Five 2026 Kansas Prospects Flying Under The Radar

Prep Dig Scouts feature ranked athletes flying under the radar.

Jeremy Deckard February 24, 2025 @ 03:31 PM

To my count, there are already 16 members of the Kansas Class of 2026 who have made verbal college commitments.   That leaves a ton of uncommitted prospects out there including several under-the-radar athletes who can play at the college level.   Here is a look at five ranked athletes Prep Dig has not featured lately and who could all be under-ranked and under-recruited.   [player_tooltip player_id='357545' first='Jade' last='Xu'], 6'1”, OH, Emporia, ‘26   Xu is Miss Consistency. She has finished with at least 200 kills in all three of her high school seasons. She is coming off back-to-back seasons of 300-plus kills. She flies under the radar for a couple of reasons. First, she plays at Emporia which has been more of a girls' basketball school the past couple of years, and she has also jumped around the club scene. She can jump and hit. She can be blocked and if she increased her overall strength that would be more difficult to do. I think she will end up with a Division II or JUCO program when it comes time to put pen to paper. She is ranked No. 42 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='551328' first='Tinley' last='Travis'], 5'7”, OH/DS, Maize, ‘26   Travis is a natural athlete who is extremely quick and explosive. Scouts can write about the Kansas City Metro all they want, but Wichita is a volleyball hotbed as well. Travis can easily get overlooked on a roster full of Wisdoms. I was at a club event this past weekend and ran into another Wisdom sister. Apparently, there are five of them that have or will play volleyball at Maize. Travis stepped up and hit more often last season than originally planned. She finished her junior campaign with 263 digs, 373 serve receptions, and 47 kills. She is a player that I would pick for my team. Travis is ranked No. 58 overall by Prep Dig Kansas.   [player_tooltip player_id='731819' first='Kelsi' last='Maier'], 5'10”, MB, Hoisington, ‘26   Maier is another player who can get overlooked due to the talent on her squad. She played in the Class 3A State Tournament last season and could get there again this year. Playing on that size of a stage will help with her exposure. She recorded 211 kills and 60 blocks during her junior season. The Cardinals prospect will be one to watch next fall. Maier is currently ranked No. 97 overall in the Kansas Class of 2026.   [player_tooltip player_id='523621' first='Lexi' last='Hecht'], 5'8”, MB, Wamego, ‘26   Hecht is a multi-sport athlete who flies under the radar because basketball and volleyball scouts will be looking at her, and it does not seem that she has fully committed to one sport or the other. It is awesome that she is playing multiple sports and slow-playing her opportunities. She finished her junior season with 187 kills and 253 digs. She will have a legitimate shot at reaching both 1,000 kills and digs with a solid senior season.  The Wamego prospect is currently ranked No. 130 overall by Prep Dig and No. 7 by Prep Girls Hoops Kansas.   [player_tooltip player_id='551318' first='Gracie' last='Tucker'], 5'9”, MB, Circle, ‘26   Circle has a junior flying under the radar. Tucker led the Thunderbirds last season in kills with 173 in 85 sets. She had 111 as a sophomore. She has 85 career blocks in two seasons. She can be a physical force. She will need an impressive senior season to garner more attention from college coaches. Tucker is ranked No. 151 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. I think she would be a great fit for in-state JUCO programs looking to add hitting depth in the middle.

To my count, there are already 16 members of the Kansas Class of 2026 who have made verbal college commitments.