New "Live Eye" 15s With Big Statements At NLQ

The way I schedule my coverage calendar, I start with 18s, 17s, 16s pretty much all season, and I don't start watching the 15s until the end of March into April of Qualifier season. The reason why is for a lot of 15s, it takes a couple months to figure out their team dynamic, and even in March/April it can be a little bit of a rollercoaster ride. This past weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier was a chance to see some high level 15s for the first time this season. Here are names to know from the Class of 2026 who are going to be ones we are going to talk about for potentially years to come.   <a href="https://prepdig.com/2023/03/nlq-15-open-and-16-open-photo-gallery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NLQ – 15 Open and 16 Open Photo Gallery</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01791.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-358200" width="468" height="312"/></figure>   Legacy 15-1 Adidas - NLQ Champions   I saw Legacy play at Central Zone back in January and I knew that this team would be one who could win some major tournaments throughout the 2023 season. Mission accomplished. [player_tooltip player_id='226886' first='Gabby' last='DiVita'], the 6'2 outside hitter who played up on the 15s team last year was going to be one to watch. She really turned it on this weekend where she was scoring points out of the front and backrow. She can also attack from the middle and right side depending on what the defense is giving her and where she is in serve receive. [player_tooltip player_id='226909' first='Kayla' last='Nwabueze'] was automatic out of the middle. She has great athleticism and explosiveness where she makes it really tough to stop when she can get in system. Her fire she celebrates with gets the rest of her team hyped up. Setter, [player_tooltip player_id='226907' first='Eva' last='Long'] was getting her middles involved early which opened up the pins for a lot of one on one matchups. Legacy will head to Windy City and Lone Star where they will have a clear target on their back, but seeing them compete this past weekend they will be up for the challenge.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639680852056498176?s=20 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson'] - Houston Skyline 15 Royal   Outside Hitter   Thompson was one of the top players in the 15 Open field with her ability to terminate on the outside. There are parts of her game comparable to former Legacy outside and current Nebraska athlete, Harper Murray where she has an extremely high contact point and can cut some really sharp angles. There is a huge upside to her game, plenty of college coaches were on her court where they are still over a year from being able to officially recruit her. This is a really talented Skyline team who will be in the hunt at other qualifiers this season.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01813.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-358375" width="510" height="340"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anderson</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='318127' first='Henley' last='Anderson'] - Austin Performance 15 Adidas   Laney Hennessee - Austin Performance 15 Adidas (2025)   Outside Hitter   Anderson looks like she could dominate on the 17s court with her size and physicality as a six rotation outside.  She has a really heavy swing that allows her to score points, but what is most impressive is her all around game where she can serve receive, pass, and attack.  AP was never out of system with the likes of Anderson where she can be relied upon to attack and score out of the backrow. Hennessee came up huge throughout the weekend where the day two pool for AP was a gauntlet, going 3-0 with wins over Drive Nation, Colorado Juniors, and Houston Skyline. She is incredibly fast to the ball and can find the open spot, especially down the line in the deep corner.    [player_tooltip player_id='275936' first='Paighton' last='Erb'] - Nebraska Premier 15 Gold   Middle Blocker   Erb has quite a snap on her swing where she can find the angles to score points with authority. The Freshman out of Columbus, Nebraska is able to score in system in front of the setter, but she can also score off one foot on the slide. At six feet tall, Erb has the high touch on the block and the lateral quickness to close the block and provide a tough when the opposing side can least expect it. Her athleticism was one of the best among middles in the entire field.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01719.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-358373" width="363" height="242"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Martin #5</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='222089' first='Grace' last='Martin'] - Pohaku 15-1   Outside Hitter   [player_tooltip player_id='222085' first='Julia' last='Anisimova'] - Pohaku 15-1   Libero   Pohaku is a really fun team to watch at all levels.  They play with a lot of ball control, tempo, and scrappiness where they can find ways to win in the clutch.  One of their biggest point scoring friends is [player_tooltip player_id='222089' first='Grace' last='Martin'] who is long and athletic, scoring points in multiple ways for this club out of the Kansas City area.  Martin is a six rotation player who can do it all and will be one to keep tabs on due to her length and high IQ already at the 15s age.  Another athlete to keep tabs on with this Pohaku team is libero [player_tooltip player_id='222085' first='Julia' last='Anisimova'].  She plays under control and knows how to anticipate in order to beat the ball to the spot.    Giavanna “Gigi” Artiles - Tribe 15 Elite Cardinal   Outside Hitter   Artiles is another athlete who is physically playing at a different level. At 6'2, she's a six rotation outside hitter who packs a major punch with her swing. She was a key piece for Tribe advancing to day three gold pools. Tribe has been making a statement at multiple levels where their 16s have already punched a ticket for an open bid as did this 15s team at the Sunshine Qualifier. With the likes of Artiles, this team has a chance in every match with her ability to score in and out of system.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639632223824494593?s=20 </div></figure>   Sydni Lafasciasno - Dynasty 15 Adidas   Outside Hitter   [player_tooltip player_id='222096' first='Selah' last='Simien'] - Dynasty 15 Adidas   Libero   Watching Dynasty take on Milwaukee Sting Saturday morning was quite possibly the match of the day. This was my first time seeing this Dynasty group play and they are on-brand with the rest of the Dynasty teams where they value ball control, great setting, and utilize all of their attackers. Lafasciasno is a high flyer, she is really tough to defend because she can find the openings on the court and can use the block to her advantage. Libero, [player_tooltip player_id='222096' first='Selah' last='Simien'] has so much range. She can handle the whole left side of the court when it comes to serve receive and playing defense against an outside attacker. This group made it to gold pools, and will be hungry to defend their home turf at Show Me this upcoming weekend.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639650212238041088?s=20 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='209539' first='Lacy' last='Tinnell'] - Houston Skyline 15 Royal   Middle Blocker   [player_tooltip player_id='197468' first='Jayden' last='Robinson'] - Houston Skyline 15 Royal   Pin Attacker   [player_tooltip player_id='318140' first='Nadiya' last='Shelby'] - Houston Skyline 15 Royal   Pin Attacker   So many attackers on this team who make a big impact on the net.  Tinnell controls the middle for this team where she has great hand contact that brings a lot of pace on the ball.  When Skyline is in system, they are tough to stop. For Robinson and Shelby, they are athletes the other side of the net need to be aware of at all times.  There were plenty of “Wow” moments with these two with how they are able to make plays out of nowhere.  In system, they are automatic, but they are really dangerous out of system, blocking, and with chaotic plays in the front row they can clean up and score points.    [player_tooltip player_id='292243' first='Cosette' last='Bartling'] - Nebraska Elite 15 Phoenix   Outside Hitter   Bartling has the length and explosiveness to score a lot of points for Nebraska Elite. She is a six rotation outside hitter that is heavily utilized on the pin, but she can also score points out of middle back. She is fast to the ball, has a high contact, and is able to put some pace on the ball making it tough for the other side to receive cleanly. This Elite team is scrappy, they play with some grit. Nebraska teams had a huge weekend across all divisions at NLQ.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1639642357283844096?s=20 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='252404' first='Addie' last='Haberthy'] - Circle City 15 Purple   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01752.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-358386" width="360" height="240"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Haberthy</figcaption></figure>   Setter   [player_tooltip player_id='261044' first='Natalie' last='Vance'] - Circle City 15 Purple   Middle Blocker   Watching Circle City take on Nebraska Elite, the combination of setter Addison Habernathy to [player_tooltip player_id='261044' first='Natalie' last='Vance'] was on.  Abernathy is a long setter who can receive the ball high and neutral, dishing in front or behind to connect with her attackers.  Vance is really athletic.  The Circle City middles at all age groups are extremely well trained with textbook footwork and can attack really well off one foot.  Vance knows how to find the open spots in the corners.  Another athlete who have tabs on would be DS/L/OH Rylee Bumgardner.  Typically a libero, she was able to hold her own on the pin with multiple shots and a high IQ.    [player_tooltip player_id='338397' first='Bryn' last='Lunski'] - MN Select 15-1   Outside Hitter   What was most impressive about Lunski's game was that she is not afraid to go for the kill.  She swings with aggression and purpose where she's not looking to play it safe.  Athletes who have that mindset at the 15s level will only get better as they continue to train and develop.  Lunski had some big kills in their win against Pohaku which ultimately put them in the driver's seat to advance to day three gold pools.  This is a team who has multiple weapons that includes [player_tooltip player_id='348385' first='Abby' last='Conklin'] out of the middle and [player_tooltip player_id='196506' first='Eva' last='Swenson'] as their setter.  There is plenty of length on this team and a grit where they aren't afraid to go up against the best.    <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/03/DSC01858.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-358396" width="398" height="265"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vital</figcaption></figure>   Hailey Laffond - Vital 15-1Gold   Middle Bocker   This was a fun Vital team to watch on Saturday.  They have the makings and foundation to be a really strong group where they have all the pieces and balance to knock off some top teams.  Laffond is a really dynamic athlete out of the middle where she has a really good blend of speed and physicality where she can block and quickly transition to attack.  She plays with some fun swag where she is a competitor and will find a way to will her team to win.

The way I schedule my coverage calendar, I start with 18s, 17s, 16s pretty much all season, and I don't start watching the 15s until the end of March into April of Qualifier season. The reason why is for a lot of 15s, it takes a couple months to figure out their team dynamic, and even in March/April it can be a little bit of a rollercoaster ride. This past weekend at the Northern Lights Qualifier was a chance to see some high level 15s for the first time this season. Here are names to know from the Class of 2026 who are going to be ones we are going to talk about for potentially years to come.