Loudoun County, Va. — Familiar teams remain in the second edition of the LoCo Top 5 after about a month of regular season play. However, following a couple top-5 matchups over the past two weeks, there has been a bit of shuffling in the rankings. As district play continues in the Potomac and Dulles Districts, the stakes remain high as seeding for the district and region tournaments is dependent on most of the games moving forward. While there is limited action over the next two weeks, there are still a few interesting games to keep an eye on.
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 Rams remain in the top spot after sweeping Potomac District opponents John Champe and Stone Bridge and defeating both No. 5 Briar Woods and No. 4 Potomac Falls in four sets. Riverside also swept their fiercest competitor from the 2024 season (Independence) and came back to reverse-sweep the defending Class 6 state champs (Langley). Seniors Sydney Ray and Kenzie Davis are sharing time as setter and right side hitter in the 6-2 offense, and both make significant contributions from all areas of the court. The Rams’ offense is firing from all cylinders with senior Nadiya Johnson and junior Kennedy Peyton on the outside and senior Gabbie Vizek in the middle, and the defense is anchored by junior libero Camryn Coulther. Riverside will be on the road to close out the month of September with games at Heritage (24), Freedom (25), Lightridge (29), and No. 5 Briar Woods (30).
2. Dominion +1
The Titans took care of business against Dulles District opponents Heritage, Tuscarora, and Rock Ridge. At first it appeared as though it would be three sweeps, but things got interesting when the Pride battled back to take the third and fourth sets of their match. However, Dominion came back in the fifth to secure the win and remain atop the district. Junior setter Ingrid Smith is running an efficient offense that relies heavily on senior outside hitters Megan Hiltner and Amaya Bowles, who use a variety of shots to score points. Next up, the Titans will face Loudoun Valley and Broad Run on the road on September 24 and 25. The following week features some interesting matchups when the Titans then travel to No. 4 Potomac Falls on September 29 and Woodgrove on September 30.
3. Loudoun County -1
Since dropping a 5-setter to No. 5 Briar Woods—in which the Falcons won in extra points in the first, second, and fifth sets—the Captains haven’t dropped a set, en route to sweeps against Stone Bridge and Independence. Led by the heavy arm of senior outside hitter Charlotte Arrington, the crafty plays of junior middle hitter Sydney Miller, and the solid defense of senior libero Isa Dewan, Loudoun County is still a team to look out for. They will host Loudoun Valley, Rock Ridge, and Tuscarora on September 25, 29, and 30.
4. Potomac Falls +1
The Panthers continued their straight-set winning streak against Freedom, Loudoun Valley, and Lightridge. They needed 4 sets to get the job done versus No. 5 Briar Woods, but then fell 3-1 to No. 1 Riverside. Senior setter Camille Ciambruschini is a threat from everywhere on the court, and junior outside hitter Lacey Bogues jumps out of the gym. Solid defense from all seven starters makes it difficult to score on this team. Potomac Falls will face Potomac District opponents Stone Bridge and John Champe on September 24 and 25. They will then have three games back-to-back in which they will be tested by No. 2 Dominion on September 29, followed by games at Freedom on September 30 and at Millbrook on October 1.
5. Briar Woods -1
The Falcons snagged a big 5-set victory against No. 3 Loudoun County, but then fell to No. 1 Riverside and No. 4 Potomac Falls during a tough stretch of their schedule. Victories against Tuscarora and John Champe, in addition to the success they had earlier in the season, keep them in the LoCo Top 5 for now. The young team is coming together behind the senior leadership of libero Molly Gardner, and sophomore outside hitter Allie Bowen is stepping up her role on both offense and defense. Briar Woods will continue to be tested when they travel to Lightridge on September 24 and then host Stone Bridge, Freedom, and No. 1 Riverside on September 25, 29, and 30, respectively.
On the bubble: Lightridge
Once again, the Lightning remain just outside the LoCo Top 5. But another opportunity to break into the mix comes when they face No. 5 Briar Woods on September 24. After sweeping John Champe and taking down Stone Bridge in four, but then needing five sets to get the job done versus Heritage and Freedom and getting swept by No. 4 Potomac Falls, this team clearly has the weapons but will need to focus on consistency and finishing early if they want to contend for a top spot in the district. They will also face off against Tuscarora on September 25, No. 1 Riverside on September 29, and John Champe on September 30.
On the bubble: Woodgrove
The Wolverines are another team that’s been hot recently and has an opportunity to break into the LoCo Top 5. They have not dropped a set in a regular season game since being swept by South Lakes on September 3, and they were the only team at the Dominion tournament to take a set from the hosts. Since then, they have taken down John Champe, Loudoun Valley, Independence, Eastern View, and Washington (WV) in straight sets. When the team is running in-system, senior setter Morgan Sher and senior middle hitter Coco Mercker can’t be stopped. The addition of freshman outside hitter Avery Rogers also seems to have sparked new life in this team, who will face Rock Ridge on September 25 and Tuscarora on September 29. The matchup against No. 2 Dominion on September 30 will be the true test to determine if they can crack the LoCo Top 5.