Early Small-Town Stars to Follow on Nebraska 2028 Watch List

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's early, but we already have several emerging stars to discuss on our first <a href="https://prepdig.com/nebraska/rankings/2028-rankings/">Nebraska 2028 watch list</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 high school season provided our first insight into many of Nebraska's future leaders from the Class of 2028. Being a varsity starter as a freshman is a rare and exceptional achievement, but we always find a few first-year athletes who defy the trend. Of course, we've also had two showcases to allow 2028s to make an early impression.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our Class of 2028 chatter starts on the small-town scene. This is where we find some of the best early performers from a star-studded list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["737397"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c48914e1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Running one of Nebraska's most efficient offenses is a daunting challenge, and it's even more difficult to do it as a freshman. Fortunately, Bartley Southwest boasted one of Nebraska's most poised and precise setters of the 2028 class. Billeter dished out a red-hot Roughrider offense and tallied over ten assists per set throughout the 2024 season. That exceptional output led to an undefeated season, giving Bartley Southwest the No. 1 seed in Class D1. The small-town scene will be competitive again next fall, but Billeter and her team should remain near the top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["555495"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c4891589"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We couldn't leave out this unforgettable postseason performer. Rautenberg's late-season heroics propelled her Milford team into the Class C1 tournament. She had a season-high 32 kills in the district final bout with Columbus Lakeview to score one of the biggest upsets of that round. Milford's star middle blocker could become an outside hitter at any time, allowing Rautenberg to dominate matches with her sky-high swing. She backed that up with 28 kills in the quarterfinal contest with Pierce to nearly notch another marquee win. Rautenberg will stand prominently in the club spotlight as she plays up an age group with [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'] 16 Synergy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["737370"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c489160a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bridges announced her presence on the club scene last spring after becoming an impactful defensive player for [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''] 15 Elite. Her quick reads allowed Bridges to make her mark as the libero or a defensive substitute across the back row. So, we weren't surprised to see this extraordinary freshman make an immediate impact with Ashland-Greenwood in the fall season. Bridges averaged over four digs per set to finish near the top of the freshman leaderboards, and she'll be playing up an age group with VCN again in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["737375"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c4891686"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Winside High School is no stranger to high-volume scorers--even if they're underclassmen. Marotz carried on this school tradition last fall by putting up four kills per set to lead the Wildcats. Her positional flexibility as an outside hitter and a middle blocker allows Winside to set Marotz from almost anywhere. This hard-hitting freshman has also developed her backcourt skills through ample six-rotation reps, so Marotz is an impact player in any rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["737393"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c489174c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Guardian Angels Central Catholic has gained momentum since clinching the No. 1 seed in the 2023 Class D1 state tournament. Future teams will look different, however, after Gerths made an explosive entrance last fall and led the Bluejays in kills. She had 3.7 terminations per set in 2024 and also paced the team in total digs. Gerths was the total package at outside hitter and was not afraid to take some passing volume in serve-receive. GACC is stacked for another postseason push in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["568816"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c48917ce"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bishop Neumann wielded quite a combination of underclassman left-side hitters last year. Cada was the Class of 2028 representative at that position, and she posted a strong debut season with 2.9 kills per set. Cada's range became her best asset, as she could find space down the line or in the crosscourt. As Cada's numbers continue to rise in 2025, Bishop Neumann will climb the small-town hierarchy, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["572604"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67783c489184a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wardyn first captured our attention when she competed with South Central NE on the USAV Nationals stage last summer. Her high contact point and exceptional range allowed her to thrive as a go-to attacker on either pin. We then saw Wardyn at the Nebraska Freshman Showcase, where her standout performances continued. The final stop on the 2024 journey was York High School. Wardyn put together a memorable debut campaign with 2.5 kills per set en route to the Class B quarterfinals. The Dukes could make subsequent tournament appearances with this high-flying opposite leading the charge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->