Biggest Climbers in the Class of 2026

Below are the players who took the biggest jump in the rankings for the class of 2026. A number of players to note,    Nadiya moved from number 4 to the top spot. An appearance on the roster of the U.S. Junior National team helped that assent. A 10'7" approach jump also helps. Metro also ran a 5/1 with [player_tooltip player_id='321677' first='Charis' last='Burge'] which allowed her to play back row. She has the athletic ability to excel. Giving her those opportunities for success is all she needs.   A change in location from Maryland to Virginia has resulted in a new school. Riverside will add Nadiya to their roster. Last year they went undefeated until the finals. Adding Nadiya to the roster will make them even more difficult to beat. It will be interesting what position she plays for the Rams. For Metro she played mostly right side. For Riverside they need a left side to replace Adrian Perodin.   Nadiya has committed to Baylor.     Moran brought her A game to the Junior Nationals, resulting in a move from 14 to 10 in our rankings. [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] won when they had to win to finish in fifth place in the National Division, despite a 4-5 overall match record. While [player_tooltip player_id='325602' first='Alexa' last='Smith'] earned a spot on the All tournament team Morgan showed some proficient hitting capabilities to get them to the gold bracket.   With the high school season soon starting St. Johns will need Morgan's outside production to return as the DC state champion and to win another WCAC title.    [player_tooltip player_id='321677' first='Charis' last='Burge'] S (Urbana/Metro) - Charis was used by Metro a lot running a 5/1. She has the height at 5'10" to be a presence in the front row. Her ability to run the offense moved her from 19 to 14 in the rankings. While Metro qualified for Open in the Junior Nationals, their performance was less than stellar (33rd out of 36 teams). Last year Charis set for Bullis. This year she will return to set for Urbana, where she helped them win a state championship as a frosh. Charis has committed to Syracuse.   [player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek'] RS (Riverside/Metro) - Another Riverside player to climb in the rankings moving from 32 to 22. For Metro they have a large stock of pins, so she played mostly middle. For Riverside she primarily swung from the right side. [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] transfers from Northern in Maryland to Riverside giving the Rams four pin hitters. She could return to the middle for the Rams. At 6'0" she brings the height for the position.    Sophie was added to the rankings in January of this year after getting Giles High School to the Class 1 semi-finals in the state championship. Despite her 37 kills Giles lost in the semi-finals but Sophie earned the MVP honors. Until then I had only watched video of her play but that still earned her a 53 ranking. I finally got to see her play for River Valley 18. Despite playing two years above her age group her hitting led them to an East Coast championship win in Pittsburgh.   Sophie has already committed to Ole Miss. Next on her agenda will be to win the Class 1 state championship for Giles.    [player_tooltip player_id='238595' first='Sofia' last='Delarosa'] OH (Bishop McNamara/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - Sofia plays a year down for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 15 team. Her right side play proved instrumental in their 29th place finish in 15 Open at Junior Nationals. While teams were keying on [player_tooltip player_id='296486' first='Taylor' last='Harrington'] in the middle, Sofia was taking advantage of single blocks to consistently put the ball to the floor. Her performance gave her a jump in the rankings from 37 to 29. With the departure of Kylah Presley, Sofia may be the principal offensive force for Bishop McNamara. This could result in a move to the left side.    Last year Callie missed her high school season because of injury. Her play for Virginia Elite earned her a move up from 63 to 41 in the rankings. She played a solid six rotations and with her hits showed the intelligence to find the empty areas of the court.   For this coming year Madison will need a left side to team with [player_tooltip player_id='265167' first='Laila' last='Chadwick']. The team appears to have the talent to make a run at the Class 6 state championship. Last year they were able to beat state champion Langley three times, but ultimately lost to Battlefield in the semi-finals to lose that opportunity for a fourth meeting. The team should be stronger next year with Callie combining with Laila on the left side.     Georgetown Day won the DC state championship last year. Tessa finished third on the team in blocks and first in hitting percentage at .342. She brings to the middle strong athleticism. That brought her a jump from 51 to 43 in the rankings.   When looking at the roster for Georgetown she lists as middle and outside. She has also grown an inch to 6'2'. When you watch her play you can see that potential to swing from the outside. She also shows quickness in her lateral movements which also could play out well in the back row.     At 5'10 she brings some good height to the setting position. She also distinguished herself at the stock up showcase in August. That bumped her up from 88 to 44 in our rankings. Columbia used her in a 5/1 and when you watch her set she jump sets every chance she gets. Those type of setters help the hitters with their timing but can also draw the block up to create single blocks on the pins.   Last year it appears she shared setting duties for Severna Park. Her experience with Columbia may give her more opportunities.    [player_tooltip player_id='495264' first='Ela' last='Shepherd'] S (Christiansburg/River Valley Jrs) - Ela stands 5'10. For Christiansburg she sets and hits right side, finishing the season with over 200 kills and 400 assists. The Blue Demons eventually lost in the semi-finals of the Class 3 state championships. She also sets and hits right side for the River Valley 18 team. Her lefthanded swing fits the right side well. She jumped in the rankings from 80 to 45.    A solid libero that jumped from 61 to 52 in our class of 2026 rankings. She earned a top performer award in our Prep Dig Stock Up showcase. You have to love her commitment and enthusiasm for the game. This is her second time named as a stock climber in the rankings.   She plays for a smaller high school making it difficult to get in the spot light.     Louis earned a top performer award at the Stock up showcase. It was the first time I got the opportunity to see her play. It rose her ranking from 96 to 73. Her original ranking was based on video.   She brings a strong left handed swing to the right side. At 6'0" she also puts up a strong block. For the Bulldogs she finished second on her team in kills and third in blocks. Westfield hopes to improve on their 1-18 season from last year, but the arrival of frosh libero [player_tooltip player_id='536716' first='Diane' last='Nzoupet'] should improve the passing which will give Louise more opportunities to hit.     I watched her set a 5/1 in the Patriot Division at the Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. She ran the offense well bumping her up from 116 to 75. She also appeared at our Stock up showcase and performed well. When the event was finished she asked me what she could do better to improve her game. That shows me a person who carries the motivation to improve.   Hopefully, Georgetown Visitation will schedule enough games to qualify for the DC state championship. With their roster they should be one of the top four teams in D.C.    [player_tooltip player_id='519343' first='Dylan' last='Cline'] OH (Midlothian/River City - Saw a little more of Dylan at the North Stafford scrimmage. At 5'9" she is a bit undersized for a left side hitter. However, she makes up for that by playing all six rotations well and will be the spark to carry the Midlothian offense this year. Her play resulted in a bump up from 95 to 76. Dylan also led River City to a second place finish in the Shamrock tournament.    Rachel was first spotted at the Prep Dig showcase in 2023. During her play there she did not get any opportunities to make an impression. A couple months later at a tournament I watched her play for Academy and was impressed with her hustle. That got her in our rankings. She again made an appearance in our Stock up Showcase 2024 and made some plays that earned her a top performer award. She bumped up from 104 to 78 in the rankings.   Rachel stands 5'10. It would surprise me to see a libero with more hustle in her game. She perfects the routine plays with crisp passing and steady defense. but also throws in some dynamic plays where she dives into the bleachers in an attempt to make a play. Probably does not get the exposure she deserves.     When I first saw Isard play I believe she hit left side. That earned a spot on the rankings. At 5'9" she has switched to a libero/DS. She appeared in our National showcase in Las Vegas and the DMV Stock up showcase in Maryland and looks solid as a libero. That pushed her up from 92 to 86 in our 2026 rankings.   For her high school she still lists as an outside. She will be playing with her younger sister Aran Bernades, who made the team as a frosh..     I came away impressed with Avery at the National showcase in Las Vegas. She has the soft hands you like to see in a setter. She continued to perform well at our DMV Stock Up showcase in Maryland, earning a top performer award. This bumped her up from 144 to 87 in our 2026 rankings.   She sets for Heritage with [player_tooltip player_id='325403' first='Annabelle' last='Kim']. Annabelle appeared at our first Prep Dig showcase in 2023 and also won a top performer award. With two quality setters on their roster Heritage should perform well this season.     Riley got my attention at the DMV Stock up Showcase in Maryland. She earned a top performer nod. That got her a jump from 99 to 90 in our rankings. She was added to the rankings in April of this year. I liked her platform for passing as well as her defensive coverage in the back row. Most of all, it was her air of confidence she seems to bring to the court that impressed the most.   Gainesville plays in the Cedar Run District, which has three strong schools. Gainesville hopes to join them this year as a fourth.    [player_tooltip player_id='377335' first='Mackenzie' last='Davis'] S (Riverside/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - Mackenzie has good length for a setter at 5'11'. She also plays for a winning high school Riverside and a top club Paramount. For Riverside [player_tooltip player_id='333651' first='Sydney' last='Ray'] and for Paramount [player_tooltip player_id='235322' first='Avery' last='Prendergast'] seem to be their primary setters. Both are ranked high for their class. Mackenzie jumps from 135 to 105 in the rankings. She may be one of those players I have overlooked.    Amaya is a smaller left side who earned a top performer award at the Prep Dig Stock up showcase in Maryland. That earned her a bump up from 143 to 109 in the rankings.   She plays for the Paramount 15 second team, which did not make it to the Junior Nationals. While her height is only 5'7" she does bring an approach jump of 9'3". Realistically, staying on the outside with her stature will be a challenge. Blocking is always a big issue with smaller outsides.    [player_tooltip player_id='544609' first='Giulia' last='Allison'] DS/L (Kellam/757 Volleyball Club) - Giulia was one of my ten new faces to discover at the Charm City Challenge. She passed well and played defense well, but that could be because she has the genetics to play the sport. Her grandfather is a 9 time Olympian for Brazil while her mom and twin brother played D1 volleyball. Giulia appears born for the sport. She jumps for 150 to 126 in the rankings.

Below are the players who took the biggest jump in the rankings for the class of 2026. A number of players to note,