A Look Behind The Scenes: Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings

That time of year!  Prep Dig will typically post updated rankings twice a year - prior to the high school season and in between the high school and club season.  This past year has presented some challenges in seeing the volume of players that we are typically accustomed to seeing, but we have found a way.  At the end of the 2021 club season, I took some time to reflect and looked back at a calendar and realized I had attended nearly 40 multi-team events in the past year.  I know my counterparts at Prep Dig have been to more than a handful as well.  We do our best to provide the most accurate ranking between where players fall as well as where they are playing high school, club, and where they have committed to play college volleyball.  Here are a few more tidbits to know when taking a look at the updated Class of 2022 Rankings. 

How Did This Class Start? 

The Class of 2022 in Wisconsin was the first class we had where before these athletes had a day of high school, we had a watchlist of 50 athletes started.  We continued to monitor these athletes and also continued to add more to the list.  After three years of club at the high school level, and three years (kind of somehow during covid) of high school ball, we are now up to 187 players in our rankings. 

How Do We Evaluate and Rank? 

Athletes are playing on high school teams, club teams, switching clubs, playing in different tournaments across the country, where do we even begin?  After being part of rankings in multiple states for multiple classes, we start at how athletes perform at the highest level.  How are athletes contributing at the Open level at national events?  Are those the only courts we watch?  Absolutely not.  We are covering multiple courts in a variety of settings, but we place a high value on how well athletes perform against top competition and work our way from there. 

But What About Stats? 

All State, All Conference, and various lists of statistics off Max Preps or what a club coach will send us are a good resource but is not the whole story.  Rankings can get a little messy when we start comparing statistics.  That’s why we value the eye test and we start with the performance at the highest level.  To see someone excel at a high level against top competition, we know who is doing well based on what we see and without a stat program in front of us.  We also watch many of these athletes multiple times to get a true feel for where they fall into place. 

How Do We Value Athletes Based On Position? 

This is one of the most subjective parts of the ranking.  A middle blocker only plays three rotations compared to this outside hitter who plays six rotations.  The libero is one of the most important positions, they are the top defender.  An outside hitter is more important than a libero, a libero doesn't score points.   This setter should be ranked higher, they run a 5-1 compared to another setter who runs a 6-2 (but that setter plays right side as well).  These are all statements we've heard and it's really difficult to have a metric or precise way to rank these athletes when we have to factor all positions.  The best answer to this question is we rely on the eye test and the overall impact they have on the game.  That's why we watch these athletes in a variety of settings and multiple times to get a true feel for who they are as a player. 

Do Rankings Reflect Where Athletes End Up For College? 

Not always.  While going through the recruiting process, athletes need to consider “Best Fit” and not necessarily “Highest Division”.  There are so many variables in the recruiting process that need to be considered for the athlete.  We have athletes in our rankings committed to schools of a variety of divisions across the country.  We love hearing the stories of why they chose their school.  No school has ever given a scholarship or taken away a scholarship due to a Prep Dig ranking.  Is it a resource for them?  Sure, but big decisions are not based on our rankings. 

Why Did My Player Ranking Drop? 

Since the last rankings, we added over 20 players to our Class of 2022 rankings.  Between athletes rising up the rankings and new athletes being added, it can be very common for a ranking to drop.  Does this mean you have not improved?  Absolutely not.  It's a math problem.  More athletes added to the rankings usually means some player rankings will move down.  For the younger classes, this can be pretty drastic.  Will this affect your recruiting?  Read "How Are Rankings Used" below. 

How Are Rankings Used? 

We have over 200 college coaches throughout the country that subscribe to Prep Dig.  Our rankings provide schools a resource to see where athletes are playing club and if they are committed (and if so, where).  We are one of the only volleyball resources that cover athletes as deep as we do in each state.   There are plenty of national lists floating around, but for a D3 coach to look at our rankings and get a list of athletes who are capable of playing at the next level is very rare.  We also have college coaches who read our articles as well as follow our social media to keep tabs on who is performing well as well as getting a pulse on who is committing and where. We do not rank based on who players (and their parents) are telling us who they are being recruited by, that is a slippery slope.  Once again, there are many factors that go into a ranking, but basing a ranking solely on where an athlete is committed is not a consistent and dependable way to rank. 

What If I Need To Update My Information? 

Email info@prepdig.com This will be the fastest way to update any player information needed.  We know there are changes happening across the state and as much as we try and keep up with everything, we know the more players we cover - the tougher it is to update the height from 5’8 to 5’9.  Did you commit?  Congratulations!  Tag us on your social media post @PrepDigWI and we will be happy to share the information and get it updated on our website.