Updated Class of 2019 Player Rankings: #11-20
With the start of the summer high school camps and conditioning just around the corner, it’s time to update our player rankings as we prepare for the start of the 2018 high school season. Each day we will release more…
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Continue ReadingWith the start of the summer high school camps and conditioning just around the corner, it’s time to update our player rankings as we prepare for the start of the 2018 high school season.
Each day we will release more Class of 2019 (can you believe it, you guys are finally seniors!) rankings until we get to the top. We’ve increased the number of ranked players to 210! Remember, these lists are fluid and updated often, so if you are ranked, congratulations and just know that people will be gunning to take your place wherever you are ranked. If you are not ranked, please remember that we do the best that we can to see and evaluate as many players in the state as possible during the high school and club seasons. Just because you aren’t ranked now doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future.
For now, here are the players that are ranked #11-20. Congrats and best of luck this upcoming summer and high school season. Thanks for all you did to make high school volleyball in Nebraska so amazing!
#20 – Taya Beller, 6’1, MH/OH, Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family (Nebraska Juniors) – committed to Wayne State
What makes her so good: Beller is about as dominating of a high school volleyball player as you will find. Despite being only player on high school team with more than 100 kills (she had 487) she still hit .304 despite everyone in the gym knowing who was taking the swing. Great athlete with her best volleyball still ahead of her. In a postseason match against Palmer she had 36 kills, 4 solo blocks and 29 digs.
She can move up if: Only three middles in Class of 2019 rank higher and they are each headed to Big 10 schools. Beller is the complete package, but needs to dominate every night in high school and eliminate matches where her errors keep her hitting percentage below .200.
#19 – Cecilia Beahm, 6’0, OH, Hastings (South Central VBC) – committed to Hastings College
What makes her so good: Great leaper and powerful hitter with more than 1,000 career kills already for the Tigers. Hastings will be one of the teams to keep a close eye on this season in large part because Beahm is developing into one of the state’s best full-rotation outsides.
She can move up if: Beahm’s numbers have gotten better every year. If she wants to make a push closer to the top 10 and join the conversation as an All-Nebraska outside hitter, she needs to improve her .228 hitting average from last year. Helping Hastings end a 10-year state tournament drought and potentially lead the Tigers to their first-ever state tournament win would cement Beahm as one of the state’s best.
#18 – Emma Worthington, 5’10, Setter, Omaha Duchesne (Nebraska Elite) – committed to Cornell University
What makes her so good: Worthington is a threat in every way on the volleyball court, and that’s what made her the Class B POY in 2017. She’s a great court leader with soft hands and the ability to distribute the ball well and at the high school level is an outstanding attacker, as evident by her 269 kills to go with 862 assists last season.
She can move up if: It’s hard to imagine Worthington being able to have much better of a season than she did last year, but it’s possible – and probably necessary if Duchesne is to dethrone Skutt Catholic in Class B.
#17 – Mary Nibbe, 6’3, Setter/RS, Red Cloud – committed to Concordia
What makes her so good: Nibbe is such an outstanding natural athlete that she has become one of the best prospects in her class pretty much based on that alone with very little formal training. She’s a smooth and easy athlete for her size with great hands. She may not set at the next level, but even so, she has all the potential in the world to be an All-American level player at Concordia University.
She can move up if: After helping lead Red Cloud to new heights with the help of older sister Morgan, Mary will go it alone at Red Cloud this fall. If Nibbe can take her game to the next level and carry the load for Red Cloud, she could see her stock continue to rise toward the top 10.
#16 – Jessie Brandl, 5’7, Libero/OH, Stanton (Stanton Juniors) – committed to Wayne State
What makes her so good: There are some players that you simply can’t take your eye off of when their team plays, and Brandl has that quality. One of the best all-around athletes in the state, Brandl has excellent quickness and ability to deaden the ball as a passer, and her explosive leaping ability makes her a dangerous weapon both at the net and in the back row. She’s just 45 kills and four digs shy of having 1,000 of each already in her career.
She can move up if: Brandl is the kind of player whose motor seems to always been in overdrive, but being able to dial it back a bit with some off speed and different shots would make her more unpredictable and potentially unstoppable.
#15 – Hailey Zuroske, 5’11, OH, Omaha Marian (Premier) – committed to Wyoming
What makes her so good: Zuroske is an undeniable talent with great elevation and ability to terminate and has been a huge part of Omaha Marian’s success the past two years. Any outside hitter who can rack up more than 300 career kills in Class A while hitting over. 300 – as Zuroske has – is proof of great talent.
She can move up if: Marian is likely to rely much more on its outside hitters – and thus Zuroske – this fall. If Zuroske can maintain her efficiency while racking up closer to 300-350 kills and also contribute more in the back row, she is likely to rise toward the top of the list of 2019 prospects.
#14 – Jordan McCormick, 5’10, Libero, Elkhorn South (Nebraska Elite) – committed to Wayne State
What makes her so good: Sophomores that collect more than 200 kills at the Class A level are rare, yet McCormick did just that but has now transitioned full-time into a libero. She brings her aggressive mindset to the position and has thrived, developing into one of the best liberos in the state as proven by the fact she won the starting libero job for Nebraska Elite’s top 17s team this club season.
She can move up if: McCormick’s family moved into the Elkhorn South school district this summer and Jordan will spend her senior year with the Storm. If she continues to become more consistent in her passing and serve receive and helps Elkhorn South become a title contender, she could challenge for the top libero position in the 2019 rankings.
#13 – Erin Williams, 5’4, Libero, Lincoln Lutheran (Nebraska ONE) – committed to Omaha
What makes her so good: Williams has been one of the best liberos in the class of 2019 since the moment she started playing, pretty much and is the epitome of a bulldog and warrior at the back row quarterback spot. Williams simply makes all the plays and gets better and more consistent with each passing season. No ball is guaranteed to hit the floor with Williams on the other side.
She can move up if: Williams will be tested pretty much each night out in the Centennial Conference and in Class C-1 in general. If Williams can continue to progress in her all-around game, becoming the top libero in the 2019 class is well within her grasp.
#12 – Jaden Ferguson, 6’0, OH, Lincoln Southwest (Nebraska Juniors) – committed to Northwest Missouri State
What makes her so good: Ferguson is basically everything you would want in a player. An incredible multi-sport athlete that can terminate with the best in the state, she is also one of the most well-respected athletes in the state for her on and off-court abilities as a leader. She ranks as the second-best outside hitter in Class A and is a serious contender for Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018.
She can move up if: As scary as it might seem, Ferguson is really just scratching the surface of her volleyball talent and you can just feel a huge season coming for her. If she continues to develop her array of shots, becomes more steady and consistent defensively and carries the load for the Silverhawks this fall, there’s not telling how high she can rise.
#11 – Megan Woods, 5’10, OH, Grand Island Central Catholic (Nebraska Juniors) – committed to Omaha
What makes her so good: Some kids just have “it” – whatever “it” is. Woods is one of them. One of the best volleyball players in the state, she also averaged 18 points/11 rebounds in basketball and decided to take up tennis this spring and proceeded – with partner Jenna Lowry – to go undefeated on the season until losing in the Class B championship match. An incredibly talented athlete with an unmatched competitive drive and will to win.
She can move up if: About the only question with Woods is whether or not – at 5’10 – she can terminate at the mid-major level in college. Regardless, she’s the type of player you figure out how to get on the court. This fall, she’s going to have to match big boppers like Marriah Buss and Kelsie Cada swing-for-swing. If she can do that, she moves into the top 10.