Rankings Climbers: Kansas 2025 Top Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This morning Prep Dig published the updated rankings for the Class of 2025. With each update there are players who increase their position in the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That was even more evident in this class of athletes as we now have 200 players ranked and this was my initial set of rankings for this class after taking over the senior scout role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Please reference the “How We Rank” article on our web site and this morning's earlier report on the Top 10 members of this class if you want to know more about all the variables taken into consideration when the rankings are updated.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five prospects who had meteoric trajectories in this most recent round of rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173400' first='Chloe' last='Traffas']</strong>, 5'2”, DS/L, Attica</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Traffas is one of the most athletic liberos I have ever seen play. She jumped from the No. 47 position in the rankings to the No. 13 slot. I have seen her play multiple times this club season and she has a huge ceiling. Traffas has had back-to-back seasons of 500-plus digs for the Attica Bulldogs. She is also a career total of 1,503 digs and will make a run at 2,000 digs during her upcoming senior season. Every JUCO coach in Kansas should be looking at Traffas, especially those schools out west.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219951' first='Katja' last='Blanchat']</strong>, 5'10”, MB, Smoky Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blanchat is now ranked No. 17 overall after moving up from the No. 34 rung on the rankings ladder. Blanchat is a two-sport prospect who could also be considering basketball as a college option. I have seen her compete in high school and club action and she never disappoints. The Smoky Valley prospect has back-to-back seasons of 300-plus kills and is 148 kills away from joining the 1,000-kill club. I would think each of the Kansas MIAA programs would want to check on Blanchat and if I was a betting man I would place solid odds that she could join high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='152836' first='Hope' last='Duncan'] at Fort Hays State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='220101' first='Kaitlyn' last='Gordon']</strong>, 5'8”, DS/L, Andover (Pittsburg State)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andover's Gordon has already selected Pittsburg State to be her college destination. She moved up from No. 81 to into the Top 20 at No. 20. She finished her junior season with 423 digs and 639 serve receptions. She has a nice serve that resulted in 48 aces last season. A solid serve could allow Gorillas' Head Coach Jennifer Gomez to utilize Gordon right away in the PSU's lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219726' first='Ella' last='Bolan']</strong>, 5'11”, OH, Silver Lake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bolan in an all-around solid athlete who has moved up to No. 23 in the rankings from the No. 62 position. I have seen the Silver Lake prospect play several times. She plays club ball with the Topeka Saints and competes and the Eagles are super competitive high school program. Bolan benefits from practicing with and playing against elite talent. She finished her junior season with 317 kills, 62 total blocks, and 348 digs.&nbsp; Bolan is a college-level player the question is at which level. I would not hesitate to recommend her to any college in Kansas, but I expect some out-of-state mid-majors or Division II coaches to reach out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219740' first='Ashley' last='Barcus']</strong>, 5'9”, OH/MB, Olathe West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Olathe West Owl prospect increased her position in the rankings by 41 spots. She is now currently ranked No. 30. I have seen Barcus compete in both high school and club settings. She has big vertical and a strong base. She finished her junior season with 223 kills and 239 digs. Barcus is a solid enough defender that she could get looks as a utility type specialist or a six-rotation hitter depending on the college program. She is an athlete I would suggest strongly consider the JUCO route so she can play right away and then transfer to a 4-year program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->