2026 Top Ten Updated Rankings

Vernon Birmingham December 23, 2024 @ 02:10 PM

We are on to the class of 2026 and unlike the previous classes, there was little movement inside the top 10. We did have one make a jump into this talented group. This week look for different articles for the updated rankings. As a reminder, our rankings start with college potential. Which for us is what players are most primed to be recruited at particular divisions based on their skill set. We watch videos, talk to coaches, and view stats. It's a lengthy process that includes 265 athletes this round. Here are the players from the top ten.   [player_tooltip player_id='221230' first='Bennett' last='Raterman'], the 6'4" middle blocker from St. Pius X (Festus) and High Performance remains at the top. The Florida State commit had 433 kills at a .424 clip. I almost swapped two and three but left them as is after a big year for [player_tooltip player_id='222056' first='Bella' last='Scherfenberg']. My thought process is I believe she will have to play the pin at the next level and there should be schools willing to take the chance on a dynamic undersized pin (cough-cough Arkansas). She delivered to opponents 530 kills and 72 aces. The third slot is still filled by Kansas pledge [player_tooltip player_id='236997' first='Jaeli' last='Rutledge']. The Webb City product averaged close to four kills per set, good for 443 kills. She showed tremendous growth this fall in the blocking department, going from 59 to 117.   [player_tooltip player_id='219778' first='Tara' last='Venable'] had an all-state season and sits in the fourth position. She's going to head to Missouri State to play beach after her high school career. Her junior season saw her finish with 523 kills and 356 digs. The first non-attacker in the rankings is the Baylor-bound setter, [player_tooltip player_id='222076' first='Abigail' last='Schoene']. At 5"11, she is a good asset on the floor with her scoring and blocking ability. She handed out 862 assists and 102 kills on the year. We love it when athletes bounce back after an injury-riddled year and we saw that from Park Hill South's [player_tooltip player_id='222075' first='Sydni' last='Lafasciano']. After a tough high school and club season she showed why is one of the top players in the state. She hit .384 this fall and had 419 kills in her junior season, returning to the form we saw her freshman season.   The top right side in our rankings is the 6'5" Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id='222058' first='Katherine' last='Byergo']. Her junior year saw her produce 323 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='490109' first='Millie' last='Bauer'] is our new addition to the fold in the eighth spot. Mizzou is getting a good one in the 6'3" middle blocker. She crossed the 1,000-kill mark this season after finishing with 487 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='222069' first='Lauren' last='Ortwerth'] holds down the ninth spot in our rankings after over 300 kills as a six-rotation pin. She added 232 digs to her stat line. And rounding out our top ten is another setter in [player_tooltip player_id='542224' first='Isabella' last='Sohl']. The Rock Bridge floor general saw her assists jump to just under 800 this fall but she also added 144 kills, up from 24.

We are on to the class of 2026 and unlike the previous classes, there was little movement inside the top 10. We did have one make a jump into this talented group. This week look for different articles for the updated rankings. As a reminder, our rankings start with college potential. Which for us is what players are most primed to be recruited at particular divisions based on their skill set. We watch videos, talk to coaches, and view stats. It's a lengthy process that includes 265 athletes this round. Here are the players from the top ten.