WA 2027 Rankings Update- The Top 20 and More

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. Some of this information was covered in the initial 2026 Rankings article, and we keep it here if it applies for 2027 as well.   Rankings begin to become clearer after the sophomore season of club play.   A few factors kick in, and the players start to separate and drive themselves up the rankings. The last rankings update for this class was in December of 2024, just after the sophomore school season and prior to the U16 season of club. That means some of these terrific players may have still had a small role on their school team during the fall and had only played one season of U15 club that we watched as scouts. My experience watching athletes improve is that the most growth as a player occurs in the freshman and sophomore years, with the 16U club season revealing the most. College coaches must be on to something with the June 15th after the sophomore year Division 1 recruiting timeline. Most of the athletes are done growing, have generally found the level of club team that fits their play, and are showing a good display of their potential by the end of this particular club season.   To be the Best, you have to play the Best (most of the time).   There is a reason the top 50 is heavy with players from consistently high-performing clubs. This puts athletes in competition with high-ranking squads from across the country and creates 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.   Top-ranked players can come from any club team, of course, with the current top fifty players competing for thirteen different clubs. 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.   A coach was kind enough to send me a nice email running down a few of the excellent finishes for Beach and indoor prep athletes at the Seaside tournament in Oregon over the weekend. It helps to illustrate the quality of the beach training here in the PNW. How about this matchup in a Quads final?   Gold Medalists   [player_tooltip player_id='243687' first='Jenica' last='Walling']   Asia Williams   Avery Cukjati   [player_tooltip player_id='363992' first='Addison' last='Conner']     Silver Medalists   [player_tooltip player_id='231549' first='Laura' last='Eichert']   Emma Brewer (OR)- #2 ranked overall 2026   Lily Mae Buerkle (OR)- #3 ranked overall 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='310800' first='Olivia' last='Gonzales']   Fittingly at Seaside, the team of excellent future Division 1 beach athletes took down the squad of future indoor athletes in a 2-0 sweep. The Gold Medalist team was made up of four players who all helped their team to the state championship games last fall. Williams and Cukjati won in 4A, with Curtis High School and Walling (Cascade Christian) and Conner (North Thurston) finishing as runner-ups in 1A and 3A, respectively. A common thread between the two groups is players who know how and are used to winning matches, no matter the surface!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Shake Up In The Top Five: </h2>    Sandberg takes over as the #1 player in the class of 2027 Rankings. The 5'11" OH from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane has been a six-rotation playmaker starting her freshman season, and plays up an age division for CPA during club. Sandberg is a verbal commit to Tennessee in the SEC, and she has the physical attributes needed to excel in the high-powered conference. Her best quality is her unwavering competitiveness and willingness to take and kill the most crucial swings in big matches.     Conner has given a verbal commitment to Boston College in the ACC, and she brings prototype size and left-handed power as a right-side attacker. Her movement and physicality continue to grow, and she spent the club season blowing up defenders on huge swings down the line.     The Kennedy Catholic MB moves up in the rankings to #3 overall after a terrific club campaign. Hollis improved her ability to move her attacks to all parts of the court, showing off a thumb-down hammer and finding ways to score even when a set was less than perfect. She is dialing in a tough jump float serve and has excellent length and activity as a blocker.     Foote went from #7 to #4 in the overall rankings and is a recent verbal commit to Gonzaga University. The 6'2" middle has outstanding timing running her attacking routes- she is effective on the slide, and hammered balls coming off the right side. Foote has excellent length, moves well, and can adjust to sets, and a frame that will continue to add strength and power.     The versatile RS/S from Emerald Ridge is a recent verbal commit to Cal Poly, an excellent D-1 program that competes in the Big West Conference. Frederick was more physical this season, hammering balls down on the right side and moving with urgency on defense and in transition.      <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Movement in the Top 20</h2>    Peebles was on fire from the pin during the club season. The Fresno State verbal commit is just one spot out of the top 5 at #6 overall in the rankings. She shone as a terminal pin attacker for WVBA 16 Adidas, blowing up blocks and ripping kills hard angle and down the line. Peebles is an explosive athlete whose overall skills continue to improve.     Bigby is a smooth operator with a whippy arm and an outstanding overall skill set. She is a high-quality ball control outside hitter with good length and a range of shots she can use to score. Bigby controls the middle back defensively and can be counted on to make the right play when the ball finds her.      Harris competes; she is the type of player you want controlling the action when a match is on the line. She maintains the top setter spot in the 2027 rankings. With her combination of skill, athleticism, leadership, and ability to lead her squad to wins, she is what coaches are looking for in the setter position.     Williams is the heartbeat of the defense for Mt. Spokane and her 208 squad during club. Fast, strong, and skilled in all parts of the game, she remains the #1 libero in the rankings. Williams is a recent verbal commit to Wichita State.     Gonzalez is one of the biggest movers in the top part of the rankings, landing at #10 overall, up 13 spots. The 6'0" outside blasted away from the pin, powering down balls through, over, and off blocks all season. She is strong and plays longer than her listed height, and she showed she can hold her own in serve receive and defensively.     Smith was a six-rotation mainstay for DaKine 16, and the team had arguably the most successful 16's season of anyone in the state. The Timberline OH has been on the radar since her eighth-grade year and is a consistent all-around player with pop in her swing and the ability to find ways to score and make plays in the clutch.       Gourley played with NPJ Salem during the club season, and the team had success culminating in a trip to USAV Nationals. The Columbia River prospect is extremely heavy-handed; she crushes swings off hands and out for kills, and shows an ability to score out of system and off a variety of tempos from the outside.     Lingenbrink is trending up, up, up, making the move from tall, young middle, figuring it out, into a blocking force, and a high-efficiency attacker. Her movement was markedly quicker, decisive, and explosive this season- she will be a great "get" for a team at the next level.     Jacoby has excellent size and is a versatile combo setter and attacker for Prairie, and plays her club ball for Aspire NW- playing up at the 17U level. She can score the ball as an attacker, Jacoby has a smooth swing, and an excellent vertical. Aspire ran her on routes all over the court when she wasn't setting, finding ways to get her involved.     We enjoyed watching Longspaugh playing on the pin during the club season- her length and explosiveness project perfectly for the position at the next level. She has an urgent approach and quick arm, has room to develop as an OH after spending time at MB, and moves up to #15 in the rankings overall.     Lauifi is the #2-ranked overall libero in the class and moved up to #16 overall. She was outstanding in serve receive for Dakine, helping her attackers rack up kills and contributing significantly to the team's overall success. She is an extremely hard worker who plays the game with passion and positive energy.     Browning moves up into the Top 20 in the latest 2027 Rankings Update. The South Kitsap standout is a versatile player with great size and hands as a setter, but she hammered the ball from the right side primarily for DaKine this season. Browning has vision and touch as an attacker, too; she will drop in a perfect tip for a kill as defenses start to expect a big swing.     Gines has terrific power and size and continues to improve as a six-position player who doesn't leave the floor for Mary Walker or RVC. She is an excellent track athlete, and her beach and indoor games are both gaining steam.     The Bishop Blanchet setter is a rock-solid technician and excellent leader on the floor for her teams. Malley has excellent hands and a calm, repeatable setting motion that doesn't tip off her choices to the defense. She is a strong blocker and makes plays at the net when she is in a 5-1. Malley checks in as the #3 setter in the 2027 rankings and the 19th-ranked player overall.     The setter from Emerald Ridge is one of the most dynamic and creative players in the class. There is not a set she won't make or a second ball attack she can't throw to an open spot for a kill. Puttler is a terrific athlete with great speed and feet. She is fearless, launching back sets to reverse the flow after running down a pass.        <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Attackers Rule the Top 20- </h2>   The right sides always seem to have the least positional representation in the overall 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 are undercovered. We try to keep the updates frequent so we can find and cover as many athletes as possible. Our next update happens after the fall high school season in December, just prior to the club season starting up.   <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. Some of this information was covered in the initial 2026 Rankings article, and we keep it here if it applies for 2027 as well.