Nebraska 2026 Watch List: Names to Know in Upcoming Club Season
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We already gave you a group of 2025s to follow in the upcoming club season. Let’s do the same for the 2026s. Compiling this kind of feature for the Class of 2026 is an interesting prospect given that we normally…
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Continue ReadingWe already gave you a group of 2025s to follow in the upcoming club season. Let’s do the same for the 2026s.
Compiling this kind of feature for the Class of 2026 is an interesting prospect given that we normally don’t do a deep dive into age groups younger than 15s. Still, this year’s high school season has given us insight into who might be top performers with this year’s 15s. We have plenty of last year’s club film to peer at, too.
So, let’s take a tour of Nebraska’s 2026s and identify a few players to watch come January.
Bassett enters the 2023 club season having already made a sizeable impact on the high school stage. This outside hitter dropped 160 kills in her debut season with Omaha Burke and was among Nebraska’s most efficient freshman attacker this fall. Look for Bassett to make similar contributions with Nebraska Elite.
Indeed, there’s another Booth rising up the ranks. This latest Booth iteration reminds us a lot of her older sister, Reese, but Hayden will surely carve her own unique path with Premier Nebraska. 15 Gold might choose to run a two-setter offense in 2023, and Booth will be a major factor in getting that system rolling.
Like Booth, Eckman will be a name to know among Nebraska’s 2026 setters. While we await Eckman’s chance to make an splash on the high school stage, she has a big opportunity with VCNebraska this spring. We’ll surely learn a lot more about Eckman by then.
Highlights
Erwin is one of several Omaha metro middle blockers that we’ll be following throughout the year. She put some of her frontcourt firepower on display as a varsity starter for Millard South this fall, and Premier 15 Red will surely benefit from that kind of high-level experience.
Hengelfelt has already emerged as a fascinating small-town setter to follow in Nebraska’s 2026 class. She immediately took the reins of the Cross County offense and led the team to its first state tournament appearance since 2013. Hengelfelt also allows us to get some Nebraska ONE representation in this feature, as that’s the club she’ll represent in the upcoming club season.
Highlights
Let’s bring on a few more small-town talents in this feature. Oldehoeft hails from Exeter-Milligan and will represent Southeast Grays in the club season. This middle blocker’s length and physicality should provided an instant spark to her team’s frontcourt, and I can’t wait to see how Oldehoeft continues her development.
Highlights
Bennington has been producing a quality group of all-around players lately. Skilled athletes like Olsen helped the Badgers get back to the state championship stage this year, and now Olsen will bring her talents to Premier Nebraska for club competition.
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River City Jrs is the next club to get a shoutout on this feature. Stehlik is hoping to be the next player in a long line of talented middle blockers to come out of Platteview, and it all starts this spring with 15 Navy.
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White has already given us a small glimpse at what she can do along the net. She was an instant standout when I traveled to this fall’s ASICS Challenge in Chicago, and it was simply hard to believe that White was a freshman. After a brilliant start to her prep career with Skutt Catholic, White now turns her attention toward a Premier Nebraska squad that could make some serious noise in 2023.
Highlights
We started this feature with a Nebraska Elite entry, and we’ll close this out with another one. Wingett is a physical middle blocker who has already garnered plenty of starting experience with Millard North. Her high attacking efficiency and technically sound blocking will be a welcomed addition to Nebraska Elite’s top 15s squad.