The Top Ten Prospects in the DMV Area for 2026

June 15 has almost arrived. That date is important in that it becomes the first opportunity for college coaches to contact players from the class of 2026. While official updated rankings will not come out until sometime after August 3, below are what could be the top ten players from the class of 2026 in the DMV area.   Three of the top five teams in the DMV area for the 16 U travel teams comprise all of players from the class of 2026. Metro rosters five, [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] three and [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] two. [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'], another of the top five clubs in the area rosters the third ranked player in the class of 2027 while also carrying two in the top twenty for the class of 2026.    Getting added to the U19 US national team has certainly upped her value. In international play six rotation right sides are usually the most valuable players on their team. The United States has historically lacked depth in that area. Developing players like Nadiya, who plays right side for Metro addresses the right side concerns. In the games I have watched she substitutes out for the setter, which limits her back row experience. Video shows she has the quickness and the athleticism to play back row. With an approach jump of 10'8" combined with excellent arm extension she becomes a difficult player to block. The two current right sides on the United States national team both list at 6'4" (Annie Drews and Jordan Thompson).     Morgan is a 6'4" left side who can also fly over the 10 foot mark with her approach jump. A hard worker who always tries to find ways to improve her game. Metro has given her opportunities to play six rotations. She still needs to develop more consistency with the serve receive part of the game but that will improve with more repetitions. With her work ethic her game should continually improve. Metro will play in the 16 open at the Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. A nice opportunity to bring that A game to the court. The 16Us always bring the most college coaches to the court.     Playing the sand remains her main focus. This creates the skills to develop a pretty good hard court game. At 5'11" she lacks tremendous height but she knows how to find the empty areas of the court. One skill that stands out with her is that ability to win. She led her high school team James Wood in kills her frosh and sophomore years. This resulted in two Virginia state championships at the Class 4 level and player of the year awards. Her [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] travel team ranks number two in the Chesapeake Region, just behind Metro and 54th nationally.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] only played in one National Qualifier, earning a bid at the USA Division , but turned it down because of a commitment to AAUs. They are a cost conscious club that also develops beach players. Many outside the DMV area may not be familiar with the club. They try to keep travel costs low.     At 5'11" Caydence stands as the shortest outside hitter on her Metro team. However, she shines as probably the most complete player on the team, playing six rotations with a powerful back row attack. While hitting over taller blocks imposes a bit of a challenge, she is a battler who finds far more successes while experiencing minimal failure. A .384 hitting percentage her sophomore year last year keyed her North Hagerstown high school team to a Class 3 Maryland State championship. Caydence can also reach 10 feet with her approach jump. Her older sister [player_tooltip player_id='249341' first='Baylee' last='Doolan'] belongs to the class of 2025 and has already committed to Navy.     A very quick and athletic middle with an approach jump that reaches 10'3". She also carries a tremendous wrist snap on her swings. Now that she has decided to focus on playing middle her blocking skills should improve five fold. The number of blocks her sophomore year more than doubled what she achieved her frosh year. She lost a bit of the club season this year due to an ankle injury but has recovered and is ready to shine at the 16 Open in Junior Nationals. Definitely a player to place on the radar. If the United States national team fails to grab her perhaps the Serbian national team may swoop in.     Another middle who stands 6'3" with an approach jump that approaches 10 feet. She plays for Hedgesville in West Virginia but commutes to Manassas, Virginia to play volleyball. Parker loves challenges and playing with the best will only improve her game. Putting up a solid block stands out as the best part of her game. However she gets her share of kills by hitting the quicks in the middle. A little improvement in her jump would enhance her stock. Paramount will play in the National Division at Junior Nationals in Las Vegas.     Claire plays up on the 17 team. She normally sets a 5/1. At 5'10 she brings the height to the setting position, but needs to improve on her block jump, which falls below 9 feet. Claire distributes her sets well, always leaving blockers guessing with her jump setting. Last year she set a 6'2" for Langley, leading them to a Class 6 state championship. With the graduation of Chloe Hokenson, Claire will rise to the number one setter on the team next year. Paramount 17 will play in the American Division at Junior Nationals in Las Vegas.     For the most part girls grow at a slower pace once they reach high school. Emma continued to sprout rising three inches to 6'3 from her frosh to her sophomore season. For Woodson high school she mainly hits left side. For Metro I have seen her mostly play right side. She also works hard on improving her six rotation play, spending a lot of time on her serve receive and defensive play. Her arm swing has also gotten much faster from her frosh to sophomore season. As she matures she will also get physically stronger.     The top libero for the class of 2026. She also does a pretty good job hitting outside for James Wood high school despite her 5'5" height. If she had not started the high school season last year as the libero she would have again been second on the team in kills. She plays with [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] for both beach, high school and travel ball. Together their teams win state championships or tournaments. Her role for [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] is libero.   While an avid beach player she does have an interest in playing college indoor. Her volleyball IQ for covering the court and anticipating offenses jumps off the charts. She will be playing in AAUs in Orlando. Definitely worth the watch. Lots of intensity in her game.     Someone once described Raegan's kills in the middle as automatic. Once she gets set the balls hit the floor. She may not bring great height to the middle but she brings excellent tempo. At 6'0" Paramount has two other middles taller than her. This allows her to be used on the right side more. I watched her in a high school tournament where she hit left side for Whitman. She recently played in a beach tournament with her Paramount teammate [player_tooltip player_id='412055' first='Lilly' last='Kennedy'] and they took second place. That shows me she has the skill set to play six rotations if given an opportunity to hit the pins.

June 15 has almost arrived. That date is important in that it becomes the first opportunity for college coaches to contact players from the class of 2026. While official updated rankings will not come out until sometime after August 3, below are what could be the top ten players from the class of 2026 in the DMV area.