"The One Who..." Edition of the 2024 National Rankings

The Class of 2024 rankings are live and here is a little dive into what athletes are rising at the top. Listed are some individuals as well as combination of players where you can’t talk about one without the other. I’ll be taking a deeper dive into some of the athletes listed in the 2024 National Rankings in preparation for June 15 when they can start to talk to college coaches as well as getting ready for national tournaments in Orlando and Indianapolis. “The One Who Is At The Top” [player_tooltip player_id="119707" first="Skyler" last="Pierce"] - Olathe Northwest (KS)- Dynasty 16 Black 6’2 - Outside Hitter The number one overall prospect in the Class of 2024 Prep Dig Rankings is [player_tooltip player_id="119707" first="Skyler" last="Pierce"]. What makes her the top prospect besides being the top player on the top team in the country? Pierce is lethal in every rotation on the court as an outside hitter. She can attack out of the backrow and is a pure point scorer for either pin. The way she goes about this is with all the positive intangibles looked for in an athlete, that’s the Dynasty 16 Black squad in general. They have a whole team of athletes who play with discipline, they play the game the right way, they don’t have a glaring weakness that teams can expose. They may drop a set here and there, but to take two out of three is real tough as this team has a season full of qualifier wins and a Triple Crown title. Pierce’s game will translate well to the college level where she has a high contact point, knows how to use the hands of the blockers, and has a mix of shots that will allow her to score in multiple ways. She will train with the USA U19 Youth National team this summer. There have been top college programs on the courts of this Dynasty squad where they not only have some of the top prospects from the Class of 2024, but they also have top prospects out of the Class of 2025 with Abigail Mullen and Reese Messer. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> [player_tooltip player_id="162772" first="Charlie" last="Fuerbringer"] of <a href="https://x.com/MizunoLongBeach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MizunoLongBeach</a> is a fun athlete to watch. She is a super smooth setter and hits on the pin as well @TCVolleyballNIT <a href="https://t.co/ZuRdXbwwof">pic.x.com/ZuRdXbwwof</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1495055492212789250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> “The One Who Does It All” [player_tooltip player_id="162772" first="Charlie" last="Fuerbringer"] - Mira Costa (CA) - Miuzno Long Beach 5’10 - Setter/Pin Hitter The PAC 12 will be giving Fuerbringer a call, as well as plenty of other top programs across the country. Fuerbringer brings a really unique skill set to the court where she does it all. She can hit on the pins and sets for Mizuno Long Beach where she just has such a presence on the court. How she commands herself and leads her team is special, others really gravitate towards her, raising the level of play on the court. She makes a lot of these skills look effortless, she has great footwork combined with a smooth release where she can put her attackers in position to terminate. Fuerbringer has plenty of accolades to her name, including being selected to the USA U19 Youth National team along with Pierce coming up this summer in Tulsa. With her ability to play multiple positions, she will be a big time asset to any team she plays for.   [caption id="attachment_182306" align="alignright" width="392"]<img class="wp-image-182306" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/02/DSC03884.jpg" alt="" width="392" height="261" /> Ames[/caption] “The Ones Who Dominate The Middle” [player_tooltip player_id="155117" first="Ayden" last="Ames"] - Prosper (TX) - TAV [player_tooltip player_id="201074" first="Elizabeth" last="Andrew"] - Ridgefield (WA) - Athena The middle blockers in this class have plenty of speed and power, they are able to have a huge impact on the game where they aren’t only hitting high above the block with a simple quick tempo in front of the setter, but they are moving along the frontline where they can attack in multiple ways with swings going multiple speeds and angles. Ames is another athlete who will be training with the Youth National team and is one of the most dynamic attackers in the class. She can run the slide, in front and behind the setter, and can swing on the pins as well. Her athleticism and strength allows her to do plenty of things others cannot do. [player_tooltip player_id="201074" first="Elizabeth" last="Andrew"] out of the Pacific Northwest of the country from Athena Volleyball Club and Ridgefield High School in Washington has been a major rise among middle blockers nationally. She is in the heart of PAC 12 country and could have a big time impact in regards to the recruiting in that conference. She can move laterally extremely well and has a fast arm swing where she his thumping the ten footline before she hits the ground. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> More sweet slide hitting on display. Kate Simington does the honors here for <a href="https://x.com/MNSelect?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MNSelect</a> 17-1. Awesome connection with [player_tooltip player_id="107264" first="Stella" last="Swenson"]. <a href="https://t.co/cmMosD5gOM">pic.x.com/cmMosD5gOM</a> — Austin Kingsley (@KingsleyATK) <a href="https://x.com/KingsleyATK/status/1512850328231849990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> “The Ones Who Command The Court” [player_tooltip player_id="126024" first="Alexis" last="Haury"] - Silverton (OR) - NPJ [player_tooltip player_id="107264" first="Stella" last="Swenson"] - Wayzata (MN) - MN Select [player_tooltip player_id="201010" first="Isabella" last="Starck"] - Rampart (CO) - Colorado Juniors These are some of the top setters in the Class of 2024 and they bring a combination of size, physicality, athleticism, and have the “It” factor about them where they can run the show. Haury is a highly touted setter from the Pacific Northwest where she can really move the ball around, playing at a high level and getting her attackers the right matchup to terminate. Swenson definitely has the lineage with a family full of volleyball out of the Twin Cities Metro area. She won a state title for Wayzata in Minnesota’s largest class this past fall and was named the Gaterade Player of the Year as a sophomore. She has plenty of length and physicality where she is a threat in every rotation and a presence at the net as well. Starck also has some volleyball lineage where Colorado Juniors has had a top player with Stack on their jersey the past few years, her older sister playing at Penn State and mom played at Texas. Starck has a ton of athleticism where she can set and swing. She will also be heading to Tulsa to train for the USA U19 Youth National Team.