Top Performers at Endless Summer, Fredericksburg and Other Venues

There was a lot of volleyball last week, some big games during the week and at least two tournaments over the weekend. Unfortunately, I can't be in two places at the same time but help could be on the way. My body was in Fredericksburg where Fredericksburg Christian held a tournament. Bishop O'Connell for the second straight weekend rolled through the competition for another championship. My mind was still on Endless Summer where I witnessed the last two tournaments. This one was won by a team from Colorado, Valor Christian.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Endless Summer</h2>   In 2024 Georgetown Day defeated Flint Hill to win the tournament. They swept through the competition except for Spring Mills, who went three with the Mighty Hoppers, losing the third set 15-13. The next year James Wood upset Georgetown Day, giving them their only loss of the year. The match went three with James Wood taking the third set 15-8. James Wood would go on to win their fourth straight Virginia Class 4 state championship while Georgetown Day would win the DC state championship for the third year in a row.   This year it was Valor Christian from Colorado who won the tournament. They actually came into the event 1-3 then went undefeated in the tournament with sophomores Kinsley Bernum and Kora Fisher leading the team in kills during a couple matches. They were able to sweep past Stonebridge and Cox to win the event in the gold division of pool play.   Based on some of the numbers reported during the event the players named below enjoyed top performer accolades:    Her first two years she was home schooled. Her junior year, her first year at the school she led the team in kills. StoneBridge won the VISAA Division II championship with a 38-0 record.   Last year Stonebridge played in the Girls Varsity Division I and defeated Grassfield in the championship 25-21, 27-25. This year they moved up to the Varsity Champs Division, the highest level in the tournament. They qualified for the championship round but lost to a team from Colorado Valor Christian 25-14, 25-14.   It was their second loss this season. However, Madalyn continues to lead the team in kills, accumulating close to 50 kills for the tournament. She carries an impressive .455 hitting percentage.   Madalyn has committed to the U.S. Coast Guard.     One of those players you only see playing volleyball during the high school season. She plays soccer for her high school team during club play. A very athletic middle with light, quick feet that jump through the roof. Last year her 114 blocks put her 7th in the state.   That blocking dominance continued at the Endless Summer where she strung together three or more blocks in each match. She already has accumulated 47 blocks for this season, or at least 1.4 blocks per set. That is greater than the 1.1 blocks per set she accumulated last season.     StoneBridge upset Paul VI in pool play knocking them down to the silver division. That is where they had an opportunity for a rematch against Flint Hill, who beat them in the VISAA Division I championship last year. Flint Hill won the rematch but it was another battle, 24-26, 26-24, 15-13.   [player_tooltip player_id='941986' first='Coco' last='Lewis'] was one of the top players at the tournament, accumulating more than 12 or more kills in each match she played along with playing a tight defense with a number of digs. Overall, she is the primary offensive performer for the Panthers, averaging 4.2 kills per set. She clearly leads the team in kills.   Coco has committed to Virginia.     When Hunter is on a roll, hitting the ball from the outside or behind the three meter line, Flint Hill is difficult to beat. At the Endless Summer they lost to Virginia Beach school Frank Cox to drop down to the silver division. There, they beat Paul VI and Georgetown Visitation to win the Division.   Hunter bombed 16 or more kills in three of their four matches. The one match she finished with less than 10 kills was the two set sweep over Georgetown Visitation.   Hunter leads Flint Hill in kills this year, averaging up to 5 kills per set. Her hitting percentage sits at .312. Hunter has committed to UCLA.     Last year Delaney hit outside for Flint Hill. Despite her 5'6" height she could find the court, an issue some of the taller outsides had difficulty with last season. Flint Hill surprised the VISAA Division I by winning the championship as the sixth seed. Delaney earned a spot on the first team with her clutch hitting.   This year Delaney is wearing the libero jersey, a position that is more suited to her height. She was a vacuum cleaner for volleyballs at the Endless Summer, scooping up 10 or more digs in all four matches, with two matches where she accumulated 19 digs each.   She leads Flint Hill in digs averaging 5.7 per set. She also was assigned the captain role as a sophomore and continues that captain role as a junior. Looking for a leader to control the back court Delaney has yet to commit. In my opinion an excellent addition to any team.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fredericksburg Christian Tournament</h2>   Fredericksburg Christian held a tournament. Bishop O'Connell swept through five opponents to win the tournament. Chelsea Academy scored the most points against them losing 25-16, 25-19. In the semi-finals Fredericksburg Christian battled a very strong Central Virginia Home School 21-25, 25-20, 16-14. Middle Kambri Carnahan was credited for two kills in the three set match, but it was her kill on an overset that gave Fredericksburg the set three win.   Bishop O'Connell downed St. Catherines in the semi-final 25-11, 25-12 then swept Fredericksburg in the finals 25-13, 25-15. They had beaten Central Virginia Home School in pool play 25-9, 25-17.    Macie won the MVP award at the Fredericksburg Christian tournament. She is probably one of the hardest hitters in the area. She is one of four team captains for the Knights but perhaps the captain the players look up to the most. There is always a lot of pressure to produce, especially now that the O'Connell team has a plethora of young sophomore and frosh hitters to help carry the load.   Macie is second to frosh [player_tooltip player_id='753097' first='Nadia' last='Wooten'] in kills. However, that does not always tell the story. Her hitting percentage sits at an atmospheric .527. Last year, when teams could key on her because she was the top hitter on the team her hitting percentage was .286. She also is becoming a more savvy hitter, trying to become more aware of the block. She is seeing the block better knowing that hitting cross court when the middle is up is perhaps not the best course of action. Her change of pace shots are also improving.   Macie has committed to James Madison.     Natalie was voted to the All Tournament team at the Fredericksburg Christian tournament. A very under appreciated player who stands 5'9" but when standing next to her 6'0" or taller teammates she appears shorter. She is the player who keeps the team loose, performing pushups when a server deals an ace. She also can serve an ace with a tough line drive serve. She allows others to do the push ups when she scores an ace.   Metro 16 picked her up last year to set for them. After going against higher levels of competition her setting has vastly improved. Last year, during the playoffs when [player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria'] was injured she set a 5/1. She has a 9'5" approach jump which allows her to put up a good block. If playing for another school she could set a 5/1.   An excellent team player. She is one of the first players to grab a pole to set up the nets.     Izzy was also named to the all tournament team. Last year she made the team as a frosh setting for Fredericksburg as the secondary setter to senior Chloe Borisuk, who earned a spot on the VISAA Division II second team. Last year it appears Izzy also stayed in the front row to hit right side as she was third on the team in kills. This year her role appears to have changed. She is the main setter running a 5/1 offense.   Last year the Eagles lost in five in the VISAA Division II finals to Stonebridge. This year they hope to change that fate. With Stonebridge returning all their players from their championship team it will be a challenging task but Izzy will have a say in that.   Izzy did not appear in our latest rankings but after watching her at the tournament she certainly belongs there.     Lacie was another all tournament team selection. While Izzy did not make our rankings Lacie sits at number 57 in the class of 2029 rankings. She has more of a club footprint, playing middle for [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'].   Lacie was the second frosh to make Fredericksburg last year. She led the team in blocks while also finishing fourth in kills with a team leading .322 hitting percentage. This year she continues to make a contribution, with her hitting percentage moving up to .440. She is now number two in hitting while continuing to lead the team in blocks.     Ryann sets for the Central Virginia Home School. They also earned an all tournament team selection but I did not get the name of that player. The team did have a number of stand out players including left side [player_tooltip player_id='768546' first='Eleanor' last='Jastrzemski'] and her older sister middle [player_tooltip player_id='768547' first='Nadia' last='Jastrzemski']. Lefty swinging [player_tooltip player_id='768545' first='Autumn' last='Schwartz'] hits left side, but that allows her to play six rotations to hit back row when the team runs a 6/2.   Ryann sets for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] 16, which was named as one of the top five club teams in the 16U age group. At 5'11" she brings good height for a setter. While she tends to stay in the front row to hit for Central Virginia Home School she is normally rotated out when playing for Richmond Volleyball Club. It would not surprise me that she could set a 5/1 if given an opportunity.   Ryann has committed to Liberty.     One strength for St. Catherine's is their two setters [player_tooltip player_id='888288' first='Lila' last='Cross'] and [player_tooltip player_id='888289' first='Emmerson' last='Croft']. The two also set for the same [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] team. When watching them play Lila stood out the most because of her ability to stay in the front row and hit. She appeared to be one of their strongest hitters, though left side [player_tooltip player_id='828736' first='Ada' last='Huntington'] put some balls away.   This will be the second year the two have combined to set a 6/2 for St. Catherines. Last year the two combined to give the Saints a 15-15 record with Lila getting most of the assists. They lost to Bishop O'Connell in four in the quarterfinals of the VISAA Division I state championships. This year they lost in two to the Knights in the semi finals of the Fredericksburg tournament.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Big Games from Last Week</h2>    I first saw [player_tooltip player_id='767523' first='Grace' last='Morgan'] play at the Endless Summer tournament. When she heard I was going to be out there she asked if I could stop by and watch her play. I did, but she only played back row in the game I watched. As a frosh she showed good skills playing for the varsity so she made the rankings. She was also at one of our Prep Dig showcases last year but she played with the liberos and my assigned positions to watch were outsides and middles.   This year it appears she is back to hitting outside despite her 5'6" height. She had a big game against Salem where she performed a triple double in their five set win. Grace finished the game with 15 kills, 6 aces (but 13 points for serving) and 10 digs. Cave Spring won the fifth set 15-11.   That seemed like some good production so I thought I would take a peek at her season numbers. She leads the team in kills and aces, is second in digs while also lining up for serve receive. Some nice production for a Cave spring team who has next on their agenda Christiansburg. Grace would be a good player to look at with the potential to play libero at a higher level.    Annapolis Area Christian had a big game last week with a four set win over Paul VI. Paul VI won the third set 25-17 but lost the fourth 29-27. [player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton'] ripped off 25 kills on her way to winning Maryland player of the week honors. The Eagles also swept past Reservoir where Netherton punched out 19 kills. They will travel to Las Vegas this weekend to play in the Durango tournament. Later in the week Paul VI downed Georgetown Day in four. The Mighty Hoppers won the opener but lost the next three.   West Potomac sent Fairfax their first loss, winning in five. The Wolverines improved to 3-2.   In a battle of the undefeated Handley downed Millbrook in five. Handley improves to 4-0 while Millbrook drops to 3-1.   Howard dropped River Hill in five in their opener. [player_tooltip player_id='829552' first='Anna' last='Fiedler'] led the charge with 19 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='832940' first='Jackie' last='Klugh'] contributed 15. [player_tooltip player_id='698761' first='Imagine' last='Peltier'] dished out 43 assists. Last year Jackie saw little playing time. As a senior she may have won the other starting left side.   North Hagerstown squeezed out a five set victory over Fort Hill, taking the fifth set 15-3. [player_tooltip player_id='787919' first='Charlotte' last='Booth'] banged out 18 kills. Libero [player_tooltip player_id='895591' first='Aleah' last='Merrbaugh'] scooped up 22 digs.   Archbishop Spalding downed Crofton in five winning the last two sets 25-23, 18-16 to complete a reverse sweep. Frosh [player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson'] fired off seven aces with 24 digs in the loss. Later that week Broadneck would sweep Spalding not allowing them to reach 20 points.   West Springfield continued their roll sweeping Langley. [player_tooltip player_id='693144' first='Layla' last='Babiker'] finished the day with 12 kills and 10 digs.   Bullis swept past Jackson Reed with [player_tooltip player_id='536729' first='Katelyn' last='Rolph'] equitably distributing the sets for 20 assists. Olivia Mazur won player of the match for her six kills.   Richard Montgomery renewed their championship vigor with a 3-1 win over Urbana, destroying them in the fourth set 25-8. [player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'] finished with 22 kills..   Landstown upset Ocean Lakes in five. Landstown took the last two sets 25-19, 15-10. Landstown improves to 5-1 while Ocean Lakes drops to 8-2.   Robinson pulled off an upset of South County, sending them to their first defeat at 5-1.

There was a lot of volleyball last week, some big games during the week and at least two tournaments over the weekend. Unfortunately, I can't be in two places at the same time but help could be on the way. My body was in Fredericksburg where Fredericksburg Christian held a tournament. Bishop O'Connell for the second straight weekend rolled through the competition for another championship. My mind was still on Endless Summer where I witnessed the last two tournaments. This one was won by a team from Colorado, Valor Christian.