USA Division Prospects Who Stood Out at Northeast Qualifiers

There were no Open teams who played at the Northeastern Qualifiers this past weekend. Only USA, Liberty and American. Below are some of the players who stood out during that short window in the USA. With the rankings for the class of 2029 coming out next week this was a good opportunity to get a look at that level of talent. The USA Divion teams this week and the Liberty Division teams next week.   I watched all the USA teams on the first day and many of them who qualified for first division play on the second day. For the Liberty Division I only watched the teams who qualified for the first Division on the second day. This tournament had a significant impact when finalizing the 2029 rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/19-Avery-Curtis.jpg?w=850" alt="" class="wp-image-781848" style="aspect-ratio:0.8300972125525387;width:395px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='749349' first='Avery' last='Curtis']</figcaption></figure>   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] has already won a National Bid. So even if they earned a USA bid they already carried a higher bid. The previous USA bid they earned at the Sunshine Classic was passed to [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Nick. This tournament was just an opportunity for them to get some quality playing time.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] swept their first five matches before getting swept by UEPA International 26-24, 25-19. Both teams had already qualified for the gold bracket at this point. This contest only determined seeding. Despite getting a bye UEPA lost their first match in the gold bracket to San Francisco Elite Sage while [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] went on to sweep Pittsburgh Elite 25-22, 25-19. They lost in the next round to Sideout Artem in three 25-20, 19-25, 6-15. Sideout would go on to win the USA Division, but they had already earned a USA bid at the Boston Qualifier.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] teams always play well disciplined volleyball. While they may lack the height of other teams their defense always seems to hold steady. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='878689' first='Madisyn' last='Carter'] made sure of that taking charge in the back row. In an early set against [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] her second ace serve won the first set 25-19. Against Pittsburgh Elite she made a nice scoop pass on a falling top spin serve that ended with a kill by [player_tooltip player_id='877850' first='Kennedi' last='Bower']. Pittsburgh Elite had pulled to within one 22-23 after an ace and a kill. In the second set a stellar defensive play by Madisyn ended with a kill by [player_tooltip player_id='749349' first='Avery' last='Curtis'] to give them an early 7-3 lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='749349' first='Avery' last='Curtis'] stands out as their top hitter. At 5'10" she also stands out as one of their tallest players, however her hitting is limited to the middle. They also rely on [player_tooltip player_id='749357' first='Ellie' last='Palmer']as well as [player_tooltip player_id='877850' first='Kennedi' last='Bower'] to spray balls from the left side while [player_tooltip player_id='749353' first='Brielle' last='Wolf'] and [player_tooltip player_id='878688' first='Mckenna' last='Homans'] provide offensive results from the right side. McKenna also sets as part of a 6/2 but stays in the front row to hit despite her 5'8" height. She possesses a high volleyball IQ, even seeing nets in the front row while blocking before the officials have an opportunity to call them.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] will compete in the National Division in Junior Nationals.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maryland Juniors</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/16-Sophie-Lorgea.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-781845" style="aspect-ratio:1.0148789215278355;width:444px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='783302' first='Sophie' last='Lorgea']</figcaption></figure>   Maryland Juniors powered their way to a Silver Division win. They won a three setter against Pipeline Adidas 25-23, 20-25, 15-11. A little struggle on Sunday erased any hopes of a gold bracket appearance getting swept in their first two matches, the second match ending 23-25, 23-25. Their 1-2 record dropped them down to the silver bracket.   Their first test in the opening round of the silver bracket came against Metro National. This is turning into quite the rivalry. [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'], [player_tooltip player_id='754613' first='Charlotte' last='Aus'] and [player_tooltip player_id='753079' first='Reagan' last='Barrett'] are the three mainstays from the Maryland Juniors team that qualified for Open in Junior Nationals last year at the 14 level. Many of those players transferred either to Metro Travel or Metro National. After suffering two defeats to Metro National at the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championship this was a crucial match for them.   As to be expected this turned into an emotional match that went three, similar to the Chesapeake Regionals. Except this time it was Maryland Juniors who came out on top 26-28, 25-21, 15-13. This win led them to two other victories, including another three setter in the finals against Pipeline Adidas.   The two must see players from Maryland Juniors are left sides [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'], who at 6'0" flies high above the competition with her 10"4' approach jump and [player_tooltip player_id='753079' first='Reagan' last='Barrett'], who lists at 6'1" but seems much taller. While Reagan is playing one grade down, belonging to the class of 2028, her age is equivalent to many players on the 15 team. Last year Reagan was restricted to the right side but with all the departures she took advantage of the opportunity. Now she is lights out from the left side. In a 26-24 loss against Top Select Reagan hammered two balls to the floor to tie the set 24-24. However, Top Select still came out on top 26-24.   Other new players Maryland Juniors hopes to develop is their taller middle [player_tooltip player_id='783302' first='Sophie' last='Lorgea'], who last year played down with the 13 team but now plays her grade with the 15s. With her 6'2 height she can be a difference make as her reads improve for blocking. Her offensive prowess will also free up some single blocks for outsides Sierra and Reagan. [player_tooltip player_id='961810' first='Adaeze' last='Eze'] brings some height to the right side while [player_tooltip player_id='961811' first='Kaitlyn' last='Park'] brings excellent defense to the back row. She shares the libero role with [player_tooltip player_id='754613' first='Charlotte' last='Aus'].   Maryland Juniors has already earned a bid in the American Division but because of their loss to Metro National at the Chesapeake Regionals they will not receive the first upgrade if [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] Nick's USA bid becomes a future Open bid. That National bid will go to Metro National.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Metro National</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/13-Brie-Mouton.jpg?w=745" alt="" class="wp-image-781843" style="width:359px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton']</figcaption></figure>   Metro National is a new team created by Metro to develop a second travel team. They also finished 1-2 on the second day to fall to silver. The biggest loss was to Pittsburgh Elite, 15-13 in the third set. They lost another close 15-13 third set in the first round of the silver bracket to Maryland Juniors to finish 9th. After winning their first four matches of the tournament they dropped their last three.   Maryland Nationals brings a lot of juice from the left side in [player_tooltip player_id='753070' first='Avery' last='Lettinga'] and [player_tooltip player_id='762829' first='Angela' last='Zhang']. Angela acts as the floor captain on the court. She does seem to carry that sixth sense on the court, where she hits balls deep to various open spots. She can also bring excellent velocity, especially when she turns to hit down the line. [player_tooltip player_id='749642' first='Sophia' last='Groshek'] plays right side, but she can also move to left side if the need warrants. Her defense and passing ability make her an ideal six rotation player but as a right side sometimes that opportunity does not exist..   [player_tooltip player_id='748492' first='Paetyn' last='Brown'] at 6'2" is the enforcer in the middle, as is [player_tooltip player_id='772034' first='Giselle' last='Conley']. Giselle showed a powerful a redirect block in the middle. She lists at 6'1". [player_tooltip player_id='762823' first='Brie' last='Mouton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='961812' first='Katherine' last='Liu'] share the setting duties while libero [player_tooltip player_id='896390' first='Harper' last='Walker'] takes charge of the back row. Brie is used to setting a 5/1 after having done that for BAVA last year.   Metro National has already qualified for Junior Nationals with an American Bid.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">BAVA Blaze</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/01/91-Avielle-Lewis-crop-2832x1860-1773945202.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-956594" style="width:321px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A'Vielle Lewis</figcaption></figure>   BAVA was knocked to the bronze bracket after losing to Metro National 25-20, 25-18, then getting swept by Texas Legacy. They were able to beat Pittsburgh Elite in three, with the third set finishing 17-15. That forced them into the bronze where they won both matches in three to take the title. The last match was against [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] 25-8, 18-25, 15-7.   [player_tooltip player_id='766895' first='Neely' last='Olish'] continues to improve as a setter. She also made a stellar defensive play on a driven ball, getting her 6'1" frame low enough to make the dig. There was also a nice left handed dump while in the front row that quickly found the floor. For the set I watched libero [player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson'] came in for the right sides. Middle [player_tooltip player_id='787925' first='Camryn' last='Bedell'] played six rotations. Defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='781700' first='Gianna' last='Bonnett'] made a couple of impressive defensive plays but also participated in a back row attack. That defines her versatility.   The key to their offense is the success of their left sides [player_tooltip player_id='763138' first='A'vielle' last='Lewis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='961813' first='Hannah' last='McKinstry']. BAVA lacks height, with their tallest player being setter [player_tooltip player_id='766895' first='Neely' last='Olish'], who played as a middle blocker last year. They have already qualified for Junior Nationals with a Freedom Bid.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']</h2>   [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] lost to BAVA in the bronze finals 8-25, 25-18, 7-15. They played three Chesapeake Region clubs, finishing 0-3, however taking two of the matches to three sets. Despite finishing 1-2 on the first day they were fortunate that two of the other teams in their pool also finished 1-2. They won the tie breaker, which allowed them to advance to the first division. An 0-3 record on day two dropped them down to the bronze division. They battled in the bronze division, winning their first two matches before losing to BAVA.   [player_tooltip player_id='888289' first='Emmerson' last='Croft'] impressed with the strong serve. She shares the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='888288' first='Lila' last='Cross']. Both of them also set for Saint Catherines. They have a taller middle Sofya Zhukava who is still a little raw but shows promise. The other middle [player_tooltip player_id='961907' first='Maliyah' last='Ingram'] did not have the height but showed more experience generating a back quick tempo set in the middle. [player_tooltip player_id='961906' first='Brinkley' last='Ingram'] put some balls away from the left side while [player_tooltip player_id='961908' first='Ava' last='Martin'] showed off impressive skills from the right side.   [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] normally plays in AAUs, even if they were to snag a bid in a qualifier.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony</h2>   <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:326px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers']</figcaption></figure>   A rough tournament for [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony. They got knocked out of any bid opportunity after the first day when they went 1-2. Despite that setback I still came away impressed with their setter [player_tooltip player_id='899005' first='Adelena' last='Akers']. She ran off two four point service runs in a match against Club Integrity in which they won the second set 25-23. [player_tooltip player_id='898889' first='Ava' last='Holmberg'] finished the set off with a three point service run. Unfortunately, they lost the third set 15-11.   Libero [player_tooltip player_id='961877' first='Molly' last='Taylor'] does a good job covering the back row while also popping up consistent passes to allow the offense to gel. [player_tooltip player_id='948279' first='Ava' last='Wiese'] spun together back to back kills from the left side while middle [player_tooltip player_id='956017' first='Nicole' last='Holokai'] generated impressive back to back blocks. Nicole does a good job putting up a block at the net.   Virginia Juniors appears to have won a Liberty bid at the Northeast Regionals so that would open up a Freedom Bid for either Libero or [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] Tony, who both finished 7th in the Chesapeake Regional Bid Championship.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Virgnia Elite</h2>   After winning their first match of the tournament 25-8, 25-18 it became a little more difficult after that. The turning point was a 15-13 loss in the third set of their second match. That meant they had to beat the number three seed in the tournament Texas Legacy to advance to the first division. That did not happen as they lost 25-13, 25-10.   Against NVA Black in their crucial second match loss they won the second set 26-24, coming back from a 22-24 deficit to take the set. [player_tooltip player_id='942025' first='Caroline' last='Milder'] popped off a couple ace serves in a four point service run while [player_tooltip player_id='903896' first='Nicole' last='McDermott'] strung together a block to tie the set at 24-24 then finished it off with a kill for the 26-24 win. [player_tooltip player_id='961880' first='Riley' last='Coleman'] rejected a couple spikes from the right side toward the end of the set. [player_tooltip player_id='935939' first='Maya' last='Peery'] seems to fly above the net generating some key kills from the left side.   Unfortunately, in the second set they lost a 23-21 lead to eventually lose by the same 26-24 score. The third set Virginia Elite built up the biggest lead of the set after a [player_tooltip player_id='935939' first='Maya' last='Peery'] rocket to the floor made it 6-3. They fell behind for the first time 10-11 after a hitting error on a three meter attack and an ace serve pulled them further behind 10-12. Virginia Elite came back to tie it 12-12 after a couple [player_tooltip player_id='935939' first='Maya' last='Peery'] kills. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='763132' first='Raegan' last='Giuliani'] made a crucial block on a quick outside set to give Elite a 13-12 lead. Unfortunately, they lost the last three points to end the match 15-13.   Virginia Elite ended the tournament beating MVSA Charge to win the Flight 2 Division. They have not yet earned a bid.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MVSA Charge</h2>   After defeating [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] in three sets in their first match of the day MVSA Charge lost their next two matches to drop out of bid contention. At the end of the day they finished in a three way tie for second place with [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] however, falling short in the tie breaker.   Middle [player_tooltip player_id='961881' first='Lex' last='Luttman'] can impress with her size. She still needs more development before making an impact. Their smaller middle [player_tooltip player_id='937564' first='Leighann' last='Ekoe'] shows off a little more athleticism as well as skill to have more offensive success in the middle. Right side [player_tooltip player_id='937536' first='Cameron' last='Smith'] contributed a clutch block and tip kill against [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] to put them up 24-21. Valerie Saavedra strung together five aces in a seven point serving run. A hitting error by [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] ended the set 25-21 to send the match to a third set, which MVSA won 15-8.   [player_tooltip player_id='961881' first='Lex' last='Luttman'] ended the third set 15-8 with a big block and a kill in the middle. MVSA has yet to earn a bid to Junior Nationals.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Columbia Black</h2>   They lost their first six sets. Addison Williams generated a back row attack while their two middles [player_tooltip player_id='961882' first='Sydney' last='Hamilton'] and Myah Dutton carried some height. They really struggled with their passing game in the set I watched, which did not allow them to run an efficient offense.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Braddock Road</h2>   Braddock Road won a couple matches. The USA Division is a tough division for them to compete in but the coach wants to expose them to a higher level of volleyball to challenge them for the future. The one local team they played MVSA Charge they lost 25-8, 25-21. On the first two days they won one match each. That put them in Flight 3 where they lost in the first round in three sets, losing the third set 15-13..   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='471714' first='Ryann' last='Bothof'] Earns All Star Nod at Under Armor Camps</h2>   There have been a number of DMV players who have participated in the Under Armor Next Camps. These are invite only camps so some of the best players in the country participate. Eventually, those players named as All Stars will be selected to play in the Under Armor tournament at the end of the year. Kiylah Presley (Arizona State) and [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] (Baylor) are two players from the DMV area who have participated in the All Star game.   The city where the camps are run generally select 5-6 MVPs after each camp. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='471714' first='Ryann' last='Bothof'] was one of five MVPs selected at the Houston camp. She ranks number 24 in our class of 2027, the fourth ranked libero in the class. Only Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick'], [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] and [player_tooltip player_id='491007' first='Ana' last='Djordjevic'] are ranked higher than her at the libero position.   Ryann has committed to Ole Miss. Love her enthusiasm and hustle when playing the libero position.

There were no Open teams who played at the Northeastern Qualifiers this past weekend. Only USA, Liberty and American. Below are some of the players who stood out during that short window in the USA. With the rankings for the class of 2029 coming out next week this was a good opportunity to get a look at that level of talent. The USA Divion teams this week and the Liberty Division teams next week.