Power Four Conference Players Competing at Capitol Hill

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Triple Crown will not be showcasing all the young players with Power Four conference potential. The Capitol Hill Classic will have a few from the DMV area. In the class of 2028 and 2029 below are a few names worth checking out. In a few years they will be competing in either the Big Ten, SEC, ACC or Big 12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2028 Power Four Potential at Capitol Hill</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":732503,"width":"629px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.501502019107653","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/Emerson-Wolfe.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-732503" style="aspect-ratio:1.501502019107653;width:629px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this point in the class of 2028 only one player has the talent level to compete in a Power Four conference. Others could still find the window with improvement or growth. The top twenty is filled with either players from Metro, [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] (which is playing in Triple Crown) or clubs not competing in Capitol Hill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell']</strong> outside Metro - Last year at Junior Nationals she was voted MVP in the National Division for her domination in leading Metro 15 to the Gold. While it was not the Open Division she still had a pretty impressive tournament. Her top spin serve was virtually unreturnable, she provided the bulk of the offense from both the front row and back row and her back row play was solid. She also dominated at the high school level stringing together 416 kills, the third most in the state of Maryland. Only Gatorade Player of the Year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='303701' first='Caydence' last='Doolan']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='933340' first='Maliyah' last='Coleman']</strong> a class of 2028 player who played in a smaller conference generated more kills. Maliyah recently appeared on my watch list after I saw her play for Liberty Elite in a recent tournament. She is legit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two other players, left side <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='787533' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha']</strong> and libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko']</strong> were named to the All tournament team as well. While Chika hit at an amazing .570 hitting percentage in high school and dominates at the club level her 5'8" stature may go against her in the recruiting scenario. The higher the level the greater the size the more difficult the challenge. Predicting where liberos go is a very inexact science. Perhaps in July when contacts can be made we will have a better idea. Riley certainly brings the skill set to the libero position to play in a Power Four conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wild card could be <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe']</strong>, who usually dominates at a grade level one year down. Currently Emerson is playing for Metro 15. She dominates at that level. For Holy Cross she made the team as a frosh, led her team in kills with an impressive .359 hitting percentage and earned a spot on the WCAC first team. She plays a solid six rotations for both Metro and Holy Cross. Playing done in club does not seem to have negatively influenced her in high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2029 Power Four Potential at Capitol Hill</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":882987,"width":"534px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/07/123-Scarlett-Netherton-crop-2327x1528-1756840312.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-882987" style="width:534px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The names here seem to be dominated by Metro, but two of their players originally played at Maryland Juniors last year. Affiliations have a way of changing. Of the top three ranked players in the class of 2029 I don't know if I really have a true number one, but all have Power Four potential. Of course, the class of 2029 is still a year away from knowing where they will be going, but college coaches have undoubtedly made their interest known. It won't be until July of next year when Division I coaches can make official contact with class of 2029 players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria'] </strong>setter/right side - She is a 6'1" setter who may also be one of the top hitters from the right side in the 2029 class. As a frosh she made first team state in the VISAA and first team WCAC. A thumb injury prevented her from participating in the playoffs crashing Bishop O'Connell's hopes for doing well. Hers was not the only injury to a starting player during the playoffs, but it was the most significant. Her .409 hitting percentage made the top ten in the state of Virginia. Carolyn recently participated in a National Team Performance Development (NTPD) session.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748513' first='Scarlett' last='Netherton']</strong> left side - Last club season Scarlett played for Maryland Juniors 14. She set and hit right side. For her high school season at Annapolis Area Christian and for Metro 15 she has moved to left side. Her setting days appear to be done. She has also reached 5'11" in height with an approach jump reaching 9'8". While that approach jump falls short of [player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria'] and [player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas'], she generates some incredible downward trajectory on her hits while rarely getting blocked. Her volleyball IQ seems off the charts. For her high school she finished fourth in Maryland in kills, just behind [player_tooltip player_id='536719' first='Katherine' last='Mitchell'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748487' first='Sierra' last='Thomas']</strong> left side - Sierra is one of the few players who stayed with Maryland Juniors. Her jump and athleticism comes from her father who played professional basketball for a number of years with the Washington Wizards. Her 6'0" height comes with an approach jump of 10'5". As a frosh she started for Bishop McNamara but an ankle injury caused her to miss some time during the season. It did not stop her from making the WCAC first team. Maryland Juniors may not have the same success at the 15 age group as they did last year at 14 with so many departures to Metro. However with Sierra on the floor they are certain to have a player who generates offense quite easily from both the back row and front row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750047' first='Caroline' last='Conroy'] </strong>middle - Caroline ranks at number 14 in our class of 2029. This was because her game was a bit raw last year. This year she could be a player to watch. She was connecting pretty good on a couple quick tempo sets from [player_tooltip player_id='746506' first='Carolyn' last='Maria']. At 6'3" she brings good height to the middle with an approach jump that reaches 10 feet. She also got her first invite to NTDP so the future looks bright. Time will tell how that talent progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">BAVA Blaze Nips [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 15 in Pennsylvania Kickstarter</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a number of Chesapeake an Old Dominion teams that went to Pennsylvania and did well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":945431,"width":"730px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.3333406218568242","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/IMG_3004.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-945431" style="aspect-ratio:1.3333406218568242;width:730px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] 15</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 15 age group five Chesapeake teams went to Pennsylvania to play in the Kick Starter in Pennsylvania. Two of those five appeared in the finals. The Bay Area Volleyball Club (BAVA) Blaze, led by 6'1" setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='766895' first='Neely' last='Olish']</strong> and outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='763138' first='A'vielle' last='Lewis']</strong> downed [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] in three in the finals 25-18, 20-25, 15-7. The loss in the second set was their only loss of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] this was a nice showing for them. BAVA has eight players ranked in the class of 2029 and could have their libero [player_tooltip player_id='932773' first='Jemma' last='Peterson'] ranked highly in the class of 2030. [program_tooltip program_id='511606' first='Vienna' last='Elite'] has only two players ranked in the class of 2029, both their setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='775737' first='Hadley' last='Chang'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888520' first='Rachel' last='Bauer']</strong>. This could change after their performance last weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='945610' first='Hannah' last='Wiggins'] </strong>led the team in kills with 26 while also contributing 27 digs. Last year she played as a frosh for Trinity Christian. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='945614' first='Rachel' last='Balle']</strong> contributed in the middle with her 16 kills and five blocks. She also started for Trinity Christian as a frosh. Defensive specialist <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939972' first='Elly' last='Benavides-Rivas']</strong> contributed 11 aces with 23 digs. She also made the varsity as a frosh, playing for Dominion. Her serving also proved potent for Dominion as she finished third on the team in aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two main cogs were setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='775737' first='Hadley' last='Chang'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888520' first='Rachel' last='Bauer']</strong>. Rachel had to run a 5/1 during the Sunday playoffs because Hadley was out with food poisoning. Hadley set for the Junior Varsity at Bishop O'Connell while Rachel set for the Annandale varsity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":945597,"width":"651px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.3333406218568242","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/Roanoke-United-win.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-945597" style="aspect-ratio:1.3333406218568242;width:651px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Roanoke United Red 17</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An Old Dominion club Roanoke United Red won the 17 age group. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='767523' first='Grace' last='Morgan']</strong>, who ranks at number 106 in our class of 2028 appears on their roster. Their only set loss came in the finals when they beat Octane Terrors 9-25, 25-15, 15-7. Don't know what happened to them in that first set but during pool play they were the team limiting opponents to single digits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And in the 18 Division Volley Viet with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='455177' first='Briana' last='Vo']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='664150' first='Nalani' last='Applehans']</strong> won their division. They also lost just one set, in the finals to NxtLvl Blue 23-25, 26-24, 15-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->