Nebraska 2027 Rankings Update: The New Top 80

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome to our biggest Nebraska 2027 rankings update yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before this December overhaul, we had an exclusive list of 25 ranked athletes in our Nebraska 2027 list. We acknowledged that there was still more scouting to be done and matches to be played. Now that we've had another full season with this group, we have the basis for expanding our rankings more than twofold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thus, a new Top 80 emerges. This group features a medley of players who have excelled on high school and club stages. And, of course, they still have a long prep journey ahead. The rankings will expand again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For now, let's guide you through some trends and storylines from this latest update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Little Movement at the Top</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have a lot of new ranked players to discuss, but those who were already in the rankings have stayed relatively fixed in their spots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='445956' first='Reagan' last='Wallraff'] remains atop the board. Her multi-position impact with Elkhorn North has been something to behold, and now she'll join forces with the No. 2, 3, and 4 athletes in the 2027 rankings. [player_tooltip player_id='458117' first='Malorie' last='Boesiger'], [player_tooltip player_id='458060' first='Reagan' last='Meyers'], and [player_tooltip player_id='498907' first='Nora' last='Herian'] are prepared to usher in the next iteration of [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] Synergy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other elite athletes held firm in our original Top 25. [player_tooltip player_id='458123' first='Hallie' last='Lauenstein']'s all-around contributions with Waverly this fall have cemented her spot at No. 5. [player_tooltip player_id='458153' first='Lyric' last='Judson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='365054' first='Evelyn' last='Timmons'] also maintained their sky-high attacking efficiencies after logging dominant freshman campaigns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Small-Town Schools</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":731194,"width":"256px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/31-Emilee-Thayer-Mencke.jpg?w=932" alt="" class="wp-image-731194" style="width:256px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Thayer-Mencke</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We always have to give a nod to the smaller locales.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The aforementioned stars like Meyers and Herian have been torchbearers for this group since we first started covering 2027s. However, the small-town influence in this class goes much deeper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='458185' first='Emilee' last='Thayer-Mencke'], another [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] representative, has soared up the leaderboard after another impressive season with Fort Calhoun. Her right-side hitting prowess was most recently present at this month's Top 250 Expo in La Vista.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't forget about other gems like [player_tooltip player_id='458130' first='Haleah' last='Schuerman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='498996' first='Alex' last='Ervin']. Schuerman was an original member of our rankings, and Ervin is making her debut after filling up the stat sheet at Ogallala.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can go further down the list to find names like [player_tooltip player_id='458128' first='Peyton' last='Langhorst'], [player_tooltip player_id='443104' first='Jacey' last='Cochran'], and [player_tooltip player_id='498992' first='Brooke' last='Thiele']. Hopefully, these rankings will soon cover all of Nebraska's geographical footprint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Positional Variety</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's address the positional breakdown among the Top 80.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Setters - </em>11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":731210,"width":"249px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/13-Haleah-Schuerman.jpg?w=1009" alt="" class="wp-image-731210" style="width:249px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Schuerman</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Defensive specialists - </em>14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Outside hitters - </em>30</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Opposites - </em>9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Middle blockers -</em> 16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're counting these players by primary position while acknowledging that many 2027s have excelled at multiple spots. Regardless, we can pick out a few trends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This feels like a decent balance so far. No one will be surprised to see the outside hitters leading the way. It's a simple numbers game: outside hitters are the most well-represented position anywhere. We have a lot to choose from.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our next objective should be to lean heavily into setters during the 2024 club season. It's tough to be a starting underclassman setter in Nebraska's high school arena, especially when schools favor a 5-1 system that only puts one setter on the floor. The club season will be our opportunity to bridge that gap and bring a few more setters into the spotlight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can also do more to bump up the numbers for middle blockers and defensive specialists. Some clubs feature a more aggressive approach when subbing in defensive specialists, giving us a larger pool of talent to observe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What Now?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's never too early to look ahead to the next update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The upcoming club season will tell us a lot about the future direction of our 2027 rankings. Our end goal is to push the list of ranked athletes past 200, and we might get to that number sooner than in past classes. The 2027s have made an exceptional early impact on Nebraska's prep scene, and the Top 80 expansion reflects that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expect the next update to bring us past the century mark. Once we get midway through the spring season, we'll be ready to haul out the next refresh. Be ready.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->