Top Travel Teams in the DMV for 18U and 17U

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the club season is winding down it is time to take a look at the top five teams for the 2024 season in the 15-18 year old age groupings. My rankings are based on the National Rankings calculated by Advanced Event System (AES). We start with the 18U and 17U for the DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area. Our next post will identify the top five travel teams in the DMV area from the 16U and 15U age group. Both the Chesapeake and Old Dominion Regions are included in the rankings. The national ranking is listed on the right of the club's name in parenthesis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>18 Under</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Metro (16)</strong> - The only team in the top 100 among this age group. They finished in ninth place at the National Championships in Baltimore. Last year they ranked 17 nationally so they improved one. The team was led by two 17Us on the left side in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu']</strong> (Georgia Tech) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181300' first='Alexis' last='Ewing']</strong> (Penn State). Class of 2024 <strong>Mickhaila Murray </strong>(Temple) also contributed from the back row and left side, depending on the need. The setters were <strong>Erin Debiec</strong> (Colorado State) and <strong>Natalie Nguyen</strong> (Georgetown). One of their top middles <strong>Madison Bowser </strong>(Vanderbilt) was injured and unavailable for the nationals, but Metro brings depth with <strong>Sierra Evans </strong>(Ohio University) and <strong>Rori Gray</strong> (Louisiana Tech).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='309024' first='Caroline' last='Lang']</strong> (Virginia) moved from right side to middle because of the Bowser injury. <strong> Lilah Stevens </strong>(Navy) showed an impressive vertical from the right side. She brings a very fast arm swing as well. <strong>Mailinh Godschall </strong>(Duke) and <strong>Eve McLaury</strong> (Brown) handle the back row responsibilities. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='249341' first='Baylee' last='Doolan']</strong> (Navy) belongs to the class of 2025 and can hit or play back row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No wonder Division I colleges come recruiting for Metro players. They accomplished this ranking without two of their better players from previous seasons <strong>Emerson Sellman </strong>(Ohio State) and<strong> Ryla Jones </strong>(Pittsburgh) who sat out their final season for early college enrollment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Renaissance (189)</strong> - They were a surprise team among this group, finishing fourth in the Chesapeake Regional Qualifiers. This club formed late this season after East Coast Power closed shop for the DC area. They won a bid by finishing first in the Northeast Qualifier (American Division) and then placed 11th at the Junior Nationals in the American Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They picked up a number of players from Maryland Juniors to power the team, including setter <strong>Lindsay Kelley</strong> (Bridgewater), right side <strong>Payton Swinton</strong> (Coppin State) and left side <strong>Devinna Walker</strong> (Copping State). Libero <strong>Taylor Johnson </strong>((Norfolk State) covered the back row, but she could also hit outside. Another player who ranked in the top 150<strong> Kendall Washington</strong> played a smaller but effective left side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] (197)</strong> - Perhaps a disappointing season for them. They failed to qualify for Nationals falling short of earning a bid in the national qualifiers. An administrative error prevented them from competing in the local Chesapeake Regional Qualifier. They did get to compete in the Triple Crown where they finished 73rd out of 104 teams. A better showing at open qualifiers or the Triple Crown may have gotten them an at large bid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Left side<strong> Kylah Presley </strong>(Arizona State) was their biggest offensive force. They also picked up <strong>Aubrey Hatch</strong> (Radford) from Virginia Juniors to play opposite Kylah. DC Gatorade player of the year <strong>Clara Yu </strong>(Colombia) shared setting duties with<strong> Paige Ahakuelo</strong> (Delaware State). <strong>Harlan Wyche </strong>(Fairfield) and <strong>Camille Pomeroy</strong> (Loyola Marymount]) shared the middle. The back row responsibilities were controlled by <strong>Natalie Carlin</strong> (Fairfiled) and <strong>Paula Sigurani </strong>(Morgan State).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beach Elite Black (207)</strong> - Beach Elite won their local Old Dominion Qualifier to earn a National bid. They finished 27th out of 48 teams. They also finished a strong second at the Capitol Hill Classic, losing only to Metro in the finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kayla Foley </strong>(Michigan State) is an elite libero who led First Colonial to the Virginia State class 5 championship, earning MVP honors in the process. Left side <strong>Victoria Tupy </strong>(Cambell) was their top offensive presence. Middle <strong>Blakely Barnes</strong> (Berry) stands 5'11', considered small for a middle, but she is an elite blocker. She grabbed the best blocker award at the Capitol Hill Classic. Left side <strong>Avery Hanley</strong> (Christopher Newport), defensive specialist <strong>Megan Stone</strong> (The Citadel) and setter <strong>Grace Slovensky</strong> (Old Dominion) were other Beach Elite players earning a place in the top 150 for the class of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valley Juniors (218)</strong> - They won the 17/18 age group in the Shamrock Festival. No Junior National appearance. The only qualifier they played in was the Northeast Qualifier where they finished 16th out of 46 teams in the USA Division. Unfortunately, I never saw them play</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The only player listed in the top 150 is middle Natalie Rocco. She blocked well and was a key offensive force for Western Albemarle high school. She also earned Jefferson District player of the year honors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>17 Under</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":185924,"width":"240px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/03/Anna-1.jpg?w=1016" alt="" class="wp-image-185924" style="width:240px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] (78) </strong>- Nationally, an unfamiliar name to most in the volleyball world. Recruiters should pay a little more attention to their play. According to AES they are the number one club in the Chesapeake Region. Based on what I could find they played [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] and Metro once each and lost both matches. They also lost to MVSA Starz, our fifth ranked team. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] did qualify for a bid in the USA Division in the one qualifier they played in (Northeast) but turned down the bid. They will play in AAUs instead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two pins <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181299' first='Ada' last='McCoy']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='243771' first='Berkeley' last='Konrady'] </strong>(William &amp; Mary) are the strength of this team. Ada plays for West Virginia power house Musselman and earned MaxPreps player of the year honors for West Virginia. [player_tooltip player_id='180302' first='Emma' last='White'] (North Alabama), who normally plays libero set for them this year and did an incredible job. She will play beach for North Alabama. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='290899' first='Ava' last='Dickerson']</strong> plays middle, she hits like an outside. She won player of the year for her district hitting as a left side. A true team player. Right side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='309032' first='Samantha' last='Stephens']</strong> stands 6'3" with a powerful left handed swing. Lots of talent playing in the shadows on this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Metro (83)</strong> - They won the Capitol Hill Classic, the Charm City Challenge and the Chesapeake Qualifier. Failing to earn an Open bid in a qualifier limits them to playing at the National Division in the Junior Nationals in Las Vegas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181303' first='Isabelle' last='Bardin'] </strong>(Purdue) controls the offense, normally setting a 5/1. She also played on the 18 team in the Junior Nationals hitting from the right side. At 6'3" she brings height to the setter position. The pins are left sides<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='181307' first='Leni' last='Stanton-Parker'] </strong>(Michigan) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181805' first='Madison' last='Smith'] </strong>(Brown), with right side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181763' first='Jada' last='Aksu'] </strong>(Lafayette). The middles are rotated with [player_tooltip player_id='235284' first='Caitlin' last='Johnson'] (Santa Clara) and the Moore sisters,<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='181764' first='Kristen' last='Moore'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181313' first='Alexandra' last='Moore']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235293' first='Destini' last='Pickett'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181304' first='Sarah' last='Jeremias']</strong> can both play a strong back row but each has the flexibility to show some power hitting left side. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238358' first='Evie' last='Huang']</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='528451' first='Sadie' last='Gladhill'] </strong>(Buffalo) are the primary back row players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] (103)</strong> - [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] will play in the American Division in the Junior Nationals. They fell short of earning a bid while playing in a number of Open Qualifiers. They did play in Triple Crown and finished 53 out of 120 teams. At the Chesapeake Qualifier they finished in third place but received a bump up to the American Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top player on this [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] team has to be middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181309' first='Brianna' last='Holladay']</strong> (Virginia Tech). After that you go with libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235291' first='Sadee' last='Gedse']</strong>. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo']</strong> and left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='249330' first='Charlotte' last='Arrington']</strong> both belong to the class of 2026 but were key contributors. The other left side <strong>Adriana Perodin</strong> belonged to the class of 2024. Lots of other pins to choose from including <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='248705' first='Zoe' last='Ryu'],</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181311' first='Skyler' last='Tennant']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181235' first='Sydney' last='Mayfield'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='183589' first='Angelique' last='Desamours']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='225187' first='Simone' last='Schaefer']</strong> can play both left side or middle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Virginia Elite (105)</strong> - Virginia Elite actually won their meeting with [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] in the Chesapeake Regional Qualifier. They were bumped up to play in the National Division in the Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. Virginia Elite normally does not participate in the local qualifier. Their philosophy had been to always play at the Open levels in tournaments and since the local qualifier did not accomplish that they tried to qualify for Junior Nationals by playing in Open Qualifiers. They always fell short of earning a bid and usually played in the Open Division at AAUs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181298' first='Ana' last='Toumazatos']</strong> (James Madison - pictured above) and right side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181243' first='Evelyn' last='Jurden']</strong> (Rhode Island) carry the offense. Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181242' first='Shylah' last='Swope']</strong> (William &amp; Mary) feeds the offense with her precision sets. She also brings the highest approach jump to the team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='475116' first='Jocelyn' last='Pye']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='464589' first='Julia' last='Kelly'] </strong>are the other pins that contribute to the offense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='181279' first='Kadi' last='Pynchon']</strong> (Lafayette) takes care of the libero position</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MVSA Starz </strong>(124) -Some injuries to key players left them short of appearing in the Junior Nationals. They finished a disappointing seventh place in the local Chesapeake Regionals and fell short of earning a bid at the Qualifiers. They will play in AAUs in the Premier Division. (Edit: MVSA website shows MVSA Starz earned a bid in Liberty for finishing third in the NEQ. They declined the bid because they already committed to AAUs.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235748' first='Ema' last='Djordjevic'] i</strong>s their big stick on offense. She remains the only player in the top ten in the class of 2025 that has not committed. Ema can set, play back row while also hitting both sides of the pin but this year predominantly playing right side. Swinging left handed could be her biggest strength. Richard Montgomery high school recently voted her athlete of the year for leading her school to their first state championship. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='309030' first='Corinne' last='Howard']</strong> is an undersized middle that oozes athleticism. She can dominate the game in the middle and does play some outside. Love the intensity and fortitude of libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='235749' first='Kareena' last='Rathnam']</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='306543' first='Sherry' last='Ye']</strong> also rotates in at the libero position. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='322103' first='Iris' last='Duan']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='322104' first='Katie' last='Tomaszewski']</strong> share the setter position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->