Loudoun County, Va. — After two weeks of regular season games, we have our first edition of the LoCo Top 5. The first couple weeks have featured non-district matchups and tournaments, as teams are settling in and figuring out new lineups and rotations. With the start of district play just around the corner, it’s no surprise that the favorites to win each district top the list. But being so early in the season, there is still plenty of time for things to be shaken up.
Of course, if you’d like to see where teams stack up in each district, you can check out the full district standings here.
1. Riverside
The defending Class 5 state champions started the season strong with a tight 3-2 win over Patriot and a 3-1 win over No. 2 Loudoun County. Although they dropped a couple matches against Handley and defending Class 4 state champion James Wood at the August 30 tournament hosted by James Wood, the Rams still hold the top spot in the county as they begin district play against No. 4 Briar Woods on September 9 and John Champe on September 11.
2. Loudoun County
The Captains pulled off sweeps of No. 5 Potomac Falls, Freedom, and Lightridge over the last two weeks. They dropped a 4-setter to No. 1 Riverside—which was almost pushed to a fifth after a thrilling 33-31 Rams victory in the fourth—and lost a few matches during the same James Wood tournament as Riverside, but this team is full of weapons and will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to No. 4 Briar Woods on September 8 and host Stone Bridge on September 9.
3. Dominion
The Titans also fell victim to their opponents at the James Wood tournament, but turned things around at the tournament they hosted on September 6, only dropping one set all day and earning the top spot among the eight teams competing. They also picked up sweeps against John Champe and Freedom and will look to continue their win streak when they face Heritage in a district contest on September 11.
4. Briar Woods
The Falcons jumped out to a 3-0 record after a reverse sweep of Independence and 3-1 victories against Heritage and Broad Run. Freshman setter Kayla Chang does a nice job distributing the ball, and senior libero Molly Gardner is providing some much needed leadership to the young defense. The Falcons struggled against some familiar foes at the Dominion tournament, but this freshmen-heavy team is catching on quickly and proving that they shouldn’t be counted out. They will be put to the test with games against No. 2 Loudoun County on September 8 and No. 1 Riverside on September 9.
5. Potomac Falls
The Panthers haven’t dropped a set since being swept by No. 2 Loudoun County in their season opener on August 25. They picked up big wins against Broad Run, Tuscarora, and Heritage over the last couple weeks and will have a busy week ahead when they face Freedom, Loudoun Valley, and Lightridge on September 8, 9, and 11, respectively.
On the bubble: Lightridge
Similar to Potomac Falls, the Lightning were also swept by No. 2 Loudoun County and won their other games up to this point, but instead of sweeping all their opponents, they needed five sets to get the job done versus both Independence and Woodgrove. Senior middle hitter Amara Pope and sophomore middle hitter Giuliana Mastrangelo provide opportunities on offense as well as the first line of defense with their block. Senior setter Faith Ramirez has plenty of options when the Lightning are running in-system. The September 11 matchup between the Lightning and the No. 5 Panthers should be a good one and could be the opportunity Lightridge needs to break into the LoCo Top 5.