Maryland HS Preview: Howard County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howard County boasted 2/4 of the MD State Champs last year with Howard dominating 3A and Glenelg winning 2A. I saw an article somewhere boasting that Howard is IT for Volleyball in Maryland. It's good, Maryland Juniors having home base there, CVA, and being close enough players travel to MVSA, Metro etc. is a good reason, but I'd argue that there are a lot of counties in Maryland that have a similar formula of some heavy hitters at the top and some less than below. My lingering thought from last year, having an exhibition tournament and letting all the big guns play each other for the bragging rights is still on the table. For this season, here's who I have my eyes on and why.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Howard:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anyone who watched them last year knows. This team is an absolute monster. Outside of AACS, there was no school in Maryland that could stop them, although the state final against North Hagerstown was a great game. Howard lost a couple star players, anytime you lose a D1 commit it's a big deal, but the players remaining are still star level. Starting with player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='698761' first='Imagine' last='Peltier'], committed to Middle Tennessee at Setter, there's no one better at the position in Maryland. Senior Right Side [player_tooltip player_id='577516' first='Mariska' last='Ordonez'] will be committing at some point soon, and OH Anna Fielder just recently committed to George Washington and it's her turn in the spotlight. [player_tooltip player_id='832940' first='Jackie' last='Klugh'] is another kind of underrated OH that has the talent to sign somewhere, and in the back court you have [player_tooltip player_id='753439' first='Joelle' last='Vassor'] returning from a major injury last year, and [player_tooltip player_id='849875' first='Rishana' last='Majumdar'] who will likely be Libero and DS1 in some form. Losing a D1 middle is going to sting without a clear replacement, but there's so much other talent here they still have enough to make another run at a title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["720419"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a95b2ed7f26f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Anna has been buried under the radar a little bit at Howard. She's got so many star teammates that she was kind of lying in wait underneath the surface. Those of us in the area have known that she was a monster that deserved all the recognition, but for the masses, this will be her season. She's been a standout player and a reason for success at CVA for a while now, and was a big reason for the championship last year at Howard. With [player_tooltip player_id='698761' first='Imagine' last='Peltier'] throwing her the ball, she's going to be a scary one to have to face. She recently signed at George Washington and deservedly so, sit back and enjoy the fireworks from this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>River Hill:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>River Hill has been a tough team to play for years now. Their roster is almost entirely Seniors with a Junior and a Soph splash here and there, and that team has just been frustrating to play since they were freshman. They tend to have a heavy CVA/MDJRS blend and their teams are largely well coached and one of those teams that's better as a whole than individually. It sounds like a cliche to say that about teams, but it really does end up being true. MVSA teams and sometimes [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] teams tend to play like that too. That's not to say they don't have some players worth watching out for, like Senior MH [player_tooltip player_id='849614' first='Noya' last='Offurum'], and a pair of good young setters in [player_tooltip player_id='748500' first='Katherine' last='Liu'] from Metro 15 National and Rinah Wightman from CVA 16s, both great teams in their own rights. This team is almost the yang to Atholton's yin as this one seems deeper in the back row and a little shorter, and Atholton is the opposite. Blend them together and you could have two very scary teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["849614"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a99db2f98d13"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">In a region that isn't particularly heavy with Middles, Noya is a problem for most schools they run into. She had a dominant showing at a Crofton hosted tournament last year, and then moved to Metro for club season, where I'm sure she got a good chunk of coaching and development, they do a good job of that over there. So coming back as a senior, I'm a little afraid of how much she may be able to take over games. There are a few teams out there that have height and shut down middles, but not many, and if you leave her unchecked, Noya is able to take over a game and put it away with help from the two setters that both have middle-setting touch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Reservoir:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reservoir is another team that people like to underestimate. They are learning this year not to since [player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'] committed to North Carolina shortly after the contact period opened. Riley plays OH for HS season, despite being a DS on one of the top club teams in the country for Metro 15s. Reservoir features two very solid setters in [player_tooltip player_id='625574' first='Ashley' last='Nguyen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='763128' first='Lillian' last='Sanchez'], and has one of the MH for the Metro 17 National team in [player_tooltip player_id='942702' first='Alivia' last='Jackson']. A late loss to the team, [player_tooltip player_id='755672' first='Jaylin' last='Park'], another standout Metro player, left to go play at Georgetown Day School and committed to Emory all within the span of a few weeks. That's a big loss for anyone, but in a preseason scrimmage I caught recently, it looks like their back row will fill in the spot admirably. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["612399"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a99db2f98d76"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Riley is one of the top DS in the country. She's been a standout leader for years and in HS gets to go from sharing the spotlight with a couple other D1 commits, to running the show as the team's primary attacking option. She's tall for a Libero, so seeing her hit, it's not a reach to consider. She gets good height and uses near flawless mechanics to get a lot more power than you'd expect from her slight frame, but once she gets going you see and hear the D1 difference, placement, accuracy, speed, it's one of those times that you realize there are levels to this. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glenelg:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glenelg has been a Howard County power for years. They had great runs back with their former coach, and since Nick Sharp took over has continued that run of success. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='529251' first='Jessica' last='Li'] has been a setter for some of the best club teams in the area, and behind her is another fantastic setter in [player_tooltip player_id='749358' first='Eva' last='Bujanauskas'] who plays for Metro and is one I would have out there as much as possible even if I had to get creative. Many situations have been fixed recently by teams splitting great setting pairs and keeping both on the floor at the same time. [player_tooltip player_id='933350' first='Aran' last='Bernades'] is another great player coming up and has a lot of their height. They took a big loss this year, losing DS [player_tooltip player_id='588468' first='Bella' last='Chen'] to Glenelg Country Day school, so who lines up and plays where in the back row will probably dictate a lot of the championship picture for the state in 2A. I'm on record with how much I think Liberos and Setters should be cross trained into hybrids that can give you more offensive and defensive flexibility out there, and this is a roster that could solve a couple questions with that sort of move. It worked for both Broadneck and Severna Park last year. Time will tell. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["529251"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a99db2f98dc6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jess has set for elite, national level teams at both Maryland Juniors and [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. She's won state titles at Glenelg. There's not a whole lot she hasn't done yet going into her senior year. I'm a little surprised that she hasn't committed to a college to play yet, but there are so many variables involved in that, and I'm not sure what her specific situation is. I know that their class here locally was extremely deep at setter and there have been 9 or 10 signed JUST off of our PrepDig rankings list for 2027 setters, that's a lot of competition, and when you factor things in like academic fit, and looking for certain situations, like Ivy, geographic, majors etc. It creates a situation where there are unsigned players not through a lack of talent, but more of a lack of fit. I'm sure she's got attention, and if that's the path she wants to take, there's a fit out there for her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Atholton:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atholton has been a school with a lot of talent, especially on the net. I've expected deeper runs from them with the talent they've had, but I think it's been an issue of too loaded at a position, and not enough depth in others. [player_tooltip player_id='612397' first='Eliana' last='Koram'] is the big fish here, AVCA lists, NDTP, the works, she's headed to Tennessee after HS. There are two more players I have special interest in this season that could be a big factor in their season. MB Drea Tucker looks like the next big front court star out of the school. She's only in her second year of volleyball, but I have it on good authority she's a breakout star this season, 6'1 as a Soph and touches 10'4 already. Those are make eyes bug out of head type numbers. If the experience and IQ catches up to the raw physical tools, she's going to be an absolute force to recon with. Her club mate Dominique Harmon the next in line of front line stars, the only Freshman on Varsity and looks to be an all around 6. She, like her high flying teammate is already generating buzz with college coaches and looks to continue the tradition of Atholton and their big time net players. Play from their DS and Setter positions are going to determine their success at the end of the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["612397"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a99db2f98e0d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Eliana is committed to Tennessee, which shouldn't really shock people that have been watching her. Metro Travel, NDTP, big time prospect. She's got great power and hits well line and cut shots especially. It's a bit of a different skill set hitting pin vs playing middle where blocking is even more important than RS, but her blocking is solid, and she's got the agility to move to close things off on either side. I guess ultimately like sooo many other players in this position someone is going to have to decide for sure, MB or RS. I'm sure that conversation has already happened at the college level, so it'll be interesting to see how they utilize her. Atholton will be using her as much as they can, they have a few options at MB, so I could see her heavy on RS touches during HS season. I'll be watching to see. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a lot of competition at various levels here in Howard County. Players for the major elite clubs. Great coaches. It makes volleyball very interesting to follow around here and watch as they unfold. I'd still love to see one stabilized, winner take all tournament to determine the best of all the divisions, regions, counties and all else that makes up the DMV area. But logistically it's probably something we'll never see happen. Until then we have to settle for exciting mini races such as the ones these teams are about to leave the starting lines for. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->