Eleven Elite Frosh Influencing Playoff Races

The high school season is coming to a close. One of the biggest surprises of the season is how influential the frosh class has been in defining who participates in the playoff races. Below are some of the elite frosh who are making a significant impact.    When you think of frosh making an impact your first thought is as a secondary role player. Not the case with Nadia. Not when you are fifth in the state of Virginia for kills. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='385968' first='Macie' last='Murray'] provides the steady guidance to take some of the pressure off Nadia, ranking seventh in the state of Virginia in kills. The two balance each other nicely.   Coming into the high school season Nadia ranked first in the class of 2030. At her current pace she could rank first in the state of Virginia. O'Connell is first in the WCAC and first in the initial rankings that came out for the VISAA. They also fall just outside the top 50 in the country according to Max Preps. Much of that is the result of Nadia's contribution to the offense.     I can only speak from what I saw at the Virginia Volleyball Showcase. Arina starts at middle for Ocean Lakes. She plays a significant part of their offense. She contributes on both ends, putting away quick tempo sets to open up the pins and putting a stop to other offenses with a formidable block.   Ocean Lakes is on top in the Beach Conference at 11-1. With Independence high school moving from class 5 to class 6 Ocean Lakes is now one of the favorites to finish first in the Virginia class 5 division state championship. That would not come so easy if not for [player_tooltip player_id='1000565' first='Arina' last='Huseva'] and her middle play.     Last year Crofton finished 8-8. Their 3-2 record put them third in the region. This year they lost their opener but have now raced off to a six game winning streak. A large credit for that success points to libero frosh [player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson'], whose passing and defense keeps the Cardinals in system.   Jemma leads the team in service aces and digs while also taking up much of the court for serve receive. This past summer she won the MVP award at the Prep Dig frosh showcase.   Another frosh contributing to Crofton's success is middle [player_tooltip player_id='1001184' first='Autumn' last='Williams'], the only player on the team to play all 26 sets.   That six game winning streak was recently broken with a 5 set loss against defending Maryland Class 4 state champion Broadneck. However, the journey is not yet completed.     Finley was named a top performer at the recent Prep Dig frosh exposure showcase in July. At 6'2" she can dominate a game whether she is playing in the middle or right side. Her left handed swing makes her a better fit for the right side.   She appears to be hitting from the pins for Glenelg Country School. She is second on the team in kills, while also third in blocks. The fact that she also sits third in digs indicates she is getting some six rotation play.   Glenelg is currently first in their region. They are also getting contributions from their 5'11" frosh middle Georgiana Campbell who is second on the team in blocks. Glenelg Country School will compete in the IAAM playoffs at the end of the season. Last year they won the "B" Bracket, so it is my understanding they will move up to the "A" bracket where they will compete against Annapolis Area Christian.     Independence was my pick to win Class 5 in the VHSL. However, after that selection I learned that Independence moved up to Class 6. I also learned that [player_tooltip player_id='290176' first='Kieran' last='Rhoton'] was going to sit out the 2027 season and her younger sister [player_tooltip player_id='990790' first='Kinley' last='Rhoton'] fell short of making the varsity.   Despite all that Independence has turned a 6-12 season from last year to 14-2 this year. They are also 10-0 in the Cedar Run District. One of the biggest contributors is left side [player_tooltip player_id='849196' first='Leyla' last='Landry'], who appears to be one of two machine guns who provide the offense from the left side. She and senior [player_tooltip player_id='471485' first='Kaelyn' last='Wharton'] make for a dynamic duo. Now the Class 6 Virginia State championship is within their site.     Jackson Reed's record with the big dogs outside their conference (Flint Hill, Holy Cross, Bullis and Georgetown Visitation) sits at 0-4 (1-12) but against local DC teams they are still the top team at 11-0. One of the players responsible for that continued D.C. domination is frosh [player_tooltip player_id='1013119' first='Sofia' last='Fuentes Hawketts'], who leads the team in kills to go along with a .329 hitting percentage. As a middle she also ties for the lead in blocks.   Prior to her arrival the Tigers were considered a pretty good volleyball team. Last year they were 15-0 against local teams. The hope is that with her maturation as a player they will be more competitive outside the DC area. Perhaps even a second DC state championship is within their grasp.     The Mustangs sit in fourth place in the very competietive WCAC, behind three of the top teams in the DMV area, Bishop O'Connell, Holy Cross and Paul Vi. Earlier this week they held a 20-12 lead against Bishop O'Connell only to fall short 27-25. Right after that they swept St. Johns. In years past they used to occupy the bottom of the conference. Now they sit comfortably among the top four.   [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'] is their top offensive player providing much of the offensive production along with their left handed hitting right side senior [player_tooltip player_id='534058' first='Alexa' last='Bracey']. However, [player_tooltip player_id='1006166' first='Kateri' last='Arah'] brings her 6'0" height to the floor leading the team in blocks. She still needs a little more work to perfect that offensive game in the middle but she has the athleticism for growth. Last year she played for the Metro 14 travel team that has a handful of players leading their high schools toward playoff runs.     Hickory finds itself in second place to Grassfield in the Southeastern District. Grassfield has their own frosh back row player [player_tooltip player_id='1008294' first='Brooklyn' last='Cassidy'] that is doing well as a defensive specialist. However, [player_tooltip player_id='1004626' first='Preslirose' last='Hanks'] is wearing the libero jersey for the Hawks. She leads the team in digs while also sitting third in aces.   Big match for Hickory next week as they do battle against Grassfield. Preslirose is the fourth ranked libero in the class of 2030. Early in the high school season she was identified as a frosh who could make a difference for her high school. That appears to be true as they make a run at Grassfield.     Chantilly was one of those teams with excellent pin hitters in [player_tooltip player_id='716365' first='Skyler' last='Riley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='455102' first='Erin' last='Green']. The challenge for the Chargers was to find someone to get them the ball after the graduation of setter Sarah Kim. That responsibility appears to have fallen on frosh [player_tooltip player_id='1037500' first='Sofia' last='Harris']. She runs a 5/1 for the Chargers as they sacrifice some height in the front row for the consistency they get from her setting. Last year they did the same with Sarah, who only stood 5'6".   At 5-1 Chantilly find themselves one game behind James Madison in the Concorde District. They have big games coming up next week against Oakton and James Madison.     Zenaia has taken over the defensive specialist position at Flint Hill. She is second to libero [player_tooltip player_id='784849' first='Delaney' last='Malloy'] in digs while also playing an important role in serve receive. She is another player from Metro 14 travel helping her team in the high school playoff run.   For Metro Travel she took a back seat to a couple 2029s in [player_tooltip player_id='888626' first='Blake' last='Ahn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='777558' first='Kayla' last='R Tutoni'] who saw most of the back row action for Metro 14 travel. She certainly shows the quickness to cover the back row for the Huskies. She also flashes a tough serve sitting third in aces for the Huskies.     The Mustangs play in the expansive Northwestern District. Last year they finished fourth in the District with Kettle Run topping the standings.   This year they find themselves third in the Northwestern District with a recent sweep of Kettle Run. [player_tooltip player_id='1042315' first='Avery' last='Brown'] is only 5'9" but she is playing a solid middle for the Mustangs. She provides significant offense up the middle with a strong serve. They will need that consistency when they reach the District playoffs.   Her future lies with playing the pins but the Mustangs have some strong seniors playing that position. For this year she fills a critical hole for them in the middle.

The high school season is coming to a close. One of the biggest surprises of the season is how influential the frosh class has been in defining who participates in the playoff races. Below are some of the elite frosh who are making a significant impact.