This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox 5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.
With the volleyball regular season in the books, it’s officially playoff time in the DMV. Here are three players who got the job done to earn All-DMV volleyball player of the week:
A’vielle Lewis, Sophomore, Outside Hitter, CMIT North
Last week’s Prince George’s County championship game provided a raucous atmosphere for a battle between two of the county’s most dominant volleyball programs: CMIT North and Eleanor Roosevelt. Lewis, the Golden Tigers’ dominant outside hitter, said it was the loudest gymnasium she’s played in this fall.
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Despite all the noise, Lewis met the moment and helped her team make some school history. The sophomore outside hitter racked up 32 kills in a 3-1 victory over the Raiders, giving coach Mark Snyder’s team its first-ever county championship victory.
The Golden Tigers leaned on her early and often — Lewis provided a barrage of kills in the first set to give her team an early advantage. After dropping the second set, Snyder’s team turned to Lewis time and again.
“I really feel like from the beginning of the season we were really working hard during the summer, so I knew that we were going to get far,” Lewis said after the victory. “I feel like we have a good chance of winning states, so I’m very excited for the future.”
Kiara Oguno, Junior, Middle Blocker, Thomas Jefferson
The Colonials swept their way to a National District title last week with wins over Mount Vernon, Edison and Hayfield. Oguno, who was also named district player of the year, totalled 29 kills across the three victories, hitting at an efficient .446 clip.
It’s the second District title for coach Tim Kao’s team, and the first in 13 years. The group will be carrying a 15-game winning streak into the region playoffs.
Kennedy Williams, Senior, Outside Hitter, National Cathedral
Williams had an unforgettable Senior Night last week against St. Andrew’s Episcopal. In a 3-1 win, Williams totaled 39 kills on 60 swings — an astounding 9.8 kills per set — to break the program’s single-match kills record. She also eclipsed 1,000 career kills in the victory, setting her senior season total at 431 putaways.
The Seton Hall commit is an experienced veteran on an otherwise young National Cathedral team, so coach Owen Ranger relies heavily on Williams as the team’s main source of offense. Because Williams often receives between 60 and 70 swings per match, Ranger thought she might have an outside shot at eclipsing the 1,000-kill mark at the beginning of the season.
“Everything had to break right,” Ranger said. “And then it did.”
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