Getting to know 2028 rankings top three candidates

The initial 2028 rankings will be released Monday. The three candidates for the top spot are Assumption's [player_tooltip player_id='611724' first='Brooke' last='Codey'], Conner's [player_tooltip player_id='579836' first='Charlotte' last='Patton'] and Christian Academy-Louisville's [player_tooltip player_id='601632' first='Kayleigh' last='Rogers']. This question and answer session gives us some insight into they hard work they've put into their volleyball careers thus far.   All three play on the top high-level Open Division teams at their respective clubs. Codey and Rogers will be play for the KIVA Red teams this fall and Patton will play for the Tri-State Elite 16 Blue team.   Codey (pictured) helped lead Assumption to the 25th state championship in program history and Patton helped Conner reach the 9th Region Tournament for the first time since she entered high school. Codey had to go down to her legs to make a tremendous save in the fifth set of the state championship game against Notre Dame. Conner has just one region tournament win in program history that came in 2023.   Rogers sustained a season-ending injury in the Bluegrass Games so she missed out this season, but she showed a lot of dynamic play on the court during club season and the previous two seasons at CAL. However, the Centurions still won the 28th District championship and made it to the 7th Region semifinals.   Putting Power into balls   Brooke: To put power on the ball I really focus on getting a strong approach and making sure my arms stay high and body stays low. This helps me generate power to hit off speed and hard. Also engaging my core and facing the antenna from the beginning of my approach and finishing toward the other.    Charlotte: It starts with the power that I get from my jump and using my legs, then using that in a continuous motion with my swing.   Kayleigh: The biggest key is to attack every ball with the mentality to score, or put pressure on the defense. Power comes from an explosive approach, and swinging with confidence! I am fortunate to play with great passers and setters. A big kill is often the result of a solid pass and a good set.   Playing for a high-level club team   Brooke: Playing for KIVAs Red teams has been a huge help as I get the opportunity to practice with and against high level players on my team and other KIVA teams. Playing in open at tournaments against some of the best teams in the nation has also been a huge help. The pace of the game accelerates dramatically each club season as the players grow taller and stronger. These experiences have really helped me in high school when facing seniors that are two, three years older. For me these benefits from KIVA have been even more exaggerated since I have played up a grade for my entire club career.   Charlotte: I've been able to implement the extensive training and skills development that I've received at club and transfer those to my scholastic team.   Kayleigh: I am so thankful for all of my KIVA teammates and coaches. They push me to be my best. Playing elite level club competition the last few years has taught me how to perform under pressure. In big moments, my teammates trust me to make plays. I really think that trust and confidence helped us win the first volleyball 2A State Championship in CAL program history my Freshman year.   When started playing volleyball and why   Brooke: I am not sure I can pinpoint the age I started. My family is big into volleyball so I grew up peppering between games at adult tournaments. We played our first school season in second grade and my first year in club was in fourth grade as a 9-year-old. The youngest team we had was 10s so the trend of playing up started early.   Charlotte: I started volleyball around age 8. I love the competitiveness of the game along with the excitement of it and the friends that I have made because of this sport.   Kayleigh: I have been playing volleyball since I was 11 and I am grateful for the friendships and relationships that I have built over the last five years. I love the intensity of the game, and that it is such a team sport.   Turning into solid all-around players   Brooke: I definitely want to be an all around player. I love every aspect of the game and strive to be the best I can at each. As mentioned I started peppering with my family early on, so my passing was solid from an early age. When I was younger I was tall for my age so hitting evolved naturally. It never really occurred to me to be anything other than a six-rotation player. I started to get really into beach at about 11 and in beach you HAVE to be an all around player or your opponents will exploit your weakness. There is no place to hide on the beach and that has really solidified my all around game indoors as well.   Charlotte: It takes a lot of determination and grit alongside hard work to help me to get where I am now. I work outside of regular practice on my serve receive and defense so I am reliable when it comes to me playing in the back row. I have learned a lot from all of the great teammates I have had over the years.   Kayleigh: As a six rotation outside, I understand the responsibility that I have to impact the game in many different ways. Being intentional with my reps and practice has helped get me to this point, but I am always trying to grow as an all around player. I would say my serve receive and defensive consistency have improved the most over the last year.   Pre-Game Superstitions   Brooke: I like to pass with the same teammate each game during warm up and two of my teammates ([player_tooltip player_id='212396' first='Emily' last='Keiran'], [player_tooltip player_id='611743' first='Taylor' last='McKenzie']) come together and tell each other we can pass well and get the job done.    Charlotte: The only superstition I could say I have would be that I wear my hair in the same ponytail every game day.   Kayleigh: I like to stay loose before games, just having fun connecting with my teammates. I really don't have any superstitions.   Hitting to Different Zones on the court   Brooke: I try to utilize my court vision to move the ball around and to either avoid or tool the blocks.  Sometimes the defense is just aligned really well and I have to try to overpower the defender even if it means hitting right at them. If it goes well they will pass out of system but worst case they will stay in system but at least we are still in the rally.   Charlotte: I've been working on developing the ability to change up my offense to keep the defense guessing - trying to not be so predictable. I also started watching film to find my own bad tendencies as well as where I can find holes in a defense.   Kayleigh: I think having a high volleyball IQ can make a big difference for a player. I try to read the defense and put as much pressure on other teams as possible, from the front row and the back row. I practice scoring in many different ways to prepare for all in game situations.   Playing Beach Volleyball   Brooke: Beach has helped my indoor game in so many ways. First just training on sand builds more speed and explosiveness, plus it is more forgiving on the body.  As discussed it also forces you to focus and train all aspects of the game so you build skills across the board. More importantly at the higher levels beach hones your court vision and awareness. It allows you to anticipate shots based on slight body movements and positioning and thereby it greatly improved my defense. The court vision also tremendously helps on offense with reading the blockers and defenders and choosing your shot. Finally, it also builds mental toughness. With no subs a player has to play through adversity. With different coaching rules and often no coaches at tournaments, beach players have to make a lot of decisions that coaches make for them in indoor. This leads to players discussing the game and strategy at an advanced level. Finally, beach has also put me on some massive stages. I am 11-3 in Beach National Championship Finals. These experiences often on the most hallowed venues in the sport like Hermosa, Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach and Santa Monica have built my appreciation for big games.  I do not get intimidated by the big moment.    Playing Varsity for Assumption as Freshman   Brooke: My goal before my freshman season at Assumption was to not only make the varsity team but to have a meaningful role. To be honest just making varsity would have been so beneficial- just the opportunity to practice with and against that caliber of player each day was amazing. As It turned out, I played well and was starting in back row and getting a lot of time at outside hitter too. When the big moments came in the state semis and finals, I was ready.    In my just completed sophomore season I feel like I changed my defensive game. Getting the opportunity to play with and learn from two amazing Liberos (Kristen Simon, now at Wisconsin and Keiran headed to Auburn) was an amazing growth opportunity. My team got bitten by the injury bug a bit this year and my load on offense was heavier than I expected but it was a great experience. I am exceedingly proud to have lead the number six ranked team in the country in kills and to have had such an impactful contribution on defense and serve receive.    Huge Dive in Fifth set of state championship game   Brooke: First let me say that Audrey Dyas is an amazing players and Notre Dame had an amazing team this year that kept improving. I am so proud of the way our team refused to quit and how everyone contributed to that stirring comeback from down 12-7 in the 5th set of the state finals. Success against a big hitter like that is really reliant on some of the aforementioned reading of an opponents swing and body position to anticipate the shot. A lot of credit also goes to the blockers who have to be able to take away some of the options and channel the hitters shots toward the defense. With so much pace on the ball platform positioning is critical in order to keep the first contact playable,  or better yet, in system. I play in a lot of coed beach and grass  tournaments as well as men's leagues. Facing the big swings from the men has really helped me improve my ball control on high powered spikes. In-system digs on big swings really amp up a team and discourage the opponents a bit. That dig was great for us because every point was critical during that run and we fed off the energy it generated. I get as big a thrill out of digging a big spike as I do out of hammering one down.    Raising the bar at Conner   Charlotte: We have a very strong district and a very tough region. These next couple years for Conner I believe that we are going to bey very good and that could help us to win a district championship and even make it far into the region. It would be amazing if I could be a part of the team that makes Conner history. I am confident in my teammates and we will most certainly raise the bar.   Using height to advantage   Charlotte: I use my height to help me get over the big blocks that are put up against me. I also use my height to help me be a defensive threat at the net to block others. This past year, I even think it has helped me in the back row by playing long and getting to balls some others may not be able to.   Injury Progress   Kayleigh: I am making progress, and getting stronger every day. I am so grateful for the support system around me, and can not wait to compete for a national championship with my KIVA teammates this season.   Setting higher bars at CAL   Kayleigh: Bringing championships to Christian Academy has been my goal since the 2023 season - my 8th Grade year. Playing for HIS Glory means the most to me. We have a great group of girls and I really believe we are just getting started. We can build on the 2024 2A State Championship and raise the bar even higher these next two seasons.   High School Head Coach Evaluations    There is a lot to like about Brooke. First of all, her volleyball IQ is very high. This past season, she led us in kills, was one of our top two passers along with [player_tooltip player_id='212396' first='Emily' last='Keiran'] and was second in digs. It's hard not to like a phenomenal six-rotation player like Brooke.   Assumption Head Coach Ron Kordes     Charlotte is a great leader on the team. She sets a high standard for herself and that sets a tone for the other players to follow. Conner volleyball has struggled in the past and she is a product of the program's success, and she wants to continue that success. Her hunger and passion for fighting to win on the court has transferred to her teammates.   Conner Head Coach Douglas Rabe     She is the entire package. She is strong, determined, humble, and an amazing athlete, and she will soon be back in even better form. Being a six-rotation player, Kayleigh is used to impacting every part of the game. The adjustment to her injury and surgery was a tough one, but she truly has accepted this situation and is working to be an even better athlete when she returns. Kayleigh's attitude has been one of her biggest strengths in her comeback, and for our entire team. She has been a supportive teammate through it all, providing great feedback and encouragement to her teammates, and she has been one of the best sideline leaders I have ever had. Her mental toughness and her drive to come back even stronger has been there from the moment she suffered her injury, and she never missed a beat with her upper body and core strength training. Fortunately, she is now doing lower body work, and she has started back into skills training. The expectation for Kayleigh is to be back and fully competing with KIVA 16 Red in a few short months, and she is eager to help lead them to a national championship.    Christian Academy-Louisville Head Coach Sherry Ashley    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for nearly two years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. Prep Dig is running a 50% off subscription sale starting Monday, Nov. 23 and running through Cyber Monday. It is a great time to get in on the action as the initial Class of 2028 rankings will be released on Cyber Monday.

The initial 2028 rankings will be released Monday. The three candidates for the top spot are Assumption's Brooke Codey Brooke Codey 5'8" | OH/DS/L Assumption | 2028 State KY , Conner's Charlotte Patton Charlotte Patton 6'2" | OH/S Conner | 2028 State KY and Christian Academy-Louisville's Kayleigh Rogers Kayleigh Rogers 5'11" | OH/DS/L Christian Academy of Louisville | 2028 State KY . This question and answer session gives us some insight into they hard work they've put into their volleyball careers thus far.