Players to Watch at the USAV Junior Club Championships

<p>It used to be called the Patriot Division. Unlike the other Divisions you did not have to earn a bid to play. Similar to the AAU Junior National Championships in Orlando you only needed to submit an entry to play. Unfortunately, the matches were held at the same time and location as the other Divisions in which teams competed for bids. Naturally, college coaches were more attracted to scouting those matches because they rostered the better players.</p>   <p>USAV separated the Patriot Division from the other Divisions that required qualification. They will now play this weekend at the Columbus Convention Center. Because they have their own tournament they can accommodate more teams. Below are six players from DMV teams worth the watch. Perhaps not the superstars you might find in Indianapolis but still quality players. Some are even young enough that they could have super star possibilities in the future.</p>   <p>Below that Paramount and Metro do well in warm up tournaments prior to the Junior National championships.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Performance Juniors 17</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Although she plays for a 17 U team she belongs to the class of 2028. Performance Volleyball Club appears related to Next Revolution. Because she plays in Roanoke I do not get an opportunity to see her play. However, she did attend a Prep Dig Showcase in Richmond showing the skills to earn a top performer award. </p>   <p class="text-gray-700">In high school she played for Christiansburg who went undefeated into the finals of the Class 3 Virginia state championships. Unfortunately, they lost in the finals. Tatum led the team in blocking while also finishing fourth in kills. In the championship match she finished with 7 kills and 6 blocks. At 6'1" she brings good height to make an impact.</p>   <p class="text-gray-700">As was noted in the showcase she needs to work on her follow through allowing her core to finish her swing in order to generate more power. When all is in synch she strikes the ball very hard. Not completing the swing leads to balls sailing out.</p>   <p>Performance Juniors also appears to be competing in AAU junior nationals in Wave 3.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mojo Elite Black 16</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Julia falls just below Tatum at number 72 in the class of 2028 rankings. She made the Georgetown Day varsity roster as a frosh but her playing time was limited. While she lists as a pin her best bet to get playing time for the Hoppers this coming year would be as a middle, where Georgetown lost three players to graduation. Early in her volleyball career she did play some middle for Virginia Juniors. Last year Georgetown Day ranked as one of the top 25 high school volleyball teams in the country.</p>   <p>Julia appears to have the flexibility to play middle as well as both pins. Next year will be a critical year for her as she looks to find a position to find playing time.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">St. James Navy 16</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">In the past Annandale was fortunate to win one game on their schedule. Last year was their first time they finished over .500 in over 20 years. Miah was one of those players who turned the tide for Annandale, starting as a frosh in the libero position when they improved to 8-13. Her sophomore year they finished over .500.</p>   <p>Miah shows hustle on the court as well as a powerful serve that takes a big drop as it flashes over the net. Her attitude is to get to any ball before it has an opportunity to hit the floor. For St. James she played as a defensive specialist showing off a strong right arm with a back row attack behind the three meter line.</p>   <p></p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coast</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">She showed up at our frosh showcase listed at 5'5". It appears she has grown a couple inches since then. Coast finished in fifth place at the ACPL Gran Prix tournament a couple weeks ago, a nice finish for them.</p>   <p>Allece shows that enthusiasm for the position that you love to see in a setter. She made the JV roster as an 8th grader when Atlee finished 19-1. Atlee had a good season last year appearing in the Class 4 state bracket. They lost to Grafton in the first round. Allece continued to play on the junior varsity last year but next year should be her opportunity (Edit: she played for Atlee on the varsity as a frosh).</p>   <p>As Allece gets stronger her game will improve. Her sophomore season will be a critical jump. However, she has the attitude of wanting to get better that gives me confidence she will make it.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 15</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Hadley made the Junior Varsity for Bishop as a frosh. She shows a good feel for setting moving the ball around to a variety of hitters. Her movement to the ball is quick allowing her to use her hands when making the set. There exists a maturity to her game that is absent from most frosh. </p>   <p class="text-gray-700">Unfortunately, ahead of her in the pecking order for Bishop are two Metro setters, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria']</strong>, the top setter in the class of 2029 and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612396' first='Natalie' last='Hobson']</strong>, the top setter in the class of 2028. So Hadley may need to play one more year on junior varsity to continue to enhance her game. The biggest challenge for her is not to get discouraged and keep working on her game.</p>   <p class="text-gray-700">Lots of potential there if she continues to work hard to improve herself. One of those givers who has the presence of mind to shag balls during practice when she is on the sidelines not playing.</p>   <p>When Carolyn got injured during the playoffs last year Hadley did see some time on the varsity. Nothing like the pressure of the playoffs to make your varsity debut.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mojo Elite Black 15</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Olivia debuted in our class of 2029 rankings in the top 50. Not many players debut that high. At 5'11" she set a 6/2 in the tournament I watched remaining on the right side to hit. She does not have the power of a [player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria'] but she still can be a force on the right side. Even if setting a 5/1 she showed an ability to dump the ball jumping high over the net.</p>   <p>Last year she made the Yorktown varsity as a frosh. On the roster she is listed as a right side. The varsity already carried three setters, however two of them graduated. Expect her to fill a setting role next year.</p>   <p>Her game also delivers a pretty good serve with the potential to generate points in bunches.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Metro and Paramount Do Well in Travel Tournaments</h2>   <p>Both [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Metro played in travel tournaments this past weekend, their last opportunity to play before the Junior Nationals begin in a couple weeks.</p>   <p>Metro played in the JVA Summerfest in Ohio. Metro 14 did well, losing only to Legacy in the finals to take the silver medal. Legacy went 7-0 (14-0). Metro 15 took third losing in three to Triangle in the semi-finals. Legacy was again the winner of the Division finishing 7-0 (14- 0).</p>   <p>Metro 17 also finished in third place. They lost to Top Select in the semifinals. Legacy again won the tournament, but their only loss came in a three set match to Metro to open the tournament. Metro 16 finished in 9th place. They lost in the first round of the gold bracket playoffs. Legacy finished second to NKYVC.</p>   <p>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] also played in this tournament and another in Louisville. The 14 team finished 9th after losing in the first round of the gold bracket. The 16 team finished in third place, losing in the semifinals to NKYVC Tsunami. NKTVC would go on to win their next match to win the tournament.</p>   <p>The 15 team finished in fifth place in the UA Player's Championship in Kentucky, losing to the Boilers in the second round of the gold bracket. The Boilers would go on to win the tournament. The 17 team would win the UA Player's Championship. They lost to Tri State Blue in their second match of pool play but finished strong, winning their last five matches. The last two matches went three sets with 15-10 and 15-6 wins.</p>   <p>With the success of these tournaments both Metro Travel and [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] appear ready to play, </p>   <p></p>

It used to be called the Patriot Division. Unlike the other Divisions you did not have to earn a bid to play. Similar to the AAU Junior National Championships in Orlando you only needed to submit an entry to play. Unfortunately, the matches were held at the same time and location as the other Divisions in which teams competed for bids. Naturally, college coaches were more attracted to scouting those matches because they rostered the better players.