New Middles to Watch on Nebraska’s 2027 Rankings

We haven't forgotten about the middle blockers.   Lately, we've been touring some new additions to our latest Nebraska 2027 rankings. <a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/08/new-liberos-to-watch-on-nebraskas-2027-rankings/">Liberos</a> and <a href="https://prepdig.com/2024/08/new-pin-hitters-to-watch-on-nebraskas-2027-rankings/">pin hitters</a> have seen the spotlight already, but we're especially excited about this group of middle blockers coming up the pipeline. The fall season will keep adding to our list, too.   Let's address some athletes who soared onto our radar after locking down the net to start 2024.    We're starting with South Central NE, a club that has been churning out new additions across all of our Nebraska rankings. Janzen can play any frontcourt position and has even embraced an early serving role with Adams Central High School. Her club impact has been in the middle, where Janzen has shown plenty of range and blocking technique. Nebraska's small-town scene saw unprecedented success from its 2027s during this year's club season, giving rise to hidden gems like Janzen on our watch list.     It's an Adams Central double-dip in today's feature. Katzberg has been a subject in several late-season club features, so her emergence on the 2027 watch list is no surprise. She anchored the net during South Central NE 15 Black's comeback bid at the Great Plains Region Bid Tournament. Katzberg's physicality and high contact point matched up well with opposing teams at last month's GJNC, so she's carrying a ton of momentum into the upcoming high school campaign. Adams Central knows all about game-changing middle blockers and brings a couple of good ones from the Class of 2027.     We had to include this dynamic Waverly middle blocker after she had so many standout reps at our Nebraska Stock Up Showcase. Real was a top performer in this unique environment but was also dominant with [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Lime this spring. Playing up an age group didn't stop Real from becoming a go-to attacker who could score on various tempos. Real effectively acted as another outside hitter who could swing on high sets in the middle of the net. This allowed her high contact point to overpower opposing blockers, and Real could do the same on the high school stage.     [program_tooltip program_id='428728' first='River' last='City Jrs'] has another middle blocker rising the ranks. Lapke represented 15 Red during the club season and was an effective contributor during the AAU Nationals gauntlet. She has an extensive background at middle blocker but has recently earned reps on the right side for 15 Red. The team has harnessed Lapke's ability to swing on out-of-system sets and find creative ways to score. We're anxious to see how this translates to future seasons as [program_tooltip program_id='428728' first='River' last='City Jrs'] grows its talent base in the middle.     There's a lot to be excited about at Sutton High School. Baldwin adds to the ever-present Sutton-South Central pipeline and has a quick arm that can terminate from anywhere. We saw this during the club season as Baldwin exhibited her tremendous court vision and knack for scoring off hands. Sutton will have no shortage of athletes to deploy for this year's varsity squad, but Baldwin looks like an athlete ready to make the jump.     Like many of the squads mentioned in this feature, Nebraska Juniors 15 Red produced some of its best moments in Orlando for AAU Nationals. Andreasen reaped the benefits of this high-profile event and offered some in-system firepower in front of the setter. Her quick footwork makes Andreasen an available setting target in any situation. This gave 15 Red's transition offense a big boost throughout AAUs, and this middle blocker will only get better. Nebraska Juniors is another club that's demonstrating the state's skyrocketing depth in the Class of 2027.

We haven't forgotten about the middle blockers.