Under Armour Watch List 3 of 3
To round out our list, we start with a dynamic duo from The Steward School in Richmond. The Steward School is a small private school in the commonwealth capital city that plays in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association…
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To round out our list, we start with a dynamic duo from The Steward School in Richmond. The Steward School is a small private school in the commonwealth capital city that plays in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association for Division 2 division.
Kennedy Crook Kennedy Crook DS/L The Steward School | 2021 State VA is a dominant pin hitter for the VISAA D2 semifinalists. For her 2019 season, Kennedy was a member of the 200/200 club with 266 kills and 231 digs, showing her abilities as an all-around player. In the quarterfinals last season, she helped Steward defeat Fredericksburg Christian in 5 sets. Despite her average height, Kennedy is an aggressive and intelligent attacker with a fast arm swing and impressive vertical leap. She has good feet on defense and serve receive and has an aggressive float serve. Kennedy was also named second-team All-State for the VISAA Division 2. She plays travel for Richmond Volleyball Club.
Hannah Lipinski Hannah Lipinski 5'6" | S Steward School | 2021 State VA runs the offense for the Steward Spartans. As the setter for the team, Lipnoski has amassed 1,833 career assists, 203 aces, and 365 digs in her last three seasons. She was named AVCA Virginia Player of the Week October 21-27, 2019. The 5’6 senior is very fundamentally sound, makes good decisions, and sets very hittable balls, allowing her attackers to take aggressive and intelligent swings. She’s a capable defender and keeps her teammates engaged with her leadership and intensity. She plays travel for the Old Dominion Volleyball Academy.
The Class 6A runner-up, Woodson High School Cavaliers, has two dominant players on the list. After a great 27-5 season, the Cavaliers expect big things in the 2020-21 season. Senior Amy Burkhardt Amy Burkhardt 5'11" | OH Woodson | 2021 State VA is an intimidating 6’0 Outside Hitter for the Cavaliers. Her 2019 season was her breakout year, amassing 391 kills and 270 digs on the outside for the program. She was named MaxPreps Player of the Match a whopping 27 times in 32 matches in 2019. She had a double-double in the state finals against Kellam High (Va Beach, Virginia), tallying 12 kills and 11 digs in a four-set loss. She committed to the University of North Florida for her post-high school playing career. She relocated to Florida and will play club for her senior season.
Ruthie Ridderhoff Ruthie Ridderhoff 6'0" | MB Woodson | 2021 State VA is a dynamic Middle Blocker for the Cavaliers, setting the base for the team’s defense with her exceptional blocking. The 6’1 Middle reads the opponent’s offense well and closes blocks, making it difficult and frustrating for opponents. She works hard in defensive transition to be an option offensively. She can hit the full span of sets from anywhere along the net. She’s collected over 100 career blocks for the Cavaliers. She played travel ball in 2019 with fellow Under Armour AVCA Watch list selections Grace Frigaard Grace Frigaard 5'11" | OH James Wood | 2021 State VA and Lainie Putt Lainie Putt 5'10" | RS James Wood | 2021 State VA .
Carmela Ribadeneira was one of the top players for the Episcopa Maroons. The 5’7 versatile hitter with an explosive vertical leap and powerful arm swing. She has solid defensive and serve receive skills. She compiled 135 kills for the 2019 season for the Maroons, who finished the season 15-11 record and a quarterfinals loss in the VISAA Division 1 state playoffs. Unfortunately for the Maroons, Carmela has relocated to Florida and will finish her senior season for the Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, Florida.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Under Armour have released their 2020 watchlist for the top high school players in Virginia. To be eligible, the players have to be in their senior year, nominated by their head coach who is members of the AVCA, and have their stats entered into MaxPreps. The team is selected from thousands of nominees by a selection committee. From the watchlist, the committee will select three All-Region Teams on November 4, 2020. On November 11, 2020, the committee will select three teams of 24 players to participate in the Under Armour All American game. The game is tentatively scheduled for January 1, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. The remaining 72 athletes will be honored with the Honorable Mention Awards.