Since they won the tournament she seemed to make a lot of right choices   Isabelle set for Fredericksburg. In the Division II VISAA finals they almost took StoneBridge to their sole defeat of the year, taking them to five. She also impressed at the Volley by the James.   For her high school she finished second on the team in assists, third in kills and third in digs. She can do it all.     There is a StoneBridge team in Southern Virginia that finished 38-0. There is also a Stone Bridge team in Northern Virginia that finished 0-13. Hard to believe that Adelena played for the latter. She is one of four frosh that made the Bulldog roster last year so perhaps there is hope for the future.   She set a 5/1 for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony in the set I watched getting them to a third place finish in a competitive 15 Open. One of those players on our watch list that has panned out well.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Metro 14 and 18 Win Open Bids</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/DSC04208cover_websize.jpg?w=682" alt="" class="wp-image-949249" style="width:353px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Kojo Assasie [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy']</figcaption></figure>   This actually deserves its own separate article but with the Chesapeake Regional Bid coming this Saturday and rankings coming out after the Regional there is a lot on the plate. However, it was too big an accomplishment to be ignored. Not a lot of clubs can have every team in the 14-18 age group qualify for Open. For Metro, this was only the second time they have accomplished this feat.   The 14 team earned a bid in the Mideast Qualifier by finishing in second place. Prior to that they had just fallen short of earning a bid in the Boston Qualifier finishing in fourth place. The top three teams earned bids in that tournament. In the Midwest Qualifier they left no doubt by winning their first nine matches, four of the last five going three sets. They finally lost to Legacy Addidas in the finals, but by then they had already secured an Open bid.   A lot of talent on this team with a healthy mixture of 2029s and 2030s. [player_tooltip player_id='753097' first='Nadia' last='Wooten'] has a good shot of being the top prospect in the 2030 field. She won the MVP for Capitol Hill Classic. This will be a fun team to watch develop as they progress into Junior Nationals.   The 18 team had played in a number of qualifiers making it to the gold bracket at least four times. In all hose tournaments they fell just short of earning a bid. At the Northeast Qualifier they finished in 5th place, normally a spot that would again be just short of earning a bid. However, because the top four teams had already earned open bids the first trickle down for Open went to Metro,   This is a completely revised team from the one that finished third last year in the 17 Open Junior Nationals. Two of the three setters ([player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='325600' first='Taryn' last='Su']) have returned while the middles ([player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek'], [player_tooltip player_id='321676' first='Gabrielle' last='Wigglesworth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='321679' first='Simone' last='Assasie']) are also back. Their back row defense and outsides have been greatly revised with [player_tooltip player_id='238358' first='Evie' last='Huang'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493358' first='Kennedy' last='Cummins'] taking over the libero role from [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick']. Laila is now suiting up in the libero jersey again for a new Metro 17 team, playing her grade instead of playing up. A class of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='716365' first='Skyler' last='Riley'] is their big offensive hitter from the left side.   As a result of that Open bid some changes happened in the Chesapeake Region. Virginia Juniors appears to be stepping up to National while either Virginia Elite or Columbia Black will take their American spot. This allows Metro North to step into a Freedom bid as a result of the other bump ups. Another feather in the Metro cap.   The Metro 17 team had another strong tournament in the Northeast Qualifier. They finished in fifth place, which would have earned them a bid in the Open a second time if you take into account a couple trickle downs. I don't know if I would call that winning a second bid.

There were some players who performed exceptionally well at the Shamrock Showdown that they deserve their own evaluation for their performance. In addition, Metro won Open bids in the 14 (Mideast) and 18 (Northeast) age group giving them Open bids in the 14-18 age category. It is the second time they have accomplished that feat in their club history.