Breaking Down The Top 15 Prep Dig Illinois Class of 2026

The Prep Dig Illinois Class of 2026 rankings have been updated!  With over 200 players listed, we're going to take a deep dive into the top 15 players where many of them have already given their verbal commitment to where they will play their college volleyball.  There is always an increase of athletes from the 16s to 17s year (sophomore to junior year).  I have started to say that there is no answer key to rankings.  These rankings are based on how athletes perform at the highest level.  The athletes listed below have consistently shown they are able to compete among the best at the biggest moments in the high school and club volleyball world.  Here are the top 15 of the Illinois Class of 2026.    15. [player_tooltip player_id='324015' first='Alana' last='Whitfield']    Whitfield will be heading to East Lansing, Michigan where Michigan State is really building a competitive program in the Big Ten. They are starting to find some under the radar athletes who can do a little bit of everything and mold them into elite college volleyball players. Whitfield fits that brand where she is an athletic six rotation outside hitter for [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite']. She can serve receive, pass, and score points where she has an aggressive approach and violent arm swing. She has shown that she can compete at a high level and will be fun to watch in the Big Ten where there are plenty of these Class of 2026 from Illinois going.      14. [player_tooltip player_id='311325' first='Laney' last='Snow']    For Normal University High School, there is always a strong chance of a “Snow Storm” between [player_tooltip player_id='311325' first='Laney' last='Snow'] and [player_tooltip player_id='311324' first='Levyn' last='Snow'], the sister duo. Laney is top player who is a big time point scorer where she can attack and terminate from anywhere on the court. So far this high school season, she has averaged nearly three kills per set, hitting over .300, and leads her team in blocks. She is currently uncommitted and will be a key athlete to keep tabs on. Her older sister Levyn is committed to Grace College who were national champions of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association), we'll see if the Snow sisters stay together.      13. [player_tooltip player_id='323948' first='Faith' last='Jordan']    [player_tooltip player_id='323948' first='Faith' last='Jordan'] is a middle blocker from Joliet West and Sports Performance that has quite a presence. She has great lateral movement, a long wingspan, and is someone the other side of the net always needs to know about with her block. She is a key piece to 8-0 start for the Tigers who could be a team to make a run in 2024. Following high school, Jordan will be heading to the Big 12 to play for Texas Tech. Jordan has the physicality to compete at a high level which will be exciting to see her progress throughout her prep career and beyond.      12. [player_tooltip player_id='323931' first='Samantha' last='Shelton']    Shelton might be the newest commit from the Class of 2026 where she just gave her verbal commitment to Seton Hall this past week. The Pirates, part of the Big East, are getting a lethal attacker who can score points from the outside and right side. She was a key piece of 1st Alliance 16 Gold who were the runner up finishers in 16 Open this past summer. Shelton has a big arm, a high contact point, and makes it so tough for the other side of the net to receive cleanly. Not only is Shelton a terminal attacker, she can defend. Her length and physicality poses a problem to opposing attackers and she can also serve receive and defend as well. Shelton is a junior at Oak Park River Forest.      11. [player_tooltip player_id='324007' first='Lily' last='Bosworth']    I remember watching [program_tooltip program_id='430006' first='Illini' last='Elite'] 16 Cardinal at Central Zone in Indianapolis and then a few weeks later at Triple Crown in Kansas City. There was a presence of college coaches on their court and it happened to be while Bosworth was putting on a show in the middle. Bosworth is 6'4, long, and has an extremely high upside to be an impact middle blocker in the Big Ten. She will be heading to MSU along with her club teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='324015' first='Alana' last='Whitfield']. Bosworth is someone who can defend, transition, and be available to score points off multiple tempos. She is currently a junior at Mahomet-Seymour who is off to a 6-1 start in their season.      10. [player_tooltip player_id='325497' first='Elayna' last='Davidson']    So fundamentally sound, extremely solid in all defensive facets, [player_tooltip player_id='325497' first='Elayna' last='Davidson'] is one of the top liberos in the Class of 2026 where she will be taking her talents to Maryland following her prep career. She was a key piece to the successful season of the Sports Performance 16 Elite team in 2024. She preps at Marist, one of the top large school programs in Chicagoland who is traditionally producing Division 1 talent. An athlete like Davidson thrives in an environment where she has high level training at Sports Performance and Marist, she is part of a Midwest pipeline that Maryland has established in their Class of 2026.      9. [player_tooltip player_id='325496' first='Cassidy' last='Cage']    What an athlete. [player_tooltip player_id='325496' first='Cassidy' last='Cage'] can be put on any field or court and find success. She is another top tier athlete who preps at Marist and was a dominant player for Sports Performance 16 Elite who has turned out plenty of top commits from this class. Cage has given her verbal to play at Mississippi State. She is extremely physical out of the middle where she puts up a strong block. Offensively she hits a heavy ball and knows how to score points in a variety of ways. She could be a big time impact player down the road in the SEC.      8. [player_tooltip player_id='325500' first='Lucy' last='Maloney']    What a year for [player_tooltip player_id='325500' first='Lucy' last='Maloney']. She wasn't even on our Watch List as a 15s and is now a top ten player as one of the top liberos in the Illinois Class of 2026. She had a huge club season for 1st Alliance 16 Gold where she consistently came up big as their libero. What is impressive about Maloney is how she is so quietly effective in the back row with a controlled platform and makes everything look easy. Maloney is very efficient with her footwork, she anticipates well, and is in the right spot at the right time. She preps at Mother McAuley whose tradition is known throughout the country. Following high school, she will be heading to Clemson, part of a heavy Illinois Class of 2026 recruiting class.      7. Brooklynne Brass    What an electric player. Brooklyn Brass will be heading to Maryland along with her club teammate from Sports Performance, [player_tooltip player_id='325497' first='Elayna' last='Davidson']. Brass is a six rotation outside hitter who can score points from the front and backrow. She is a high flyer who has the ability to score points in different ways. She is so fundamentally sound with a high contact point that allows her to take her shots a variety of angles and speeds.      6. [player_tooltip player_id='394615' first='Madison' last='Anspaugh']    A fast approach and violent arm swing, [player_tooltip player_id='394615' first='Madison' last='Anspaugh'] is a lethal and total terminator from the outside. She was a dominant player on the 17 Elite [program_tooltip program_id='429175' first='VC' last='United'] team. She is 6'1, touches ten feet, and is so springy with her jump. As far as hand contact, she has a high snap where she creates chaos on the other side of the net. Her ability to go line, cross, or create an offspeed shot that looks all the same from her arm angle is tough to defend. She is the third commit from Illinois to be heading to Clemson who has built a Midwest pipeline. She is currently in her junior season at Rockford Christian.      5. [player_tooltip player_id='251333' first='Ellie' last='Stiernagle']    Stiernagle is staying home to play for Northwestern. She is a junior at Benet Academy and was part of a high powered Sports Performance 16 Elite team from the 2024 club season. Stiernagle brings athleticism and physicality to the setter position where she is a true 5-1 setter. She can block and attack at the net while also being able to hit all the tempos to multiple attackers. This past club season, she had plenty of depth and balance in her attackers to keep the other side of the net off balanced. She will be a key piece to build around for Northwestern who also has [player_tooltip player_id='311415' first='Bella' last='Bullington'] from the Class of 2025 coming in as one of their top recruits who is also from Sports Performance.      4. [player_tooltip player_id='319759' first='Alaina' last='Pollard']    Whoever would pick up [player_tooltip player_id='319759' first='Alaina' last='Pollard'] at the next level was getting a steal. Pollard will head to Indiana who is starting to build quite the program in the Big Ten. Pollard is a dominant middle blocker who has the leaping ability, the wing span, and physicality to go toe to toe with some of the best attackers in the country. Her upside is extremely high where her best volleyball is still ahead of her. She was a force for 1st Alliance 16 Gold this past club season and is a key catalyst to the success of Lincoln Way East so far this season.      3. [player_tooltip player_id='323925' first='Nikolija' last='Bulatovic']    A pure gamer. Watching Bulatovic at nationals was exciting to see as she was at another level running the show as the setter for 1st Alliance 16 Gold. She knew how to find the one on one match up for her attackers, but was impressive to me was her all around game. Beyond putting up a great ball, she is so solid with her defense, blocking, and knew when to attack. Her athleticism and physicality at the net is sneaky, teams can never relax on her. She will head to Iowa following her prep career where they are starting to build a pipeline to Chicagoland with multiple players on the roster who played in the metro area.      2. [player_tooltip player_id='328144' first='Haley' last='Burgdorf']    [player_tooltip player_id='328144' first='Haley' last='Burgdorf'] was going to be one plenty of Big Ten schools would be heavily recruiting. She can do it all as an outside hitter who can serve receive, pass, and score points from the front and back row. One of her greatest strengths as a player is that there is very little weakness. She has quite the bag of tricks when it comes to making shots and has a very high IQ in regards to how to find the open spot on the court. Her backcourt game with serve receive to defense is next level where she can find a way to get on the court at the next level in multiple ways. This is an exciting time for Penn State who is off to a hot start that has resulted in a #3 national ranking and features Chicagoland athletes Gillian Grimes and Ava Falduto pacing the backrow.      1. Carolyn [player_tooltip player_id='547461' first='Lynney' last='Tarnow']    Lynney [player_tooltip player_id='323932' first='Carolyn' last='Tarnow'] came into her prep career with plenty of promise and expectations and she is living up to everything and then some. She is one of the top middle blockers in the country where at 6'5, athletic, and really physical she just changes the game. Even out of system, her 1st Alliance 16 Gold team found ways to get her the ball to score. On defense, the opposing attackers always have to know where she is. She has a great savvy for the game where she has great footwork and hand placement where if she gets a touch, it's most likely landing on the other side of the floor. She is part of a talented 2026 recruiting class that also features upstart middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='628282' first='Kymora' last='Scott'] who preps at Homewood-Flossmoor. Before anything else, Tarnow and her Benet Academy team will have their sights set on a Class 4A state championship this fall.

The Prep Dig Illinois Class of 2026 rankings have been updated! With over 200 players listed, we're going to take a deep dive into the top 15 players where many of them have already given their verbal commitment to where they will play their college volleyball. There is always an increase of athletes from the 16s to 17s year (sophomore to junior year). I have started to say that there is no answer key to rankings. These rankings are based on how athletes perform at the highest level. The athletes listed below have consistently shown they are able to compete among the best at the biggest moments in the high school and club volleyball world. Here are the top 15 of the Illinois Class of 2026.