Loudoun County, Va. — The 2025 high school volleyball season wrapped up on November 22 with one local team taking home a VHSL state championship in Class 5. Many teams and athletes put up solid performances throughout the year, including reverse sweeps, exciting rivalries, record-breaking stats, come-from-behind wins, and surprise shutouts. Although the 2025 campaign is over, we have one final edition of the LoCo Top 5 rankings to wrap up the season.
If you’d like to see where teams finished in each district, you can check out the full district standings here.
1. Riverside –
The Rams earned their second straight VHSL Class 5 title with a 3-1 victory over Kellam in the state championship match on November 22. They swept every other opponent—including No. 3 Potomac Falls twice and Briar Woods twice—in the Potomac District, Region 5D, and Class 5 state tournaments to reach their third straight championship match. Running the Riverside offense were senior setters/right side hitters Sydney Ray and Kenzie Davis, who flexed between setting and hitting. The Rams were led offensively by senior outside hitter Nadiya Johnson and senior middle hitter Gabbie Vizek and defensively by junior libero Camryn Coulther. With so much talent on the court and the team running in-system the majority of the time, it is no surprise the Rams repeated as state champions and remained at the No. 1 spot throughout the entire season.
2. Loudoun County +1
After a near end to their season in a come-from-behind win over rival No. 5 Heritage in a VHSL Region 4C semifinal, the Captains turned things around and made a run for their fifteenth state championship. Loudoun County captured their nineteenth VHSL Region 4C title with a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Dominion and then dominated EC Glass in the first round of the Class 4 state tournament. A gutsy 3-2 win against Grafton in the state semifinal put the Captains back in familiar territory to fight for another state title. Although they came up short in a 3-1 loss to (now) four-time defending state champion James Wood, Loudoun County fought their way back to the top and earned a bump in their final ranking. Heavy-hitting senior outside hitters Charlotte Arrington and Jo Seekford led the way on offense, while the back row defense was anchored by senior libero Isa DeWan. With a legacy of success, this Captains team held their own and finished strong.
3. Potomac Falls -1
The Panthers completed their best season in 10 years, earning a berth to the VHSL Class 5 state tournament and finishing with 20 wins. After overcoming a 2-1 deficit and surviving extra points in the fourth set against Massaponax in a Region 5D semifinal, Potomac Falls then fell to No. 1 Riverside—who handed the Panthers over half of their losses this season—in the region final. Despite a tough fight against the Region 5C champion Midlothian, the Panthers’ season came to an end with a 3-1 loss in the first round of the state tournament. But Potomac Falls has nothing to hang their heads about, as senior setter Camille Ciambruschini ran a dynamic offense and set the school’s single-season assist record. Both outside hitters (junior Lacey Bogues and sophomore Ellie Brumback) provided solid offense and defense that propelled the Panthers to new heights.
4. Dominion –
The Titans swept Region 4C opponents Tuscarora and Woodgrove to reach the VHSL Region 4C final, where they fell in four to No. 2 Loudoun County. As the Region 4C runner-up, Dominion then had to face Region 4D champion James Wood for the second year in a row in a VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal. The eventual Class 4 state champion Colonels eliminated the Titans in three, but senior outside hitters Amaya Bowles and Megan Hiltner put up a good fight, as junior setter Ingrid Smith relied on her power pin hitters to fuel the offense. Despite some ups and downs throughout the season, the Titans can be proud of winning an early regular-season tournament, edging out No. 5 Heritage twice in five, pushing No. 2 Loudoun County and Class 6 semifinalist Madison to five, and capturing their second straight Dulles District regular season title.
5. Heritage +1
Despite winning an early regular-season tournament, the Pride took some time to find their rhythm. While other teams surged at the beginning of and throughout the regular season, Heritage ended the year on a high, nearly taking down No. 2 Loudoun County in four sets in a VHSL Region 4C semifinal. Although the Pride were on the wrong end of four five-set matches—including twice against No. 4 Dominion—they were always within striking distance and fought hard until the end. Senior setter Avery Lefman and junior setter Annabelle Kim relied heavily on junior outside hitter Jasmine McBorrough to get the job done, but contributions from junior middle hitter Shannon Treloar and junior outside hitter Kaylee Mehta kept the opposing defenses on their toes. Despite early losses to the other teams in contention for this spot (Lightridge and Briar Woods), Heritage had a stronger finish and, if given another opportunity against said teams, would likely take the W.