The Challenge of a Rankings The 16s Age Group
‘Tis the season of rankings updates. Across all of Prep Dig states, we are updating our rankings. I’ve been doing rankings for six years, I’ve done rankings in multiple states, and do our national rankings as well. Going into the club season for the 16s is by far the toughest rankings to do. Here’s why:
Various Varsity Experiences
Sophomores are starting to make their mark at the state level. They’ve had breakout seasons and naturally would be looked upon to be some of the top players in the state. There is always the debate of large school vs. small school, successful program vs. developing program, post season honors, the list continues. Do their high school statistics factor into their ranking? Very little. There are so many variables when it comes to a high school season which makes ranking sophomores based off a high school season very difficult.
Keeping Track of Athletes and Improvements
There is a lot of movement with athletes moving clubs between their 15s and 16s year. Keeping up to date with where athletes are playing is the largest challenge right now. One way athletes can help is by claiming their profile in the “Player Prospect Index” in Prep Dig where they have ownership of updating their information. That has been a huge help in tracking club changes.
I also believe that the greatest amount of growth typically comes between the 15 to 16s age group. There are outside hitters who are developing their game to play six rotations. Setters who are running a 6-2 are now running a 5-1. There are the middle blockers who could barely walk and chew gum as a 15s that are now running slides and terminating. There are just a lot of changes that happen from 15s to 16s where athletes are gaining more control of their athleticism.
Success At The Highest Level
Where do rankings go from here? We evaluate how athletes perform at the highest level. What really skyrocketed the likes of Chloe Meester Chloe Meester OH Mount Vernon | 2025 State #37 Nation IA and Abbey Hayes Abbey Hayes 6'2" | OH North Scott | 2025 State #82 Nation IA , the top prospects from the Class of 2025, was their performance at the Open level, the highest level of club volleyball. These two were among some of the best athletes at Open National Qualifiers, not only for their own teams, but among some of the top players in their age group of an entire tournament.
Rankings are simply a tool. This is a way for athletes to get on the radar and for college coaches to see in one spot a list of athletes from one state who could play at the next level. We have over 100 athletes in our rankings for the Class of 2026 and it will only grow from there. This is also why we will keep on watching and evaluating at events for all levels.