Digging Into the Washington 2025 Rankings Update

A rankings update is always a terrific time to talk about the why behind the rankings, trends that are happening statewide and nationally, and any other interesting rankings information we can provide. We check in on the top 20 overall ranked players in the class and more in this deep dive.   To be the Best, you have to play the Best (most of the time).   There is a reason the top 30 is heavy with players from Sudden Impact and several other consistently high-performing clubs. SIVBC 17 played and earned an open bid this season, a rare feat for PNW teams. This put them in competition with high-ranking squads from across the country and created the environment for the players to be at their best versus elite competition. You can still be a 6'3" attacker who moves well or has a great arm, play on a regional team, and a college coach will find you. However, for the mere mortals among us, say a skilled 5'9" outside or athletic 6' middle; it pays to play with and against the best players possible. It raises the intensity level overall, drives players to find solutions to win, and gives college coaches (and writers!) the best possible view into an athlete's potential against stiff competition.   Other squads had excellent results against top competition, including mostly Oregon-based Athena Gold 17 and NPJ 17 Salem. CPA 17 Benson finished ninth in the Open at Bluegrass and, more impressively, 11th in the 17 Open at the AAU Championships. CRU 17 Max captured a USA Division bid at PNQ, never easy to achieve against strong teams from California and across the Western part of the US. WVBA 17 Adidas is another squad that competed in the Open Division level at every tournament they could, including AAUs, Bluegrass, and the JVA World Challenge.   Top-ranked players can come from any club team, of course, with the current top fifty players competing for sixteen different clubs across the state. Being from a smaller school or area doesn't prevent a player from earning a high ranking. Ellie Marble from La Conner was ranked #6 overall in the 2023 class and was a starter as a freshman at Central Washington.   Factoring in Injuries, Beach, Multi-Sport athletes, and more.   Athletes get injured and miss time; that is the reality of sport, and it has to be taken into consideration for the rankings. When does a player actually get passed by players who may not have the same size, power, or potential but have better performance because they are available? On the other hand, why should a player who has shown what they can do get passed just because they miss time for injuries? It's not their fault they are out; it's an injury, one might say. At some point, availability is important, and while we may not know exactly why players are suited up or not, we can see they are not on the floor. It works in the opposite direction as well- a player who has been consistently missing time puts together a full season where we can evaluate, then a bump in the rankings may be in order. It's a tough call.   The beach scene is getting so good in our state- DaKine, Kokua, KBeach, and others have elevated the talent level and opportunity for all the beach athletes across the state. What do we do with those players in the rankings? If they keep playing indoor club and school ball, it's easy, just rank them like anyone else. If they start to cut out one or indoor volleyball altogether, we don't have as much to evaluate, and it becomes more difficult. One of the hardest situations to rank accurately is the indoor player who looks terrific during their freshman and/or sophomore year, then drops indoor for beach completely. It can only be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The same rings true for multi-sport athletes, for example, a future elite Division 1 basketball player who excels on the volleyball court. If the athlete keeps playing school or club volleyball, we just rank as usual. Once they drop the sport, it's more difficult.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Top Five Abides...</h2>     1. [player_tooltip player_id='231549' first='Laura' last='Eichert']- OH. Eichert never left the floor for NPJ Forefront and is exploring all her options after reopening her college commitment. Eichert is ranked #30 overall nationally in the Prep Dig 2026 rankings.   2. [player_tooltip player_id='450701' first='Gabriella' last='Thompson']- OH. The high-flyer from Camas is headed to the University of Miami in the ACC. Thompson was especially hard to stop in the postseason for Athena 17 Gold.   3. [player_tooltip player_id='809397' first='Kaitlyn' last='Nguyen']- L. Nguyen, ranked at number three overall, is currently the highest we have ever rated a L/DS athlete in Washington. She is an elite defender and will stay in state at UW.   4. [player_tooltip player_id='828220' first='Emma' last='Gutke']- MB. Gutke looks increasingly more comfortable expanding her game offensively. The 6'3" future Auburn Tiger was impossible to stop at times this season.   5. [player_tooltip player_id='335612' first='Lauryn' last='Coleman']- MB. The Lakeside middle is committed to Santa Clara; she spent the club season drilling kills off quicks and scoring on stuff blocks for Sudden Impact. Her explosiveness lets her play bigger than her 6' height.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Movement in the Top 20</h2>   6. [player_tooltip player_id='251030' first='Rian' last='Stephan']- RS. Another in-state commit to the University of Washington, the 6'3" Stephan is a prototype high-major right side. She has a huge block, is an athletic mover, and has an impressive power arm.   7. [player_tooltip player_id='249301' first='Maya' last='Quitiquit']- S. Quitiquit keeps the top-ranked setter spot. She combined with #21 overall player [player_tooltip player_id='249332' first='Juleah' last='Leapai'] to lead SIVBC 17's 6-2 system and is a Western Washington verbal commit.   8. [player_tooltip player_id='244059' first='Ashlyn' last='Aaron']- RS. The CPA 17 Benson lefty, who committed to Weber State, was the team's best player at times, and her increased power and physicality impressed opposing coaches this season.   9. [player_tooltip player_id='807976' first='Julianne' last='Lee']- OH. Lee is a 6'1" six-rotation outside headed to Division 1 Fordham and one of the driving forces behind Sudden Impact 17 Storm's impressive season.   10. [player_tooltip player_id='395704' first='Lucy' last='Slavik']- MB. Slavik is a high-ceiling middle with elite size who plays against good competition with WVBA. She is one of two recent in-state signings for the new Gonzaga University coach, JT Wenger.   11. [player_tooltip player_id='244061' first='Noella' last='Migliuri']- S. Migliuri will attend Division 1 Fairfield University in Connecticut; she is an athletic setter who makes plays at the net. The Gonzaga Prep standout continued to develop as a decision-maker for CPA this season.   12. [player_tooltip player_id='290227' first='Shaylee' last='Stephen']- MB, Stephen has terrific length and power and plays with high energy for Camas and NPJ 17 Salem. She can change the momentum of a set with a monster block or a big swing out of the middle.   13. [player_tooltip player_id='363992' first='Addison' last='Conner']- OH. Conner is a Cal-Poly Beach commit. She spent the school season as North Thurston's go-to offensive player. She racked up attempts for the Rams and showed her quality of play as a six-position outside. Conner was eventually corralled in the 3A State Championship match by an inspired Ridgeline defense.   14. [player_tooltip player_id='244064' first='Jade' last='Livingston']- L. The CPA 17 Benson libero is a positive, high-energy defender who has the athleticism and smarts to make all the tough plays in the back row.   15. [player_tooltip player_id='249310' first='Brynn' last='Hughbanks']- OH. Headed to Florida State to play Beach, Hughbanks will be chasing a fourth (at least) consecutive state title with Chelan this fall. Hughbanks' size, athleticism, and indoor game slot comfortably within the Top 20.   16. [player_tooltip player_id='450025' first='Breven' last='Luinstra']- OH. Six-rotation attacker Luinsta was a major offensive focal point on a talented CRU 17 squad. The 6'0" Wenatchee junior is a Central Washington commit who is on her way to   17. [player_tooltip player_id='249592' first='Addie' last='Cameron']- OH. Cameron was healthy and explosive, blasting away on the pin for NPJ Portland 17 National. The Prairie prospect was impressive, mashing kills and making acrobatic defensive plays in the middle back.   18. [player_tooltip player_id='409345' first='Arisa' last='May-Kelly']- RS/OH. Kelly moves up into the top twenty after a club season full of terminal swings for Sudden Impact. She is incredibly efficient and delivers a high kill per swing rate- our scouts caught her pounding down six kills on seven swings in one set at the Emerald City Classic.   19. [player_tooltip player_id='251050' first='Heidi' last='Chambers']- OH. Chambers is a dynamic all-around player with terrific ball control and a huge toolbox of offensive shots. She will make a college program seeking a ball control outside hitter very happy.   20. [player_tooltip player_id='251052' first='Nohea' last='Alo']- OH. Alo is a six-rotation grinder who has committed to Western Washington. She works very hard to improve her game and athleticism, and had an excellent season for Sudden Impact.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where are all the setters and liberos?</h2>   They are in the overall rankings, with total numbers for the 2026 rankings breaking down this way:   Setters: 35   Liberos: 44   OH: 53   RS: 25   MB: 38   The right sides always seem to have the least representation in the rankings, but just wait. At the college level, previous high school middles, and outside hitters have been (and will be) asked to move to a position on the right side. Outsides, right sides, and middles with elite size and athleticism are the top priorities for top college programs, and those players and positions track with the top of our rankings.   Setters with elite size and hands would factor in those top recruiting/ranking positions as well. While the hands and skills are there, we don't regularly have multiple six-foot or even 5'10" players at the setter position in Washington. Looking back at our archived rankings, the top setters in the last three classes have been 5'11", 5'10", and 5'7", and the top ten setters in each class don't have a single six-footer.   The Libero and DS positions always have those few players who force their way into the top 20. In general, those athletes are game changers who have played against excellent competition and on outstanding teams. In 2024, Alyss Kelly cracked the top five playing for NPJ and committed to Kansas State in the Big 12. The 2025 class had the #7 overall player, setter Ava Jo Berry, commit to the University of Washington primarily as a defender. However, after those top-tier defenders, liberos tend to settle into the rankings after attackers with good size and skills.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How We Rank</h2>   Prep Dig lays it all out in this expansive rankings guide, found here- <a href="https://prepdig.com/how-we-rank/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://prepdig.com/how-we-rank/</a>.   Three of the most important items listed are: 1. Rankings are based on a player's college potential. 2. Size, explosiveness, and athleticism matter. 3. Players move up in the rankings, and that move up drops other players.   Our scouts track between 175 and 250 players in each class, in each state we cover. We understand there will be players that inevitably slip through without coverage or undercovered. We try to keep the updates frequent so we can find and cover as many athletes as possible. After the 2027 and 2028 classes roll out this month, we will have another update in December.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The FREE Prospect Index</h2>   You can start or claim your Player Profile for free! Add a picture, update your position, school, club team, or height if any information changes. Did I mention it's free?   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-prep-dig wp-block-embed-prep-dig"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://prepdig.com/prospect-index/ </div></figure>

A rankings update is always a terrific time to talk about the why behind the rankings, trends that are happening statewide and nationally, and any other interesting rankings information we can provide. We check in on the top 20 overall ranked players in the class and more in this deep dive.