Best In The West: 2027 Rankings Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are only two more sleeps before the Prep Dig Kansas scheduled release for the initial rankings for the Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a preview of five Western Kansas athletes who will be among the 110 ranked players. Athletes, coaches, and parents can return on Tuesday, April, 16, to find how high each one is ranked.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480402' first='Drew' last='Bruna']</strong>, 5'11”, MB, Hanover</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bruna was among the leaders in kills for all freshmen during the 2023 season. She collected 314 kills in the 89 sets played for the Hanover Wildcats. Bruna has a big reach and utilized it to finish with 61 total blocks as a freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483893' first='Taylor' last='McCarty']</strong>, 5'8”, OH, Cheylin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cheylin Cougars have a special athlete in McCarty. She is a college prospect in basketball and volleyball. McCarty recorded 344 kills in 79 sets played as a freshman. She can play six rotations and was among the state's top scorers on the basketball court averaging 23.8 points per game in her first high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483918' first='Jill' last='Schmeeckle'], </strong>5'8”, MB, Ingalls</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another solid Bulldog hitter from Ingalls will be in the rankings when they are released on Tuesday. Schmeeckle finished her freshman campaign with 179 kills in 77 sets. Her impressive freshman stat line included 197 digs, 36 blocks, and 43 aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483956' first='Aliviah' last='Ball']</strong>, 5'9”, MB, Wheatland-Grinnell</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ball is a second impressive two-sport prospect from Western Kansas. She finished her freshman basketball season averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Thunderhawks. Hitting from the middle, she registered 162 kills in 97 sets played as a freshman. Ball has some bounce in her game which helped her collect 45 total blocks for Wheatland-Grinnell.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='524699' first='Kynzi' last='Fehringer']</strong>, 5'9”, MB, Stanton County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fehringer is a talented multi-sport athlete. Softball might be her best sport, but her volleyball skills garnered a spot in the 2027 Kansas Rankings. She finished her freshman season with 138 kills in 80 sets played. Her stats from last season suggest she was used primarily on the front row only.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->