Battle of Bethesda, Sunshine State Struggles and Other Venues

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big week and weekend of volleyball for the DMV area. <strong>Georgetown Day </strong>discovered how difficult it is to win in Florida. <strong>Holy Cross </strong>took down <strong>Richard Montgomery</strong> in the Battle of Bethesda and <strong>Annapolis Area Christian</strong> knocked off a powerful <strong>Howard</strong> team in a Bel Aire tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sunshine State Invitational</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Georgetown Day</strong> learned what Bishop O'Connell and Flint Hill learned a number of years ago. It is difficult to go down to Florida to win a tournament, especially one in which four of the top 50 nationally ranked teams are there to compete. More importantly, Florida starts their season in mid-August while Georgetown Day did not begin their season until early September.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the first day all the teams in the Mighty Hoppers pool had played at least 5 matches before Georgetown Day started their season. The Hoppers were also debuting a number of players at various positions, setter, libero and middle. Their first match of the day came against <strong>Beachside</strong>, followed by the fourth ranked team in the country <strong>Orangewood Christian</strong>. On a high note they scored more points against Orangewood Christian than they did against Beachside. They battled <strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong> in their third match before losing 25-21, 25-23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This dropped them down to the Copper Division where they lost their first match against <strong>Wando</strong>, a team from South Carolina 27-25, 25-23. They could not get a win in their last match against <strong>Jupiter,</strong> losing 25-17, 25-16, leaving Florida without a victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Georgetown Day will learn from those losses as they start their conference schedule. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377396' first='Alexa' last='Telly']</strong> led the team in kills with 53 total kills for the tournament. She stayed very consistent throughout all the matches she played in, getting no less than 8 kills in a match and rising to 15 kills. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='499215' first='Charlie' last='Haft']</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1046820' first='Evelyn' last='McDermott']</strong> got opportunities to run the offense. Even <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750050' first='Raquel' last='Telly']</strong> appeared to get an opportunity to set in the last match. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='772034' first='Giselle' last='Conley']</strong> led the team in blocks with 4. And finally, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755672' first='Jaylin' last='Park']</strong> making her libero debut for the team received additional reps at the position playing in this tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["499215"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6abbbb73b4b5b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Coming into this year Charlie had another expectation of filling the back up setter roll to DC Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='292644' first='Caycee' last='Chhum']. Life issues interfered with Caycee finishing her senior year with Georgetown Day thrusting [player_tooltip player_id='499215' first='Charlie' last='Haft'] into a starting setter role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year Charlie played in 62 of the 68 sets for Georgetown Day but that time was spent in specialist roles such as serving, defense and the occasional setter role that accumulated 52 assists compared to the 665 assists by Caycee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 5'2" her small stature will restrict her role to a 6/2. However, she did set for the Metro National team last year so the setting skills exist. All she needs now is the opportunity. She is getting that this year, leading the team in service aces and assists. A player that offers versatility with her defensive skills and setting abilities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sometimes to be the best you have to get beat by the best. That is the process of learning. The Mighty Hoppers next prepare to battle Georgetown Visitation on Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend <strong>Bishop O'Connnell</strong> and <strong>Paul VI</strong> will travel to Arizona to play in the Nike Tournament of Champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Holy Cross Takes Another Battle of Bethesda Championship</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Holy Cross and Richard Montgomery have played in the finals at least in the last three Battle of Bethesda tournaments. Two years ago <strong>Richard Montgomery </strong>won it. Last year <strong>Holy Cross</strong> took home the gold. This year the two split in pool play, with the Rockets taking the first set and the Tartans winning the second. When it came down to the championship the Tartans ran on all cylinders, sweeping the Rockets 25-14, 25-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1046789"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6abbbb73b4bc1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">High school ball brings a strange mixture of skill levels to their varsity teams. For Holy Cross they carry three Metro Travel players in<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536721' first='Ana' last='Woods']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1004682' first='Aniston' last='Williams']</strong> who are destined for Division I volleyball play. Mix them with setters from Metro Regional and Maryland Juniors second teams who try their best to gain attention from the college scouts, but whose skill level may fall short of Division I caliber.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1046789' first='Trinity' last='Rowles']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887098' first='Vivian' last='Blue']</strong> are the primary setters running a 6/2 for Holy cross. While the three Metro travel players get all the attention with the velocity of their spikes striking the floor what is often times overlooked is the quality of the set that allows it to happen. Holy Cross has been one of the top five high school teams in the area over the last dozen years. This is the second year both Trinty and Vivian have set for the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Annapolis Area Christian Sweeps Past Howard</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Annapolis Area Christian</strong> swept past four opponents, including <strong>Bullis</strong> to play in the championship match against <strong>Howard</strong> at the Bel Air High School tournament. Last year Howard finished 38-0 to win the Class 3 Maryland State Championships. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong> distributed 10 kills with 7 aces while also collecting a team leading 10 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='781700' first='Gianna' last='Bonnett']</strong> appeared to play libero in this match snatching up 7 digs.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='896390' first='Harper' last='Walker']</strong> did not appear able to participate in this tournament. The Eagles won in two 25-18, 25-16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howard also swept through their opponents before getting beat by Annapolis Area Christian in the final match. The loss ended a 46 match winning streak for the Lions. Howard next does battle with Hammond on Wednesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["781700"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6abbbb73b4c0f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Gianna often gets overlooked in the defensive arena because her role is restricted to defensive specialist. For club she plays with one of the top liberos in the area <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson']</strong>. For high school she plays with another quality libero in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='896390' first='Harper' last='Walker']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend Harper was not available giving Gianna an opportunity to play libero. She proved quite capable as Annapolis won the tournaent, beating the Class 3 Maryland state champion Howard in the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At Prep Dig, we are quite familiar with the defensive prowess of Gianna. She was the second libero/defensive specialist to win the MVP at a Prep Dig showcase event. The first libero winner was her club teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quality teammate and a quality libero. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Significant Game Action Last Week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lancaster</strong> (12-2) downed <strong>Middlesex</strong> (11-2) in five, pulling out the reverse sweep with 25-15, 25-20 and 15-11 wins in the last three sets. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='768375' first='Alexis' last='VerMeer']</strong> finished with 27 kills, 7 aces, 3 blocks and 17 digs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='907088' first='Addison' last='George']</strong> recorded 39 digs. Later in the week Lancaster pulled out another 5 setter against Northumberland (15-2), taking the fifth set 15-10. They won without <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='768375' first='Alexis' last='VerMeer']</strong> who only played one set. <strong>Izzy Gill</strong> strung together 7 kills and 8 blocks in the win while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='907088' first='Addison' last='George']</strong> continued to be a digging machine with another 30 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["907088"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6abbc5a097728"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='768375' first='Alexis' last='VerMeer'] garners most of the attention on Lancaster. While [player_tooltip player_id='768375' first='Alexis' last='VerMeer'] accumulates all the kill stats with 165 Addison notches most of the digs with 250. Without many of those digs Alexis kill rate would not climb so high.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Addison currently ranks at 176 in the class of 2028 but she probably should be much higher. A lack of exposure because of the distance of watching her high school matches makes it difficult to make an assessment on her play. It also appears she plays softball for Lancaster during the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, her athleticism appears to shine on the volleyball court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Briar Woods</strong> (10-2) took down <strong>Lightridge</strong> (10-2), with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='772889' first='Marisa' last='Barreto']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='755848' first='Mihika' last='Mamidi']</strong> leading the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In heated WCAC action <strong>Holy Cross</strong> (10-2-1) took down <strong>Paul VI </strong>(12-6) in five. The first, second and fourth sets were all decided by two points., 26-28, 25-23, 31-29. Holy Cross won the fifth set 15-7. The Panthers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='941986' first='Coco' last='Lewis']</strong> banged out 26 kills while scooping up 17 digs in the loss. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong> countered with 28 kills for the Tartans in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Defiance</strong> (13-0) made their first appearance in the top 20 after defeating<strong> Wilson Memorial</strong> (8-2) in five. <strong> [player_tooltip player_id='845331' first='Caroline' last='Hanger']</strong> led the way with 21 kills, 5 blocks and 10 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>James Madison </strong>(15-3-1) pulled off a shocking sweep over <strong>Chantilly</strong> (8-2). This puts them in first place in the Concord Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Millbrook </strong>(6-1) took down <strong>James Wood </strong>(3-3) in four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamestown</strong> (8-1) sent <strong>New Kent </strong>(8-1) to their first defeat with a five set win. The Eagles were able to capture the last two sets 25-23, 15-13 for the victory. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1046809' first='Genesis' last='Anderson-Tayman']</strong> collected 12 kills with 7 blocks in the win. New Kent received 20 kills with 8 aces, 5 blocks and 11 digs from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='764689' first='Carly' last='Sachs']</strong>. She was two aces shy of a triple double. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Churchill </strong>(6-1) needed five sets to take down <strong>Whitman </strong>(3-4). <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='438053' first='Lucille' last='Deraleau'] </strong>(26) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='762829' first='Angela' last='Zhang']</strong> (22) combined for 48 kills. Lucille also contributed 16 digs and 4 blocks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1046812' first='Stella' last='Tian']</strong> accounted for 58 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->