Class of 2027 State Rankings Players to Know: Middles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Dig Texas State Rankings were updated last month in a moment that was long expected for volleyball prospects in the Lone Star State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More than moving players up and down in a list, the rankings update offers us an opportunity to paint a more realistic picture of the current scenario in Texas and highlight the prospects who experienced significant development over the last few months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The process of updating the rankings also gives us, Prep Dig scouts, the perfect excuse to learn more and more about the players, be it by attending matches or tournaments in person or researching online, and now with the list released, it's time we share some of our findings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next few weeks, I'll go over the rankings, highlighting some players in each class. I start with the recently created Class of 2027 State Rankings and will focus on the powerful middles that caught our attention in this article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["534310"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Picked as the third-best middle and the 13th-best prospect in the class of 2027, Kitts plays for HJV 15 Elite at the club level and is expected to make it to Tompkins' varsity roster in her sophomore season. She's a player with impressive physical tools, having a big frame a long arms, which help her get the job done at the net. Kitts gets to make the most impact in the game at this point with her blocking as she has excellent footwork to make around at the net and is very intelligent with how she places her arms above the net to take up space from opposing hitters. She also has tremendous offensive potential and is gradually putting the pieces together to become a force on that side of the game too.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bb893"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15374559/66392e21453df1ff1a033b7e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bba2f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["433652"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A standout in her high school team Richardson, Ratcliff is also an important player in her club team [program_tooltip program_id='431200' first='Madfrog' last=''] 15 National Green - she appears in ninth place among the middles and 45th overall in the class of 2027 in our rankings. In a position where size matters more than ever before, she manages to stand out with her dynamism on the court, battling taller middles with great efficiency. She's extremely mobile and fast with her actions and that allows her to hit a quick set down the middle before opponents even got off the floor. Ratcliff is a capable blocker too, quickly getting to the pins and timing her jumps very efficiently.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bba92"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18931593/6625000aa97268bb12bc69e9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbab2"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["534412"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Playing for Red Oak High School and [program_tooltip program_id='510733' first='Drive' last='Nation'] 15 Red, Smith impressed to the point that she was selected as the 14th-best player in the position and 66th overall prospect in Texas in the class of 2027. Her physicality and pure power are nearly unmatched in her age group and create the platform for her strong game at the net. Offensively, Smith manages to outpower her opponents with little effort, jumping well and spinning her arm to beat blockers and defenders. She's also very aggressive with her blocking, doing whatever it takes to get in the way of opposing hitters and force them out or right into her team's defenders.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbaf7"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/KharleySmithVB/status/1773865311629873449","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KharleySmithVB/status/1773865311629873449 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["433677"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A player of the Southwest Christian High School team and the Peak 15 Black Bryar club side, Flowers ranked 15th among the middles and 68th overall in the rankings' release. She's a player with tremendous potential, who already plays a major role for her club team, serving as one of their most reliable offensive options and providing a solid blocking presence. Flowers' offense is built on her physical tools and stopping her is always a challenge to opponents, especially because of her ability to swing with power into different directions. The middle reads the game well and also thrives defensively with her mobility, which allows her to get from pin to pin in no time.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbb3d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17749552/662ca100ae4b5995d6ee6949' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbb58"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["438670"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Picked for our Watchlist, Watson got some playing time as a freshman with her high school team Fulshear and is an integral part of her club team Houson Skyline 15 Royal. She's exremely athletic and mobile and play the game with a lot of intensity at the net. Watson is very well-versed offensively, being able to hit several different sets and is particularly difficult to stop when hitting the slide because of her excellent footwork. She also has a solid blocking presence and is very aggressive with her hands.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbb97"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17234350/663bdc35527b1ccfb5e07796' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6643c601bbbb1"} /-->