Rankings Update: Top 2027 Stock Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Dig Kansas released updated rankings this morning for the Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those rankings now include 300 total athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As athletes head into their senior season, the most significant factors in the rankings are 1) sharing college offers and commitments, 2) the ability for scouts to find individual stats for athletes, and 3) an athlete's overall commitment to playing college volleyball and keeping scouts updated on their recruitment process and future post-high-school paths.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Please be aware that athletes with completed Prep Dig Profiles often get a slight advantage in the rankings early, but that being a subscriber to the site <strong>DOES NOT </strong>impact a player's ranking. Profiles on all Prep Network sites are free, and an athlete shows a commitment to the recruitment process when their profile is as complete as possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athletes should feel free to reach out to scouts via email or social media to share recruitment updates or to share intentions to play other sports at the collegiate level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My purpose in scouting and overseeing the rankings process for Prep Dig Kansas is to provide athletes with exposure for the college coaches who subscribe to our website.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you have questions about the rankings, feel free to email me at deckscoutks@gmail.com. Please take note that I will not respond to negative or unprofessional messages.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at seven athletes who made huge gains in the most recent updated Kansas Class of 2027 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each of these athletes moved into the Top 25 for the first time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["483898"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc9367"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Burdiek parlayed a solid junior season into a climb of 26 slots in the rankings. She was previously ranked No. 38 overall. She had a dynamic junior season and has had a hell of a career at Rossville. She is arguably one of the best uncommitted athletes in the Kansas Class of 2027. Ranked No. 12, she is the highest-ranked uncommitted athlete, one slot ahead of Holton's Tinely Wilson. If I were a college coach, I would sign both and go win a conference title. Her junior season stat line included 596 kills, 403 digs, and 409 serve receptions. To say she gets a lot of touches during a match would be an understatement.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["529955"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc93bf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">No one had more of a meteoric rise up the rankings than Wabaunsee's Zeller. Zeller jumped into the Top 20 after previously being ranked outside the Top 100. She is now ranked No. 15 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. She posted career highs in kills (322), digs (464), blocks (114), and serve receptions with 552. She has evolved into a six-rotation athlete and a floor leader for the Chargers. She will enter her senior season looking to reach the 1,000-career benchmark in both kills and digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["528264"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69334ac93d798"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hemphill had one of the most impressive ascensions up the rankings. She leaped into the Top 25 after being ranked No. 134 overall. In my opinion, she is one of the lesser-known talents, and I personally hope the recognition on Prep Dig Kansas helps her gain more recruiting exposure. I was enamored with her combination of quickness and strength when I scouted Eudora last season. She finished her junior campaign with 345 kills and 225 digs. Both prep season highs. Her blocking numbers decreased by about half. I feel like fine-tuning her blocking skills will make a big difference on where she might land collegiately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["480404"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc9403"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">DeGroot jumps into the Top 25 after being ranked No. 32 overall. She had a solid junior season for the Golden Eagles and is now ranked No. 16 overall. I have written it before, but I will write it again. Lauren "I Am" DeGroot might just have superhero powers. She is what I would have referred to in my first few years of scouting as "Tall Timber." She has a big reach and natural athleticism. She has posted back-to-back seasons with 200-plus kills and three straight seasons with at least 20 blocks. Like several of the athletes in this report, she has "Big-Game" experience and knows what it takes to be a winner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["553079"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc944d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lassey moves from No. 34 to No. 18 overall. She took on more of a leadership role for the Holton Wildcats as a junior. She now has state tournament experience under her belt, and the under-the-radar prospect has improved her social media game to increase her chances of getting noticed. She is expected to participate in the Prep Dig Exposure Event in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 14. She finished with 210 kills, and 90 blocks last season. I have been sharing her name with JUCO coaches lately. I feel she is a Division II prospect, but she could gain a ton from getting quality coaching at the JUCO level and then head to a Division I program afterward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["778757"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc948b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Splechter moved into the Top 50 after an impressive junior season. She is now ranked No. 22 overall. She was previously ranked No. 88. She is the only non-primary hitter in this group. She is also the only athlete among this group that I did not see play in person last season. She finished among the state leaders with 815 assists. Splecter has already surpassed the 1,500-assist plateau with 1,628 total assists. She is a multi-sport talent who is ranked No. 43 overall by Prep Girls Hoops Kansas. She also plays softball for Burlington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["605213"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693052bfc94c6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Tank moved up a significant number of spots. Previously, the Hayden prospect was ranked No. 40 overall and now finds herself in the No. 23 position. Her role for the Wildcats increased dramatically, as has her confidence in her game. She tallied 264 kills and 35 blocks as a junior. Both of which represent new season highs. More importantly, she understands how to play winning volleyball. She will head into her senior season chasing an elusive state title after top-four finishes in Hutchinson two years in a row at the Class 4A State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->