Dazzling Dozen from the Class of 2028

These are not the top 12 in the class of 2028. These are players I have seen briefly at Prep Dig events or in high school that were playing different positions. Some of them were very raw the last time I saw them play but still show tremendous potential. So here are 12 players that impressed in 2024 that I am looking forward to watch play in 2025. Plus one to make it a baker's dozen.    Although I watched her play a little at Yorktown and some at the Prep Dig frosh showcase, a more complete picture of her game will be captured once club season starts. She will compete against players in her age group in a game environment.   She stands 5'10 with an approach jump at 9'3". While that sits third on her team, she will need to enhance that number if she wants to play at the elite level. She has the athleticism and strength to drive balls to the floor. Looking forward to seeing her take the next step.   Olivia will play for Virginia Elite this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='554674' first='Elle' last='Campbell'] (Virginia Elite) MB/RS - Elle will be a teammate of [player_tooltip player_id='587036' first='Olivia' last='Black'] this year at Virginia Elite. Elle played at the Junior Varsity level for Bishop O'Connell last year. She was brought up to the Varsity later in the season to fill in at right side. At 6'0" she brings an approach jump of 9'5". With her arm extension she can get her hands high over the net for blocking. This also helps her when she hits. Elle still needs work on the quick tempo sets if she hopes to be effective in the middle. She also needs to better prepare herself for the speed and randomness of the game. She needs to work on that ability to quickly react to all the twists and turns to become a better player.    Paul VI is rich with setters. The fact that Maris found a roster spot as a frosh and saw time on the court is a testament to her skills. She moves quick to the ball allowing her to use her hands to set the ball to the hitters. She also communicates well.   At 5'8" she brings decent height to the position. Playing for Virginia Juniors will give her that higher level of competition she needs to improve her game. While I saw bits and pieces of her play at Paul VI and at the Prep Dig frosh showcase a greater picture will present itself as she sets for Virginia Juniors.    [player_tooltip player_id='545719' first='Julia' last='Heinzelmann'] (Virginia Jrs) M/OH - Julia did not get a lot of playing time with Georgetown Day. She played about a third of their sets, switching off between middle and the pins. At 5'11" her height plays well. She has a strong arm for putting the ball away, but working on a more explosive jump would take her to the elite level. She impressed me with her play in the middle at the East Coast championship last year with Virginia Juniors. It will be interesting to see the position she plays next year at the club level.    Last year she set a 5/1 as a frosh for a competitive Thomas Jefferson team. She led the team in serving aces and assists while also finishing third in digs. She also set well at the Prep Dig Expo in August.   This year she will set for the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] second team. Last year she set for them and they qualified for the Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. They were the only second team to do that in Virginia. She also earned a spot on the 14U DMV All tournament team for Las Vegas.   She needs to work on those quick tempo sets in the middle, something I did not see her do much with Thomas Jefferson.    [player_tooltip player_id='536717' first='London' last='Jones'] ([program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']) OH/M - I saw her play early at the Volley by the James. She was playing a year up with the 15s for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']. She brought a good jump to the court but her back row play needed some work. Watched video of her playing middle for Thomas Dale. While she shows good hops the outside fits best for her. A player to watch this year to see the improvement in her game.   [player_tooltip player_id='612397' first='Eliana' last='Koram'] (Metro) - The National Team Deveopment Program (NTDP) invited her to their winter training session for the U15/16 for December. She debuted at number 15 in our ranking for her middle play with Metro. At the NTDP she lists as an OH. On the Metro roster she shows as a middle. At her young age the more versatility she shows the more valuable she becomes. At 5'11" she needs to grow a little to fit the middle profile. With an approach jump of 10'2" she certainly has the vertical. That ranks tops on the Metro roster. It will be interesting to see where she fits best.   [player_tooltip player_id='536736' first='Alexis' last='Stephens'] ([program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']) M - She played a strong middle for Spring Mills at the Endless Summer tournament early in the high school season. Her older sister [player_tooltip player_id='309032' first='Samantha' last='Stephens'] plays right side and swings left handed. Alexis swings right handed. At 6'2" her height equals that of her older sister. It would not surprise me to see more growth. She led her team in blocks and finished fourth in kills. Alexis appears to be more polished in her play than Samantha was at the same age, however Samantha got a later start to the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='617089' first='India' last='Starr'] (East Coast Power) M - India played a dominant middle for East Coast Power when they played in the National Division at Junior Nationals in Las Vegas. She played so well that it got her ranked in the top ten of the class of 2028. She earned a spot on the DMV All tournament team for the 14U group in Junior Nationals. Even at 6'2" she shows good athleticism, moving quickly from pin to pin. Because her high school Cox does not carry a junior varsity or frosh team she spent most of her high school season sitting on the varsity bench.    My first exposure to Claire was at the Battle of the Bethesda where she played middle. She was instrumental in leading her team to a win over Richard Montgomery, the only loss the Rockets took all season. At the Prep Dig Expo 250 in Baltimore she hit outside, showing no timing issues when crushing the higher sets. She won a top performer award at the event.   This club season she will see time as a pin hitter for Metro. Her approach jump of 9'8" is impressive for a 15U player. As she gains more experience and gets stronger, she should join the 10 foot club.   Claire earned a spot as a middle on the frosh Battle of Bethesda team. She also earned a selection to the Prep Dig 250 Expo team as a right side.    [player_tooltip player_id='625593' first='Cairo' last='Turner'] (Metro) M - She earned a spot for St. Johns as a frosh on the Cadets varsity team. She made a difference, using her 6'0" height and 10'1" approach jump to lead the team in blocks. She will be one of three middles playing for Metro 15 this year. For the Cadets she finished fifth in hitting. Running more quick tempo sets will improve her offensive game for next year.    Holy Cross fielded a young team this year but still managed to make it to the finals of the WCAC for the 12th consecutive year. Emerson crushing spikes from the left side gave the Tartans the opportunity to reach the final. She replaced last year's conference player of the year Emmerson Sellman at the left side. Replacing a two time conference player of the year and USA junior national team player is a difficult assignment, but she handled it well.   She will again play for Maryland Jrs. this year. At the Prep Dig Expo 250 she won a top performer award, as well as earning a spot on the Prep Dig Expo all tournament team. She carries some athletic genes from her parents. Her mom played volleyball in college while her dad played hockey professionally.      The Baker's Dozen   [player_tooltip player_id='536727' first='Chika' last='Onukwugha'] (Metro) outside - Chika ranks number two behind [player_tooltip player_id='511457' first='Breeze' last='Johnson'] in our class of 2028. She reminds me of a college player when she hits the ball during warmup. The balls had a nice bounce to them when they hit the floor. She also put together a number of terminal hits during the game, either going through the block, around it or over it. Chika only stands 5'9" but her approach jump already reaches 10 feet. With an older sister listed at 6'2" there could still be more growth in her. She played for a smaller high school, Guilford Park, leading the team in kills, aces and digs. It will be interesting to note the improvement in her game.

These are not the top 12 in the class of 2028. These are players I have seen briefly at Prep Dig events or in high school that were playing different positions. Some of them were very raw the last time I saw them play but still show tremendous potential. So here are 12 players that impressed in 2024 that I am looking forward to watch play in 2025. Plus one to make it a baker's dozen.