Top Ohio 2027 DI Commitments Announced

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the club season is winding down, the recruiting effort among the 2027 class has been ramping up across the nation. A handful of Ohio prospects have made their college decisions in recent weeks with the following landing among some high profile NCAA Division I programs. Some of these prospects you can catch at the upcoming GJNC in Dallas, TX.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Ohio's Top 2027 Prospect Headed to ACC Champ</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480840' first='Kyla' last='Williams']</strong> - Commitment: Penn State<br>We have highlighted Williams before and she gets some more attention as she kicked off the commitment party for this Ohio 2027 class. She is our top-ranked prospect along with being identified as the #12 national prospect in this class by Prep Dig. The University of Pittsburgh has emerged as a national power over recent years, which includes big contributions from rangy, physical, and very athletic middles. Williams certainly fits that profile. The 6'4 Gilmour Academy product made a big impact for the Lancers in 2024 at 2.1 k/s at a 51% kills rate during their Ohio DIII state championship run. Look for her to have a more significant role in 2025 following the graduation of a corps of key contributors. She and her AVC 16 Red team begin play versus FORZA1 in the 16 Open division of the GJNC on Monday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Big Ten Future Stars</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='434971' first='Jillian' last='Forrest']</strong> - Commitment: Washington<br>Forrest, our #3 Ohio prospect for the 2027 class, is the most recent announcement among this group as she has enthusiastically shared her commitment to the University of Washington, coming off their rookie season in the Big Ten including that included a return to the NCAA tournament in 2024. She has all the goods to compete at this level and will fit into a west coast program that has great history and tradition along with a coaching staff that represents UW and their elite standards as a student-athlete. Athletic and physical, Forrest can play multiple positions at the net offensively. Her ability to defend as a dynamic and big blocker will also be a huge asset. She and her [program_tooltip program_id='430852' first='Tri-State' last='Elite'] 16 Blue team recently finished their club season with a 5th place result at the AAU national championships. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='549972' first='Addison' last='Knapke']</strong> - Commitment: Northwestern<br>Knapke can provide some game changing moments with her defense. The primary libero for [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last='']'s top 16U team, she reads the court very well and can react with quickness and efficiency in her movement to cover a lot of ground. She is another recent Big Ten commit as her skills should make a big impact at Northwestern University in the Chicago area. Knapke had a another good Fall season in 2024 for Oletangy Berlin as they went 10-0 in league play while making a playoff run that saw their season end in the Ohio DI state semifinals. She helps contribute to their strong passing and defensive effort. Be sure to check her out in the 16 Open division in Dallas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Brown Headed to the Big East</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='501007' first='Avary' last='Brown']</strong> - Commitment: Butler<br>Brown (*pictured) has been at the helm of AVC's top 17U team all club season and has them poised to compete well in Dallas starting Monday in the 16 Open division. Butler University made a coaching change a couple of seasons ago and Brown will enter into the program following ample time for the new leadership to build their culture. She has great tools to lead a full offense, which will be on display for a few more days of the club season before the August start date for Ohio high school. The Columbian product had 785 total assists in 2024, growing her two-season career total to 1,224 assists to go along with 378 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Cocherl Announces College Choice</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480805' first='Kamryn' last='Cocherl']</strong> - Commitment: Georgia Southern<br>A top prospect in this Ohio class, and ranked #113 in the recent Prep Dig 2027 national rankings, Cocherl is an offensive force for both her high school and club teams. With two varsity seasons behind her, she will enter the Fall high school season set to lead the Pleasant offense again, a program she has earned 981 total kills for a 5.8 k/s average half way through her prep career. She also has a career average of 2.8 digs per set from 483 total digs to complement her 159 service aces. She is a key factor for [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last='']'s top 16U team that you can see in Dallas in the 16 Open division versus Top Select 16 Elite early Monday morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->