DMV 16U Competing at USAV Junior Nationals
In this article:
This age group clearly stands out as the most watched at Junior Nationals. With June 15 now further in our rear view mirror we see a number of the top players for 2026 announce their verbal commitments to colleges. However, there still exist several more that can make a difference to a college program. Grabbing the top college recruits becomes paramount. Like the 17U, eight teams compete in this age group. One of those teams competes in Open.
Open
Metro (1/38)
Nadiya was recently added to the U.S. National team U19 20 woman roster. When the 12 team roster was finalized she was named as an alternate. She also committed to Baylor University, one of three Metro pin hitters who committed early to Division I colleges. The next big news for her will focus on her move to Virginia where she will play for a high school that made it to the finals of the State championship last year. More on that in August. After all, she still needs to officially make the team when tryouts occur in August. Something tells me she will not have any problem doing so.
This Metro team will be dangerous with Nadiya and the other pin hitters hitting missiles from outside. A fun team to watch.
Highlights
How they earned their bid - Metro won the Chesapeake Regional Qualifier to earn a National Bid. Almost a month later they upped the ante to finish third at the Northeast Qualifier to capture an Open bid.
Team Info - Like the 17U team Metro dominated early, winning the Rock and Roll Rumble in Clevland, the Mid Atlantic Power League in Hampton and their own Capitol Hill Classic tournament in DC. They did put together a disappointing fifth place finish at the Charm City Challenge, followed by mediocre 14th and 9th place finishes at the Sunshine and Mideast Qualifiers. But they achieved their goal by qualifying for Open in Nationals. Now the real work begins.
Players to Watch - left side
Morgan Williams
Morgan
Williams
6'4" | OH/RS
Lake Braddock | 2026
State
#82
Nation
VA
(1), left side
Caydence Doolan
Caydence
Doolan
5'11" | OH
North Hagerstown | 2026
State
#49
Nation
VA
(3, Marquette), right side
Nadiya Johnson
Nadiya
Johnson
6'2" | RS/OH
Riverside | 2026
State
#38
Nation
VA
(4, Baylor), middle
Teodora Stamenkovic
Teodora
Stamenkovic
6'3" | MB
george marshall | 2026
State
VA
(5), pin
Emma Gardner
Emma
Gardner
6'3" | RS/OH
Bishop McGuinness | 2026
State
OK
(8, Long Beach State), right side
Soleil Rancourt
Soleil
Rancourt
6'2" | OH/RS
Patriot | 2026
State
VA
(15), setter
Charis Burge
Charis
Burge
5'10" | S
Urbana | 2026
State
VA
(19), left side
Bryah Breaux
Bryah
Breaux
6'4" | RS
Garrison Forest | 2026
State
VA
(24), libero
Giselle Norris
Giselle
Norris
5'6" | DS/L
James Wood | 2026
VA
(26), setter
Taryn Su
Taryn
Su
5'7" | S
Wootton | 2026
State
VA
(27), setter
Sydney Bryant
Sydney
Bryant
5'9" | S
Antonian College Preparatory | 2026
TX
(28), middle
Gabriella Vizek
Gabriella
Vizek
6'0" | MB
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
(32), middle
Simone Assasie
Simone
Assasie
5'9" | MB
Urbana | 2026
State
VA
(42), libero/DS
Elly Vanlandingham
Elly
Vanlandingham
5'9" | DS/L
Quince Orchard | 2026
State
VA
(57), middle
Gabrielle Wigglesworth
Gabrielle
Wigglesworth
5'9" | MB
Georgetown Day | 2026
State
VA
(77), libero/DS
Laila Chadwick
Laila
Chadwick
5'8" | DS/L/OH
James Madison | 2027
State
#46
Nation
VA
(4, class of 2027)
North Carolina Volleyball Academy Diamond
She commutes from Virginia to play for the Diamond. You might call her a diamond in the rough. She plays for Liberty Christian Academy where she ranks second on the team in blocks and third in kills.
For Diamond she has expanded her scope for playing time by hitting right side.
Highlights
Special shout out to middle/right side
Evie Ballengee
Evie
Ballengee
6'2" | RS/MB
Liberty Christian Academy | 2026
State
VA
(45) who will play for North Carolina Volleyball Academy Diamond in the Open Division. Evie attends high school at Liberty Christian Academy in Virginia.
National
Paramount (2/252)
Something tells me her number 44 ranking should be higher. At 6'2" she brings an intimidating presence to the middle. She shares the position with
Parker Sutherland
Parker
Sutherland
6'3" | MB/OH
Hedgesville | 2026
State
VA
and
Raegan Lentz
Raegan
Lentz
6'0" | MB
Whitman | 2026
State
VA
. This team has some fun middles to watch. Raegan plays right side when the need calls for them to all play at the same time.
Her high school is not noted for their volleyball play so Meisha stood out as one of the bigger surprises this year during the club season. Her 10'1" approach jump ranks the highest on the Paramount team.
Highlights
How they earned their bid - Paramount lost to Metro in the finals of the Chesapeake Regional. That earned them an American bid. Once Metro won their Open bid Paramount moved up to a National bid. Even with the bump up a slight disappointment since their goal always focuses on achieving an Open bid.
Team Info - Paramount played in the Triple Crown, the first Chesapeake club to compete in that event. They finished 61 out of 120 teams. Some disappointing finishes in National Qualifiers as well (Sunshine, Show Me and Northeast) left them short of achieving goals for an Open bid. Their best finish in these Qualifiers was 29th. They dominated in local tournament play.
Players to Watch - middle
Parker Sutherland
Parker
Sutherland
6'3" | MB/OH
Hedgesville | 2026
State
VA
(7), middle/right side
Raegan Lentz
Raegan
Lentz
6'0" | MB
Whitman | 2026
State
VA
(10), left side
Eden Tardy
Eden
Tardy
5'10" | OH/DS/L
Quince Orchard | 2026
State
VA
(11), left side
Morgan Reeves
Morgan
Reeves
5'10" | OH
St. Johns | 2026
State
VA
(14), libero/ds
Alexa Smith
Alexa
Smith
5'7" | DS/L
Hedgesville | 2026
State
VA
(21), libero/ds
Lilly Kennedy
Lilly
Kennedy
5'5" | DS/L
National Cathedral | 2026
State
VA
(29), right side
Sydnee Peters
Sydnee
Peters
5'10" | RS
Centennial | 2026
State
VA
(35), middle
Meisha Sykes
Meisha
Sykes
6'2" | MB
Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. | 2026
State
VA
(44), right side
Piper Xeller
Piper
Xeller
5'11" | OH
Herndon | 2026
State
VA
(52), setter
Mackenzie Davis
Mackenzie
Davis
5'11" | S
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
(135), libero/DS Madison Phan (138), setter
Avery Prendergast
Avery
Prendergast
5'9" | S
Bishop O'Connell | 2025
State
VA
(52, class of 2025)
540 Volleyball Academy Elite (1/250)
Our number three prospect for the class of 2027. While she hits middle for 540 she also can dominate from the left side. At the East Coast Championship her outside hitting and back row play led 540 to the championship.
Looking forward to seeing what position she plays in the Junior Nationals. Her future appears to be as an outside. Alyssa has registered for the DMV Prep Dig Stock up Show case coming August 3. A special player to watch because of her athleticism. She also enhances her indoor game with some beach action.
This coming high school season watch out for Mountain View. They carry some talent on their roster with Alyssa leading the charge.
Highlights
How they got there - They won the Old Dominion Qualifier.
Team Info - 540 Volleyball Academy finished the season off with a bang by winning the East Coast Championship. Three teams playing in the Nationals, MVSA Sparks, Virginia Juniors and Maryland Juniors lost to them in that tournament. So did AAU participant VA Wave. 540 also won the Charm City Challenge but they played in the Premier Division and not Open. As if that is not impressive enough, they also won the 17/18 Open Shamrock Showdown, beating a strong Blue Ridge 18 team. Playing in the Qualifiers 540 finished ninth in the Sunshine USA, but 29th in the Lone Star playing in the USA Division. They moved up to Open in the Northeast where they placed 43rd out of 48 teams.
Players to Watch - middle/left side
Alyssa Kumah
Alyssa
Kumah
6'0" | MB/OH
Mountain View | 2027
State
#75
Nation
VA
(3, class of 2027), left side
Lindsey Canty
Lindsey
Canty
5'10" | OH/DS/L
North Stafford | 2026
State
VA
(18), setter
Aubrey Parker
Aubrey
Parker
5'11" | S/RS
Courtland | 2026
State
VA
(20), right side
Elizabeth York
Elizabeth
York
6'3" | MB/RS
Colgan | 2026
State
VA
(34), middle
Jasmine Williams
Jasmine
Williams
5'11" | MB
Colonial Forge | 2026
State
VA
(36), libero
Kadie Cardozo
Kadie
Cardozo
5'5" | DS/L
Colonial Forge | 2026
State
VA
(48), left side
Kylee Cookson
Kylee
Cookson
5'8" | OH
Hylton | 2026
State
VA
(72), left side
Riley A. Forehand
Riley
A. Forehand
5'10" | OH
Caroline | 2026
State
VA
(74), setter
Elizabeth Robinson
Elizabeth
Robinson
5'7" | S
Colgan | 2026
State
VA
(97),
American
MVSA Sparks (4/511)
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Highlights
How they got there - A third place finish in the Chesapeake Qualifiers. The only two teams they lost to were Paramount and Metro. They beat Virginia Juniors and Maryland Juniors, who are both playing in the Freedom Division. When Paramount received a bump up to National, after Metro qualified for Open MVSA jumped from Freedom to American.
Team Info - MVSA has dominated at the local level, winning three local tournaments. A third place finish at the National Harbor tournament was a good start to their season. A 21st place finish in Capitol Hill Classic fell short of expectations. Once the local tournaments ceased the success became more difficult. They played in two National Qualifiers (Northeast and Mideast) in the Liberty Division. Their best finish was 45th. The East Coast Championship fifth place finish ended their season on a more positive note.
Players to Watch - left side
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth
Mitchell
5'9" | OH
Richard Montgomery | 2026
State
VA
(23), setter
Charlotte Deraleau
Charlotte
Deraleau
5'10" | S
Winston Churchill | 2026
State
VA
(38), middle Eliza Lowe (43), setter
Anasofia Zanellato
Anasofia
Zanellato
6'0" | S
Bishop McNamara | 2026
State
VA
(49), right side
Fallon Gyapong
Fallon
Gyapong
5'10" | RS
Jams Hubert Blake | 2026
State
VA
(50), libero/DS
Kennedy Cummins
Kennedy
Cummins
5'3" | DS/L
Glenelg Country School | 2026
State
VA
(61) Libero/ds
Mia Fornasiero
Mia
Fornasiero
5'9" | DS/L
Bullis | 2026
State
VA
(62), left side
Sara Foster
Sara
Foster
5'9" | OH
Thomas S. Wootton | 2026
State
VA
(134)
East Coast Volleyball Club Pink (20/1320)
How they got there - Finishing second in the Old Dominion Qualifier.
Team Info - Normally the black team is the first team. Apparently not this year. The East Coast Pink played in a couple National Qualifiers (Sunshine and Northeast) in the Liberty Division, finishing a little below the middle of the pack in both tournaments.
Players to Watch - This team has not been on my radar. They are now.
Freedom
Virginia Juniors (9/338)
How they got there - Normally a fourth place finish in the Chesapeake Qualifiers does not give you an invite to the dance. Once Metro earned an Open bid it created a bump up for the two teams below them, creating an opening for Virginia Jrs to slide into the Freedom Division.
Team Info - Juniors ended the season well with a third place finish at the East Coast championship. A third place finish at the National Harbor Showdown started their season well. In between those two tournaments Juniors struggled a bit. In the three National Qualifiers (Sunshine, Show Me and Northeast) Juniors fell far short of a bid while playing in the USA Division. Their best finish was 23rd. Even the Capitol Hill Classic (17th place) fell short of expectations. The USAV Junior Nationals seems like a good time to light it up.
Players to watch -middle
Sydney Bennett
Sydney
Bennett
6'2" | MB
Patriot | 2026
State
VA
(12), setter
Sydney Ray
Sydney
Ray
5'8" | S
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
(25), libero
Bailey Swinton
Bailey
Swinton
DS/L
Arundel | 2026
State
VA
(81), libero/ds
Celiana Caraballo
Celiana
Caraballo
5'4" | DS/L
Walter Johnson | 2026
State
VA
(114), setter
Briana Vo
Briana
Vo
5'4" | S
James Madison | 2026
State
VA
(126), outside
Chloe Lin
Chloe
Lin
5'10" | OH/RS
Langley | 2026
State
VA
(Watch)
Maryland Juniors (16/874)
At 5'8" some would say she is small for an outside. She impressed enough to earn a number 92 ranking. Isard was a new addition to our rankings in May of last year. Her appearance at the Junior Nationals , as well as her registration at the Prep Dig showcase in Las Vegas stand out as good opportunities for exposure.
Highlights
How they got there - A fifth place finish in the Chesapeake Regionals earned them a bid once other clubs were bumped up.
Team Info - They were registered for AAUs in the Elite Division but I did not see any results for them. In the Sunshine and Northeast Qualifiers they played in the Liberty Division. They finished in the mid 40s for both. In the two big local tournaments National Harbor (11th) and Capitol Hill (33) they did not fare well. A good finish in the Nationals would end their season well.
Players to watch - left side
Isard Bernades
Isard
Bernades
5'9" | DS/L
Glenelg | 2026
State
VA
(92), left side
Terry Spring
Terry
Spring
5'10" | OH
Arundel | 2026
State
VA
(102), setter
Avery Hubbard
Avery
Hubbard
5'10" | OH
Glenelg | 2026
State
VA
(140)
540 Volleyball Academy Nat'l (8/690)
How They got there - A third place finish in the Old Dominion Regionals
Team Info - Normally, I do not watch second teams play. Despite the second team designation they did play in the Northeast Qualifier in the American Division. They finished 41st. While the first team plays mostly in Open tournaments the second team battles it out in club.
Players to Watch - middle
Carolina Eastlake
Carolina
Eastlake
5'11" | OH
Courtland | 2026
State
VA
(91), libero
Isabella Park
Isabella
Park
5'4" | DS/L/S
Mountain View | 2026
State
VA
(DMV Expo)
Richmond Volleyball Club Shines at AAUs
They came into the tournament as ninth seeds in the Elite Division. For most of the tournament they played like top seeds. While they won their first 11 matches it was not easy. They played three matches that went three sets. All of those went to Richmond Volleyball Club but by two points in each set, either 15-13 or 16-14.
After sweeping the Northern Lights 16-2 team in their opening match of the championship bracket, they lost their first match, a three setter to Gainsville Juniors. The third set ended in a 15-10 loss. For Gainsville It was just one of two sets they lost in the tournament. They would go on to win the gold in the championship bracket.
The only player ranked in our top 150 for Richmond Volleyball Club in the class of 2026 is libero Bailey Loving Bailey Loving 5'8" | DS/L St. Catherine's | 2026 State VA (120). She earned that ranking for her play at St. Catherines. I have not had an opportunity to watch Richmond Volleyball Club play.
Their setters are
Kenstin Phelps
Kenstin
Phelps
5'9" | S/RS
Liberty Christian | 2026
State
VA
and Karlei Gibson. Karlei sets for Colonial Forge but when I watched them play Isabel Ostvig ran a 5/1. The Eagles lost in five to eventual State champions Langley in the playoffs. The 5'10" Karlei should get more of an opportunity to set this year. She belongs to the class of 2025. Kenstin sets for Liberty Christian the same high school as middle
Evie Ballengee
Evie
Ballengee
6'2" | RS/MB
Liberty Christian Academy | 2026
State
VA
, who will play for North Carolina Volleyball Academy Diamond at the Open Division in USAV Nationals.
Molly McCall, Corinne Cook (class of 2025) and Olivia Leonard each stand above 6 feet. Definitely some players to put on my radar next year for the high school season.
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