Pin Hitters Dominate the 2028 Rankings Debut

There were 29 players who made their debuts in the class of 2028. Sixteen of those 29 were pin hitters. Below are evaluations of ten pin hitters who slid into the top 100 of our rankings.    She hits right side for a loaded Maryland Jrs. 14U team. It would not surprise me of her ability to hit left side. At the Junior Nationals in Dallas she calmly buried a couple balls from the left side when the team was in serve receive rotation 1. While the Maryland Jrs 14 team relies on their left sides for offense Reagan consistently puts her share of balls away when set on the right side.   Ideally, she should play at the 16U level next year. That is the prime recruiting age at qualifiers. Most college coaches focus on that age group as they prepare for their next recruiting class. If she plays again at the 15 level she will miss one year of recruiting opportunity.   Reagan debuts at number 38 in our class of 2028, She plays at a smaller high school, Notre Dame Prepatory. While I have not seen her play back row I'm pretty certain she would be a six rotation player at her high school. For Maryland Jrs she is restricted to three rotations.       Alexis debuts at number 39 in our class of 2028. This is based purely on the video she sent with her profile. At 6'1" she has good height for a left side. She led [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'] to a number one ranking in the Old Dominion Region.   As a frosh last year she led her high school Lancaster in kills with an impressive .402 hitting percentage. She also was number two in blocks, first in aces and to show off her versatility second in assists while serving as a setter in a 6/2. This tells me she also spent her time hitting on the right side.   Any player who can show me video and stats as she has deserves a bump up in the rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='768530' first='Ellen' last='Verwys'] (Fairfax/Braddock Road) - Ellen was one of a number of players from Braddock Road who impressed with their play at the Gran Prix tournament in Richmond. Based on her play she debuted at number 60 in our class of 2028. She was normally rotated out when she played the back row. Not a surprise that as a frosh she started for Fairfax High School. They won only two of their 20 games played this season. At 5'10 Ellen brings good height to the outside. Let's see if she can get Fairfax back on the winning side.   [player_tooltip player_id='768529' first='Tess' last='Mahon'] (Bishop Ireton/Braddock Road - Tess was another outside hitter for Braddock who shined on the left side. She debuted just behind Ellen at number 64 in our 2028 rankings. She also started as a frosh for a Bishop Ireton team that was a little overmatched in the WCAC last year. For Ireton Tess finished second on her team in kills with a .164 hitting percentage. She did not play a lot of back row for Ireton and in the matches I watched she played no back row for Braddock. Having the ability to play six rotations gives you the option of providing offense in the back row as well as bring more versatility to the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='755134' first='Ava' last='Ewald'] (Kettle Run/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - Ava played a year down for Paramount 14. At 6'0" she shows a good ability to provide offense both in the front and back row. At 6'0" she brings good height to the left side, banging some balls from the back row. She earned a spot on a talented Kettle Run team that finished 21-3 for the season, even upsetting two time Class 4 defending champion James Wood. They eventually lost in the first round of the Class 3 state playoffs to New Kent, falling in the fifth set 15-11. Her older sister Katie Ewald was one of the captains of the team and played right side. She only lists at 5'9".   [player_tooltip player_id='778720' first='Jordyn' last='Goh'] (MVSA) - Jordyn stood out as one of the top offensive performers for MVSA 15 leading to a 84 ranking debut for 2028. At 5'7" she is a bit undersized for an outside. She has a quick wrist snap that can drive the ball down with excellent velocity. She also plays six rotations. Adding a tad more size could make her a dynamic offensive player, otherwise as she rises up the ranks a libero spot could be an option.    For Virginia Juniors Elizabeth hit right side. Their roster already had three setters. At the Prep Dig showcase she showed off her setting skillsy. For Langley she can be used as a right side and an emergency setter if they want to take [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] out for a bigger block. [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] led all of Virginia in assists with 947 and was recently voted pre-season player of the year for the state of Virginia by Maxpreps. It will be difficult to replace her at setter.   Elizabeth was a shortstop until she hung up the cleats to focus on volleyball. It has been my experience that softball players with their natural throwing motion bring an easy transition to volleyball and the arm motion that is required for serving.   Expect Elizabeth to play right side this year for Langley. Her setting career may have to wait one year after Claire graduates. Hard to replace a setter who has won back to back championships.   Elizabeth debuts at number 93 for our class of 2028 ranking but snagging a starting role on the right side would raise this ranking the next time they are issued.     Another right side who played a year down for Paramount 14. At 5'9" she is a bit undersized for a right side but she brings excellent arm extension to her swing as well as a healthy vertical. There appears to exist some growth left in her frame to allow her to stick as a right side.   This coming season she should find a spot on the varsity roster after improving her skills while playing at Paramount. During the early season her playing time could be sporadic but as the season progresses she could find a starting spot.   Kayleigh debutted at number 94 in our rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='857977' first='Savannah' last='Smith'] (Severn Run/Columbia) - At 5'7 she is a tad undersized for a left side but she brings a powerful swing to the court. She also brings a good vertical that enhances her game at the net. Last year she made the varsity and led the team in kills. She also appears to have played six rotations, leading the team in serve receive while finishing second in digs. Savannah debuts at number 96 in our class of 2028.   [player_tooltip player_id='772016' first='Molly' last='McWhorter'] (Bethesda Chevy Chase/MVSA) - Molly debuts at number 99 in our class of 2028. She teams with [player_tooltip player_id='778720' first='Jordyn' last='Goh'] above to create a very potent outside combination for MVSA.   Below are six additional pin hitters who fall just beyond the top 100.   [player_tooltip player_id='772028' first='Sofia' last='Gelston'] (Lightridge/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - Sofia debuts at number 100 and despite her 5'7" size can put some good velo on the ball. She also plays six rotations, exhibiting exceelent hustle on the court. She played on the Paramount second team.   [player_tooltip player_id='764683' first='Naomi' last='McNeal'] (Urbana/Liberty Elite) - Naomi debuted at 101. She played a strong six rotation left side while also exhibiting a strong serve.   [player_tooltip player_id='749639' first='Elise' last='Silvey'] (Loudoun County/Virginia Elite) - Elise debuts at 107. At 5'10 she brings some height to the position with a strong swing. For her age her approach jump shows some good vertical, listed at 9'3". Elise should make an appearance on the Loudoun County roster this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='764689' first='Carly' last='Sachs'] (New Kent/Coastal Virginia) - Carly debuts at 112. She generated a ton of offene for Coastal Virginia hitting from the left side. For New Kent she made the team as a frosh and finished third on the team in kills and digs. She plays six rotations.   [player_tooltip player_id='768545' first='Autumn' last='Schwartz'] (Central Virginia Home School/Momentum) - Autumn debuted at 113. When she played for Momentum she used her lefthanded swing to hit from the left side. A solid six rotation player who led her home school in kills.   [player_tooltip player_id='857984' first='Vivian' last='Sopha'] (Crofton/South River Volleyball Club) - Vivian debuted at 130. She recently converted from middle to left side and hits the ball hard. Still adjusting with the timing of the higher sets so does mail some balls out when the timing is off. At 5'10 she has height for the position.

There were 29 players who made their debuts in the class of 2028. Sixteen of those 29 were pin hitters. Below are evaluations of ten pin hitters who slid into the top 100 of our rankings.