Setters and Liberos New to the 2028 Rankings

We finish our 2028 rankings debut with the setters and liberos new to the 2028 rankings. We also add an additional middle that I overlooked. Tomorow I will take a look at those players who made the biggest jump in the rankings.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setters</h2>    She played a year down with the powerful Maryland Juniors 14U team. The Maryland Jrs team finished the club season ranked number 19 nationally. Eva filled in as part of a three setter rotation where she eventually found herself squeezed out for playing time during Junior Nationals.   Eva attended our most recent Prep Dig showcase earning a top performer award. This earned her a spot at number 72 in our class of 2028 rankings. She brings nice hands and a solid consistency with the location of her sets. Her 5'7" height may restrict her to a 6/2 back row setting offense.   This coming high school season she will set for Glenelg. The Gladiators already have an accomplished setter in [player_tooltip player_id='529251' first='Jessica' last='Li']. For the most part Jessica set a 5/1 but Eva got some opportunity to play as a frosh. Glenelg finished the season 20-4 ultimately eliminated from states by Old Mill in a Class 3 Regional playoff match.    [player_tooltip player_id='749346' first='Ellyn' last='Kim'] (Richard Montgomery/[program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']) - Richard Montgomery continues to make a lot of noisc in the high school volleyball world. Max Preps recently named them the top high school in Marland, despite graduating both of their starting setters. Clearly Ellyn fills one of the setter roles. While she only stands 5'4" the expectation exists she sets in a 6/2 environment. This past club season she set for [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] leading them to a 15 Open bid in Nationals. She moves quickly to the ball with good hands to spot the ball in a consistent location.   Last year for the Rockets she received limited playing time with eight sets as a frosh. As a result she debuts at number 106 in the rankings. This could rise if the Rockets prove their press clippings accurate as the top high school in Maryland by winning a third consecutive state championship.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Liberos</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='755672' first='Jaylin' last='Park'] (Reservoir/Metro) - Jaylin did a nice job filling the libero role for Metro 14. She played a year down fulfilling a leadership role that resulted in the 14s ascendancy into the National ranks. She brings quickness on the court preventing hard driven balls from finding the floor. Metro eventually qualified for an open bid. This success allowed Jaylin to debut at number 80 in our 2028 rankings.   For her high school she plays for Reservoir which used frosh [player_tooltip player_id='800545' first='Riley' last='Ko'] as their libero. Riley was one of our top climbers in the class of 2028 playing up with the Metro 15 team and leading them to a first place finish at Junior Nationals in the National Division. Riley earned a spot on the 15U Junior National all tournament team.   If Jaylin earns a spot on the varsity team this year the Gators will carry one of the top back rows in high school. Last year Reservoir lost in the first round of the Class 4 Maryland state championships to Churchill. Expect them to advance further if the back row meets expectations.    Grace is not one of those players I have seen physicall play on the court. This ranking is based on what video I have seen. She brings the motivation to work hard to improve her game on the court. This results in a 104 debut for out class of 2028. Obviously, this may rise once I see her play.   You have to respect a girl who loves challenges and works hard to improve her game. Those are the players who rise above the competition. Grace appears to have those attributes.   Cave Spring struggled in their high school season last year. That year Grace did not make the varsity roster her frosh season. The Knights lost two of their back row players to graduation this coming season. This gives Grace an opportunity to win the libero job. Despite her 5'6" height she appears on their roster as a outside hitter/defensive specialist.    [player_tooltip player_id='792906' first='Carolyn' last='Angelicchio'] (Oakton/Braddock) - Carolyn is another player who impressed at the Gran Prix tournament in Richmond, passing well while playing a solid defense. This led to her debut at number 125 in our rankings. As a frosh she earned a spot on the Oakton roster. It would not surprise me to see her start for them as their libero this coming season.    Charlotte played defensive specialist for a talented Marylnd Juniors 14 team. An injury early in the season limited her play but once healthy she began sharing in the libero role. She returned to her role as defensive specialist once Maryland Juniors picked up an additional back row player for Junior Nationals.   Interesting that Charlotte rosters as a defensive specialist for Sandy Springs yet surprisingly she leads her team in kills despite her 5'5" stature. She also leads the team in digs and serve receive. On the down side she also leads her team in hitting errors so perhaps the libero position suits her best.   Charlotte debuts at number 134 in our class of 2028 rankings.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Our Forgotten Middle</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='787927' first='Gianna' last='LaGuardia'] (River Hill/Columbia Volleyball Academy) - We left Gianna off our list of middle blockers making their debut. She squeezed in at 135 in the class of 2028 rankings. Despite her 5'9" height she played middle for Columbia at Junior Nationals. She also played it well, especially when Columbia went against the number one seed in their pool. She generally takes higher sets in the middle and excels at tooling the blocks for a number of points. Gianna also contributed a number of aces during her serve, while also making some stellar defensive plays after her serve as well as contributing some key blocks.   She made her high school team as a frosh. On the roster she rosters as a middle and outside. Howard eliminated the Lions in a Regional playoff match last year.

We finish our 2028 rankings debut with the setters and liberos new to the 2028 rankings. We also add an additional middle that I overlooked. Tomorow I will take a look at those players who made the biggest jump in the rankings.