News and Notes from Nebraska 2028 Watch List Updates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, we have the 2028s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last few weeks have been about rankings updates and dozens of new additions to our player database. This journey has led us to the Class of 2028, where we now have a watch list that has doubled in size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's set up the next week of Class of 2028 discussions. We'll cover trends, numbers, and when to expect the first ranked list for this class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're just getting started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Doubling Up</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned in the intro, our Class of 2028 watch list has expanded twofold after this update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our watch list still had plenty of room for many of the big-name clubs that usually occupy our database: Club Legacy, Nebraska Elite, [program_tooltip program_id='428717' first='Nebraska' last='ONE'], Nebraska Juniors, Premier Nebraska, and [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last=''], among many, many others. The 15s season introduces us to a whole new group of athletes we did not see on the high school stage the previous fall. Debuting as a varsity-playing freshman is a rare feat, so the club season fills a lot of gaps as we're learning about a new class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This brings our database total from 90 to 180, but we acknowledge that there's still a lot of work left to do. More on that in a moment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":775247,"width":"439px","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/5/2025/05/IMG_8047-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-775247" style="width:439px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Solomon is one of several 2028 stars playing up a year with the 16s.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Playing Up</strong></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've seen a vast collection of 2028s playing up an age group in this year's club season. Our previous watch list had several of these "overachievers" already, but we had several more to plug into our latest update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This trend has allowed players like [player_tooltip player_id='739707' first='Loryn' last='Piening'], [player_tooltip player_id='774904' first='Tess' last='Solomon'], and [player_tooltip player_id='746498' first='Averi' last='Webster'] to leap onto the watch list after successful 16s campaigns. Of course, we had already accounted for several other stars playing up a year: [player_tooltip player_id='555495' first='Shayla' last='Rautenberg'], [player_tooltip player_id='737370' first='Averi' last='Bridges'], [player_tooltip player_id='573382' first='Haleigh' last='Bauer'], [player_tooltip player_id='575234' first='Koco' last='Janssen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='774910' first='Emma' last='Rink'] are just a few of the many standouts ascending the age ladder this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Rankings Upcoming</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earlier this spring, we noted that we were closing in on an initial ranked list for this class. While we chose not to debut it on this cycle, those rankings could appear soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's our philosophy. We have the summer Nationals season on the way with AAUs and GJNC featuring several of Nebraska's top 2028s. We're also hoping for a big turnout at our July 26 showcases, which should be a major platform for the 2028s. Both of these event periods will give us further insight to help us lock in the first rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Once the dust settles on the club season, we're prepared to roll out a "special" update for this class alone. That would likely fall sometime in August--after the showcases and before the high school season. Like the 2027s, we're targeting a ranked group of roughly 25-40 athletes. And that's just the beginning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"},"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|primary"}}}},"textColor":"primary"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color" style="font-size:20px">Use code <em><strong>KingsleyDig2025</strong></em> for a discount on your registration fee!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"lightbox":{"enabled":false},"id":562386,"width":"183px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","align":"center"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1517/register/nebraska-stock-up-showcase" target="_blank" rel=" noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/07/Stock-Up-Showcase.png?w=1024" alt="Prep Dig Stock Up Showcase Graphic" class="wp-image-562386" style="width:183px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"29px"},"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|primary"}}}},"textColor":"primary"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color" style="font-size:29px"><strong><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1517/register/nebraska-stock-up-showcase">Nebraska Stock Up Showcase</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"18px"}}} --> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:18px"><strong>Class of 2026-2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center">July 26, 1:00 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center">The Volleyball Academy | La Vista, NE</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:image {"lightbox":{"enabled":false},"id":395629,"width":"183px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","align":"center"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1530/register/nebraska-freshman-showcase" target="_blank" rel=" noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/05/PDFreshmanShowcase_Email.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-395629" style="width:183px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"29px"},"elements":{"link":{"color":{"text":"var:preset|color|primary"}}}},"textColor":"primary"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color" style="font-size:29px"><strong><a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/1530/register/nebraska-freshman-showcase">Nebraska Freshman Showcase</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"18px"}}} --> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:18px"><strong>Class of 2029</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center">July 26, 10:00 a.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center">The Volleyball Academy | La Vista, NE</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->