Left Side Bangers Dominate 2029 Prospect Newbies

There were a total of 32 new players added to the draft. Of those 32 left side was the primary position for 12 of those made their debut in the rankings. That accounts for around 38 percent of the new players. Below some detail on those left sides.    Maya is one of those players you need to watch a second or third time to make sure what you are watching stays consistent. She stands just 5'8" but her 9'7" approach jump ranks the highest on the team along with the 6'1' [player_tooltip player_id='903896' first='Nicole' last='McDermott'].   Last year she played for The Potomac School, which relied on two frosh as their top hitters. [player_tooltip player_id='762826' first='Avery' last='Nierenberg'] was their leader in kills. She went over to Metro National. Maya finished number two in kills. Maya also ranked number three in aces and kills.   She takes those skills to Virginia Elite where she apprears to stand out as their most efficient attacker. Her flight at the net before she hammers the ball is impressive. The question remains can she maintain that as she rises though the ranks.   Maya debuts at # 38 in our class of 2029, the second highest debut in that class.     Ashby stands out as the third highest climber in the class of 2029. Perhaps if I watched her on multiple occasions it would elevate her ranking.   She played for Roanoke United at the Volley by the James. No fear appeared as she swung hard at every set. For the most part she achieved success finding the court.   Ashby plays for James River. She earned a spot on the first team in the Three Rivers District and a second team All Region. James River ultimately lost in the first round of the Regionals.   Ashby debuts at # 41 in our class of 2029 rankings.     I first noticed Katrina hammering balls for MOCO Menace at the Shamrock Showdown. She elevated her standing with her performance at the Northeast Qualifiers. MOCO Menace earned their way to the gold bracket in the Liberty Division, however they lost in the first round.   While MOCO Menace ranks fifth in the Region they have yet to qualify for Junior Nationals. Katarina debuts at # 48 in our class of 2029.     Ava is another player first noticed at the Shamrock Showdown firing missiles from the left side. She clearly stood out as the go to player for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony in the tournament. They finished third behind MOCO Menace.   Ava also impressed at the Northeast Qualifiers, stringing together a number of kills. Although the team fell short of earning a bid Ava did her part swinging hard from the left side.   At 5'9" she is a bit undersized for the position but a couple inches of growth would change that. Definitely a player to watch.   [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony has yet to qualify for Junior Nationals. Ava debuts at # 50 in our class of 2029.     At 5'11" she brings some good height to the left side position. Sophia won a top performer award at our Exposure tour in Richmond. She stood out as one of the surprise players at the event, bringing a good attitude to the court. One attribute that really impressed is her communication skills on the court. Sophia is type of player that helps the team beyond her skill level.   It will be interesting to see what Sophia does for Atlee next year. Last year she fell short of making the varsity. However, I do note a [player_tooltip player_id='919428' first='Sophia' last='Childress'] playing at Grace Christian School who also belongs to the class of 2029. Sometimes keeping track of these girls is like herding cats.   Sophia debuts at # 83 in our class of 2029 rankings.     She plays for Metro National. At 5'8" she is a bit undersized for a front row player. Metro National also has a number of talented pins to compete with for playing time. Sloan does bring an approach jump of 9'6' which can make up for her smaller height.   She takes a nice hard swing at the ball. With a little more exposure on the court his ranking could move up. She also played for South County High School, which has not been a traditional powerhouse in volleyball. They won just 7 of 24 matches. Sloan was the only frosh to make the team.   Sloan Debuts at # 87 in our class of 2029 rankings.     Sonoma impressed at our Prep Dig Exposure in Richmond, falling just short of a top performer award. She played well enough to earn a spot on the Prep Dig exposure first team of those players who fell just short of winning a top performer award.   At 5'10" she brings good height to the left side. Her passing appears pretty precise, giving her an opportunity to play six rotations. With their two left sides graduating she may get more opportunity to play with Midlothian.   Sonoma debuts at # 94 in our class of 2029.     Sydney is one of those interesting players who attacks from the back row however, she sees limited playing time in the front row. She normally comes in for [player_tooltip player_id='903896' first='Nicole' last='McDermott'] to play back row. At 5'10 she has the height to play front row but Virginia Elite carries [player_tooltip player_id='935939' first='Maya' last='Peery'] and Nicole for the front row. A little improvement on that 9'3" approach jump and she will start to play more front row.   Sydney was one of two frosh who made the varsity for Yorktown. The other was setter [player_tooltip player_id='951302' first='Olivia' last='Tasikas'] who made the highest debut in the class of 2029 at 36.   Sydney debuts at # 113 in our class of 2029 rankings. That could rise once I see a little more front row playing time from her.     Emerson combined with [player_tooltip player_id='881134' first='Jaycee' last='Plumley'] to give [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] Pink two players who can provide significant offense from the left side. At 5'8" she is undersized for a front row player but she shows DS/Libero as an alternate position. This will help promote her versatility if she fails to grow in the next couple years.   Emerson did receive significant playing time for Landstown as a frosh. She played more than half their games, finishing seventh in kills. She also averaged about one dig per set.   Emerson debuts in our rankings for the class of 2029 at # 125. The [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] Pink is their second team and will not play in Junior Nationals. [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] Black will play in the National Division at Junior Nationals.     Hannah has put up some numbers for [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite']. She has been banging the ball from the left side, leading the team in kills while also playing six rotations. Perhaps a bit undersized but she hits the ball hard, whether she attacks from the front or back row.   Hannah is one of two frosh who made the varsity for Trintiy Christian. [player_tooltip player_id='945614' first='Rachel' last='Balle'], who plays middle for [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] is the other frosh to make the team.   Hannah debuts at # 126 for the class of 2029 rankings.     Jeremy was high on her as an outside. While she may not have the same pop as [player_tooltip player_id='763138' first='A'vielle' last='Lewis'] she can still put some good pop on the ball. She actually carries some height for the left side at 6'0". Give her some time and A'vielle and her can make for a pretty strong tandem.   As a frosh with Severna Park she finished second on the team in kills. Severna Park made it to the Maryland Class 3 Regional playoffs before losing in the finals to Arundel.   BAVA Blaze will play in at least the Freedom Division at Junior Nationals, but could be bumped up after [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] won an Open Bid at the Show Me Qualifier. Hannah debuts at number 128 in our class of 2029 rankings.       Makenna is one if the primary outsides for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony. At 5'7" she is a bit undersized for a left side. Still, [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony has been competitive with her banging from that position. They finished in 9th place out of 64 teams playing in the American Division at Sunshine Classic.   At least her club season has included some wins. Her and teammate [player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers'] were two of four frosh who made the Stone Bridge varsity roster. They failed to win a match all season.   Makenna debuts at number 137 in our class of 2029 rankings.

There were a total of 32 new players added to the draft. Of those 32 left side was the primary position for 12 of those made their debut in the rankings. That accounts for around 38 percent of the new players. Below some detail on those left sides.