Some Surprise Winners at Shamrock Showdown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you had asked me to predict the winners for the Shamrock Showdown in each age group there would have been a lot of misses. One commonality that stood out is [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] made the finals in every Open age group 14-18. Only the 15 U team won their final. Another surprise is how well [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange did in the tournament as well as the quality of players on their teams. For a "second" team you can put them up with Metro and [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] for having strong second teams. The 14 team won their final. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest surprise was Virginia Elite 16 winning their age group. They beat a very talented 540 team to win their championship. Finally, after losing the last two years to [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Blue and American Red in the finals River City Volleyball Academy 18 finally got their championship, defeating [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">17/18 Mixed - River City Finally Wins Their Shamrock Championship</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>River City Volleyball Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday River City went undefeated, sweeping all their opponents. They did battle with Braddock Road in their first set of their third match beating them 27-25. The second set they rolled 25-10. In the first round of the gold bracket they played Southern Maryland easily disposing of them 25-8, 25-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Victory earned a bye after upsetting second seeded [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Allorie in three 25-21, 15-25 15-11. River City with their veteran outsides <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='519343' first='Dylan' last='Cline']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710426' first='Emerson' last='Combs'] </strong>had no trouble thrashing Victory 25-9, 25-10. That brought them to their final against [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>540 stayed in control in the first set defeating River City 25-18. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483591' first='Willa' last='Voto']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='537906' first='Jalyn' last='Barnes']</strong> provided the offensive fire power. The second set brought a different vibe. Something changed as River City rolled 25-10. A combination of poor play by 540 and steady play by River City proved the difference. In the early stages of the set the score was tied 5-5, but a number of 540 miscues allowed River City to jump out to a 10-5 lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='601731' first='Cassidy' last='Zalinski']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='526878' first='MacKenzie' last='Dodge']</strong> shared the setting duties while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='760164' first='Emma' last='Corker']</strong> led the attack from the middle. 540 could never close that early five point gap they gave River City with their miscues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the third set a right side kill from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='819774' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] </strong>extended the River City lead to 7-3. 540 could never close that gap. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='760164' first='Emma' last='Corker']</strong> continued her dominance from the middle with a couple kills while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710426' first='Emerson' last='Combs']</strong> recorded the first kill and the last kill of the set to capture the win. Two hitting errors by 540 ended the third set 15-5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After losing in the finals the last two years to [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Blue and American Red the River City Volleyball Academy finally earned their Shamrock Showdown championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":589268,"width":"554px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.501502019107653","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/127-Sadie-Barrer.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-589268" style="aspect-ratio:1.501502019107653;width:554px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='530368' first='Sadie' last='Barrera']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] came into the tournament as the first seed. The current [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] 18 had won the 17/18 gold as 16s and 17s. This was a new group of players that last year won the 16 U event. Unfortunately, they were missing two key players from their roster, middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='581553' first='Karinne' last='Goodrum']</strong> and left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='502514' first='Jenna' last='Kate Tanner'].</strong> They still dominated the first day sweeping all their opponents while not allowing more than 14 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After earning a bye they also swept Braddock Road pretty handily 25-18, 25-17. Things still looked good after they dominated River City in the first set 25-18. After that, it all fell apart with 25-10 and 15-5 losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448705' first='Danika' last='Swanson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888906' first='Ella' last='Sloan']</strong> shared the setting duties. You can always find <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530368' first='Sadie' last='Barrera'] </strong>on the court. She never wears the same colored tennis shoes on the court. However, this does not stop her from making quality plays. From what I understand a number of colleges are talking to her. A good teammate to have on the court who really hustles for every ball. The 6'1" <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483591' first='Willa' last='Voto']</strong> provides excellent offense from the right side while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530396' first='Jaylyn' last='Barnes']</strong> was the primary offensive contributor from the left side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Allorie</strong>/<strong>Braddock Rosd Youth Club</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":935604,"width":"245px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"0.6669986483602476","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/01/15-Ali-Joyce.jpg?w=684" alt="" class="wp-image-935604" style="aspect-ratio:0.6669986483602476;width:245px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='728459' first='Ali' last='Joyce']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Allorie lost their second seed when they were upset by Victory 21-25, 25-15, 11-15. That meant a first round match against Braddock Road. Braddock had swept their first two matches on Saturday however in their last match they lost to River City 27-25, 25-10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] fell behind early in the first set 17 -24. Left side <strong>Tara Gosney</strong> and middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='747226' first='Emerson' last='O'Connor']</strong> provided much of the offense to build the lead. Emerson also belted some shots from the right side. With just one point away from victory [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] appeared to be toast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Except <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='730963' first='Maya' last='Berkowitz']</strong>, their 6'1" setter went on a six point serving run to tie the set at 24-24. She contributed a couple aces while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='390169' first='Katherine' last='Russell']</strong> provided a stuff and a redirect by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='921819' first='Kyla' last='Russell']</strong> tied it at 24-24. Unfortunately, when it came time to take the lead a hitting error gave Braddock Road the serve back with a one point lead. <strong>Madison Williams</strong> ended the first set with a tip that found the floor for the 26-24 win. Braddock took control of the second set after a four point service run from <strong>Ava Lewinsohn</strong> to win 25-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='728965' first='Rhylie' last='Wheeler'] </strong>seems much taler than her 6'1" listed height. She still needs to work on her transition and movement to the ball to make an impact on offense. The potential is there once she can put herself in a position to hit. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='728459' first='Ali' last='Joyce']</strong> did a nice job setting for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. Ali took the wrong year off from playing volleyball after Paul VI won the WCAC championship and came in second in the VISAA. She plans on returning next year. She will compete with two other setters who also set for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='541140' first='Maris' last='Francescon']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='941988' first='Amanda' last='Dadio']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After Braddock Road advanced they played [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'], who earned a buy after sweeping through their opposition on Saturday. Braddock Road battled but 540 still proved too powerful winning 25-13, 25-17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">16 - Open</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Virginia Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Virginia Elite pulled out a good win. Their struggle to get quality wins knocked them out of qualifying for the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championships that will be held this Saturday. In the Shamrock a 3-set win over [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']- Reggie 25-23, 19-25, 15-12 put them in the gold bracket. On their last match of the day, they lost to St. James Navy 25-14, 15-25, 12-15.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In their first match of the playoffs they were crushed by Braddock Road 25-13 in the opening set. In past tournaments this would crush them emotionally. This time they were able to bounce back to scratch their way to 28-26 and 15-13 victories. This win seemed to inspire them as they swept American Red 25-20, 25-22. American had earned a bye sweeping all their opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the last match I only witnessed the last few points. [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] won the first set 25-21 but Virginia Elite took the second set 25-20. The third set turned into a classic with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='466369' first='Cailin' last='Connors'] </strong>driving a ball to the floor for a 16-15 lead. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='545717' first='Ellie' last='Brumback']</strong> won the serve back with a kill to tie the score 16-16. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='877859' first='Maria' last='Coronel']</strong> ended it with a big block followed by a redirect to score the last two points for the 19-17 win. Overall, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='956000' first='Noelle' last='Amori']</strong> played solidly throughout the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":781920,"width":"295px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/97-Alexa-Eggleton.jpg?w=895" alt="" class="wp-image-781920" style="width:295px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='627365' first='Alexa' last='Eggleton']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the other bracket the home town club St. James Navy earned the bye while [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] won the first round contest against [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange 25-20, 25-21. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='466369' first='Cailin' last='Connors']</strong> led the charge in the first set with four aces and a kill to turn a 6-10 deficit into an 11-10 lead. When Blue Edge tied the score at 17-17 two more kills by Cailin gave [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] the lead for good. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='937250' first='Joy' last='Fawole']</strong> was also a contributor from the middle with some key hits and blocks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='627365' first='Alexa' last='Eggleton']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587035' first='Maggie' last='Race']</strong> kept the offense on point while sharing setting responsibilities. 540 won handily 25-20, 25-21.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against St. James the first set was a struggle with a 25-23 win. St. James lost some momentum allowing 540 to stroll in the second set 25-11. That knocked out the second seed. With the top two seeds now eliminated that left only the fourth seed 540 and Virginia Elite. Virginia Elite won a three setter 25-21, 20-25, 17-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">15 Open - [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] Completes the Task with a Championship</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":935651,"width":"301px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/01/72-Zari-Northam.jpg?w=684" alt="" class="wp-image-935651" style="width:301px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='778444' first='Zari' last='Northam']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While all four [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] teams were able to make it to the finals in the 14-18 Open age group categories, only the 15 team was able to win a championship. They won it by going undefeated the first day although it took them three sets to defeat River City. River City ended up in a three way tie for last place at 1-2 with Capital Volleyball and [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange. Capitol Volleyball advanced to Gold with the top point percentage of the three teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>540 whacked a talented [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 15 in the first round of the playoffs 25-4, 25-11. Their next match against [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony would not be so easy. [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony had earned a bye when sweeping all their opponents on Saturday. They also won the first set against 540 very convincingly 25-17.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Club 540 bounced back on the middle play of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='778444' first='Zari' last='Northam']</strong>. Zari brings tremendous athleticism to the position. Even with her 5'8' height her hops bring her hands high over the net for the block. She is listed as an opposite as well for her high school team Colonial Forge. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748077' first='Kaelyn' last='Lee']</strong> is a smaller left side who hits the ball hard and deep. She also plays a solid six rotations, passing and playing exceptional defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='779119' first='Isabelle' last='Thompson']</strong> is a solid setter who plays good defense in the back row. She sets a 5/1. Kaelyn ended the second set romp with a shot to the corner for a 25-14 win. <strong>Journi Carter</strong> contributed three aces to get 540 to 24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='778444' first='Zari' last='Northam']</strong> controlled the third set with her middle play. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='879248' first='Paige' last='Stoll']</strong> served three points to start them off with a 3-0 lead. A <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='541319' first='Gabrielle' last='Rodrigo'] </strong>tip over the block gave 540 a commanding 14-6 lead. A net serve by [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony would end it 15-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>540 finished off MOCO in the final 25-15, 25-21. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='541319' first='Gabrielle' last='Rodrigo']</strong> buried a ball from the middle to bring the championship to 540.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOCO Menace</strong>/<strong>Virginia Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the other bracket MOCO Menace earned the bye. They came into the tournament as the first seed sweeping every team in their pool. They did battle with [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony with 26-24 and 25-21 wins. Virginia Elite downed [program_tooltip program_id='893362' first='Capital' last='Volleyball Club'] to win in three 25-16, 20-25, 15-9. That set up a battle with MOCO who won the first set 25-22. MOCO carries a great libero in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='754674' first='Clarke' last='Rodney']</strong> while also providing strong offense with middles <strong>Eloise Smith</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='956015' first='Anna' last='Raab']</strong>. Team captain <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='956005' first='Zenia' last='Shaikh']</strong> ran a 5/1. She certainly impresses with how she runs the game with excellent hands that carry the strength to bring it outside. Her serve is also very strong. Left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='956006' first='Katarina' last='Haag']</strong> hammers the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Virginia Elite came back to win the second set 25-23 with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='935939' first='Maya' last='Peery']</strong> unstoppable from the left side. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='937474' first='Sydney' last='Lee']</strong> is that back row specialist who provides offense with her three meter kills. Despite her 5'10" height she did not play the front row with left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='903896' first='Nicole' last='McDermott']</strong> teaming with Maya on the left side. The 6'1" Nicole finished off the game with two left side kills. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MOCO Menace bounced back to win the third set 15-9 with <strong>Katrina Haag</strong> leading with two kills and an ace. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='754662' first='Abigail' last='Rekhtman'] </strong>put away an out of system set from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='754674' first='Clarke' last='Rodney'] </strong>to advance them to the finals 15-9. Abigail shows a whip arm that contributed four kills and one ace in that third set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":950293,"width":"249px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/198-Adelena-Akers-rotated.jpg?w=683" alt="" class="wp-image-950293" style="width:249px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony came into the tournament as the second seed. Like MOCO Menace, they were able to keep that seed by sweeping past all their opponents on Saturday. Come playoff time their first match came against 540. [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony is left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='948279' first='Ava' last='Wiese']</strong> and setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers']</strong>. Adelena set a 5/1 ending the first set with an ace serve to give [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] the 25-17 win. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898889' first='Ava' last='Holmberg']</strong> played a solid set as did middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='956017' first='Nicole' last='Holokai'].</strong> Like 540 17 did in the playoffs [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] folded after that, losing the next two sets 25-14, 15-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">14 U - [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange Takes the Championship </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Allorie this [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] of a different color than blue is more than a second team. In AES they rank as the ninth in the Region while [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Blue ranks fourth. The Blue have already won a USA bid to Nationals. They have actually been battling Metro 14 for the best 14 U team in the Region, with Metro taking them twice, once at the Charm City Classic and the second time at Capitol Hill Classic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange has quietly finished in the top three in five different tournaments, the last one being the Maryland Juniors Open where they lost to [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Jazz and MVSA Force, two teams who also appear in the top ten. They did not play in Capitol Hill Classic, however they did finish second playing in the Charm City Classic Club Division, losing only one match in the finals to Triangle White.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They proved that despite being a second team that first seed was deserved. Their opening match on Saturday was a three set win against BRYC Royal 25-23, 15-25, 15-10. That one set loss would be the last of the tournament as they swept past LVA and [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Josi to win the pool and keep their first seed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first round [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] pulled a bit of an upset by eliminating Virginia Elite 21-25, 25-16, 15-12. In the first set against [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'], [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] hung on for the 26-24 win. I happened to stop by to watch the second set where poor passing proved to be [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']'s undoing. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] also showed some impressive power for a second team with pins <strong>Ein You</strong>, <strong>Ava Borkon</strong>, <strong>Hailey Bowers</strong> and <strong>Jensen Moats</strong> along with middles <strong>Presley Moulton</strong> and <strong>Hadley Ranck</strong> proved too much for [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] to handle. <strong>Ein You</strong> sets and plays right side while <strong>Olivia Anderson</strong> does the libero work. They won the second set 25-14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] carried some impressive athletes on their team. However, [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] showed a little more consistency. In the first set they jumped out to a 10-3 lead. <strong>Mackenzie Corum</strong> slung together a six point serving run with two aces while right side <strong>Cayden Broaddus</strong> contributed two kills to pull [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] to within one 12-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hailey Bowers </strong>ended a long rally with a kill from the right side while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='910777' first='Kylie' last='Chau']</strong> followed with two aces to put [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] up 16-13. <strong>Evie Ladzekpo</strong> pulled 540 to within one 24-23 with a hammer, but a shanked pass on a free ball ended the first set 25-23. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second set [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] again jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] could never get closer than five points in the 25-18 loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']</strong> 14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lots of athleticism on this [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] team. It will be interesting to see how they develop. According to the 15 parents the two teams practice at the same facility and engage in some competitive scrimmages. 540 came into the tournament as the third seed. They swept through their opposition on Saturday without giving up more than 14 points. Since the top two seeds [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] and American also went undefeated [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] did not earn a bye.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In their first playoff match they rolled past Braddock Road 25-8, 25-17. Libero <strong>Kaylee Miller-Wood </strong>fired off at least four aces early in game one to put the first set out of reach. Before the start of each set when she is called in Kaylee seems to provide a unique series of hand shakes with each player. <strong>Zoey Ulrich </strong>showed good hops in the middle, even pulling a couple slide hits on the right side. Both left sides <strong>Evie Ladzekpo</strong> and <strong>Mackenzie Corum</strong> showed off pretty good swings for 14 year olds. If they can keep this group together they can develop into a powerhouse in the Old Dominion Region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After defeating Braddock Road they went against American Red. They lost the first set 25-20 but bounced back to win the next two sets 25-20, 15-10. That last match and their first set 25-23 loss against [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] Orange must have drained them for the final set, which they lost 25-18. In the Old Dominion Region 540 fall just outside the top ten at 11. A ninth place finish playing in the 15 Premium Division in the Charm City Challenge and a 17th place finish out of 64 teams in the Sunshine Classic Liberty Division taints their record with some losses against very good competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MOCO Matrix 17</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Normally I do not watch teams playing in Club because there are just too many Open teams to try to manage. However, a coach can make a request for me to watch a player and I will make an effort to swing by if I am planning to be at a tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='922977' first='Sarah' last='Charapp']</strong> is a setter/libero/DS type that plays for MOCO Matrix. They finished seventh in the Club Division. They lost their opener of the gold bracket match to a strong DYS Thunder team in three sets then lost to Virginia Athletic Volleyball Academy in a placement match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sarah shows strong hands for a setter and is one of the team leaders on the court. She also plays libero, which at 5'5" might be the best position for her if she has high college aspirations. All those attributes in and of themselves would not stand out, except she belongs to the class of 2029, playing two years up. She goes to Charles E. Smith Jewish Day school. The only player that has been ranked that went to that high school was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='390338' first='Rachel' last='Fagin']</strong> who was a libero who impressed me with her hustle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rachel rose to number 116 in our class of 2026. She may have risen higher but playing for a smaller school and a club that did not play at a top level class restricted her ability to climb up the rankings. However, it did not restrict her from getting an opportunity to play volleyball for Wellesly College.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->