2028 Prospects Climbing In or Into the Top 50

The lower the age level the more movement you have with prospects. This usually is the result of improvement or even possibly me watching you on one of your better days. There was a lot of significant movement in the top 50 and even outside the top 50 to get into that group. For this piece we will focus on those players.    While she stands just 5'8" she hits the ball so hard the ball seems to consistently find the floor. At some point you would think the taller blockers would start to contain her. They have not.   Last year she was voted to the all tournament team in the National Division at Junior Nationals for leading the 15 team to a first place finish. This year they have qualified for Open and continue to finish in the top ten in the other Qualifiers. According to AES Metro ranks at number 13 in the country.   It would not surprise me to see her eventually get to 5'10" or higher. Her older sister stands over 6'0". In addition to her hitting Chika moves quickly around the court, passes well making her a solid six rotation player.   While her movement from 4 to 3 is not significant at other levels, in a top five environment it is significant. Playing in the Open at Junior Nationals will create a big test for her offensive effectiveness with the larger blocks. After watching her play for a couple years, I'm confident she will succeed.   Chika moved from 4 to 3 in our 2028 rankings     The USA has called her up a couple times to participate in the National Training and Development Program (NTDP). At 6'0" her height is not tall for a middle but she can also play right side. Her approach jump also reaches 10'2".   One skill she can do quite well is put up a strong block. I recently named her as one of the top sweet sixteen middles who impress me with their ability to reject potential kills. As she gets physically stronger I can see her blocking game improve.   Eliana moved up seven spots in the ranking, from 14 to 7.     Cairo is another player on that sweet sixteen top blockers list. Last year Cairo played for St, Johns finishing fourth in the D,C, area in blocks. Her 6'2" height and 10'4" approach jump give her that leverage.   Next year Cairo will play for Paul VI. They beat St. Johns in the WCAC championship last year. This could open up her offensive game. With St. Johns her offensive hitting percentage stood at a team best .388. With more consistent passing this could open up more opportunities for her to be engaged in the offense.   Cairo jumped from 18-13 in our class of 2028 rankings.     Ava is an outside hitting machine whether she is blasting sets from the right side or the left. The advantage of playing her left side is you have the opportunity to utilize her offense in the back row as well. She seems to have the feel to know where the empty areas of the court are. At times, she pulls the ball too much when hitting down the line and it lands out.   Her passing and defense are strong, allowing her to play six rotations. At 6'1" with a 10 foot approach jump she can mash that ball high off the block. At times, she is the go to person for this offense. Ava plays for Kettle Run, a Class 3 school that at times offers fewer challenging blocks. She led Kettle Run to the state playoffs where they lost in the semi-finals to Abingdon, the eventual champion.   Ava moved up from 19-14 in our class of 2028.     Alexis is one of those players that also got lost playing for a Class 1 school that competed against Giles. Giles carried [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] , who was always winning the MVP award. Lancaster did get to the semi-finals of the Class 1 state championship this past season, where they eventually lost in the semi-finals. Next year could be her year to shine.   Alexis is now doing her damage for Richmond Volleyball club. They normally play AAUs so you won't see her at Junior Nationals, but she is a player worth watching. Her back row play could be more consistent with her passing as well as her defense, but when it comes to offense she is dominating.   At our Prep Dig Exposure tour she was the no doubt MVP winner for the event.   Alexis moved from 36 o 15 in our 2028 rankings.     Another Sweet 16 blocker from the class of 2028. This year she received her first invite to NTPD. A foot injury prevented her from actually participating in many of the drills but she enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere.   Her blocking was a key piece in Flint Hill winning the VISAA state championship. She lists at 6'4" which allowed her to average 0.7 blocks per set. Now that she is healthy it is time to work on getting Virginia Juniors a bid. They finished tied for last at the Chesapeake Regionals so they will need to capture a bid in a Qualifier. Otherwise they may play in AAUs in Florida.   Mandela moved from 27 to 16 in our class of 2028 rankings.     A fourth Sweet Sixteen blocker from the 2028 class that moved up in the rankings. Alexis stands 6'3" so she has the height to impact the offense. It also benefits her on the defensive end as well. Alexis is one of the main players [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] relies on for offense.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] will compete in the American Division in the junior nationals, unless they can snag a higher bid in the Qualifiers.   Alexis moved up from 24 to 20 in the class of 2028 based on her improvement in her offensive game.     When she first told me she was going to play for Metro I assumed it was for the National team. When I first watched Metro travel play there she was, setting for Metro travel. Details! Details!   For the most part they appear to consist of the same players they carried last year, with the exception of Natalie as a setter. In their first qualifier they earned an Open bid. They could not do that all of last year.   As a coach you love having more givers on your team. The more givers the greater the quality of your team. Natalie is without a doubt a giver, always willing to help set up the net or any other task you might need down. Her personality also appears to make her one of the more well liked players on the team. A good trait to have when you are a setter.   Natalie moved up in the rankings from 28 to 22 making her the top ranked setter in the class of 2028.     When she played for Maryland Jrs 14 hitting right side she was just an after thought. My first comment about her was "she plays right side for a loaded Maryland Juniors 14 team. It would not surprise of her ability to hit left side." Consider that statement accurate.   Hitting left side she consistently puts balls away. Rarely does she get blocked or dug. She brings that long whip like arm action that generates velocity on the ball after it is hit. Whether she hits from the back row or front row her ball is tough to dig.   She debuted in our rankings at 38, dropped to 42 then shot up again to 23 in this ranking period after her ability to terminate from the left side. While her back row play could use some improvement it is still better than many who play the position.   Don't be surprised to see her game improve even more now that she has become one of Maryland Juniors main offensive weapons rather than just a spoke in the wheel. Now, she has become the wheel.     Another one of those middles with great length. In addition to the length there is some athleticism in her movements allowing her to glide from pin to pin. Her approach jump is 9'9".   For Lightridge she led the team in kills while also finishing second in blocks. It was a decent regular season for Lightfidge but ultimately they lost in the first round of the Regionals to Potomac Falls.   For Giuliana all she has to do is cover an area of the court with her block. The libero and defensive specialist can cover the remaining acrage.   Giuliana moved from 49 to 33 in our class of 2028 rankings. Of those rising in or into the Top 50 that is the highest movement for this ranking update.     She sets for the Metro team that won the Junior National Championship in the National Division. This year her setting earned them an Open bid. Ashley shares the setting duties with [player_tooltip player_id='612396' first='Natalie' last='Hobson'] in running a 6/2.   For Reservoir she is one of three Metro players on their team from the class of 2028. [player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'] and [player_tooltip player_id='755672' first='Jaylin' last='Park'] are two others. At 5'6 with an approach jump a little over 9 feet she will be restricted to setting in a 6/2 type of offense.   Ashley climbed from 59 to 35 in our 2028 rankings.     She plays libero for the Metro 15 travel team. The Capitol Hill Classic voted her best digger at the 2025 Capitol Hill classic awards while in 2026 she won the best receiver award. She can do it all.   Jaylin, [player_tooltip player_id='612399' first='Riley' last='Ko'] and [player_tooltip player_id='625574' first='Ashley' last='Nguyen'] led Reservoir to the semi-finals in the Maryland Class 3 state championship before losing to North Hagerstown. As a back row player Jaylin shows tremendous quickness in the back row, almost always finding herself centered to dig the ball. Her ability to make the "wow" seem routine is truly remarkable.   Jaylin takes one of the biggest moves up in the rankings jumping from 77 to 42 in the class of 2028.     In previous years she has always been a right side hitter. I first noticed her setting at one of our Prep Dig showcases. She seemed to have the hands to make it happen. She won a top performer award at a Prep Dig stock up showcase without any regard to her setting.   For the new Metro National team she is one of the two setters on the team. It is still a work in progress. Even if she did not set she still is a force as a right side hitter. Her 6'0 frame allows her to stay in the front row when not setting. When she hits the ball you will not think she is a setter.   With [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo'] graduating this past year Langley will be in need of a setter. Elizabeth is ready to answer the call.   She moves up from 54 to 48, one of three players making her debut in the top 50.

The lower the age level the more movement you have with prospects. This usually is the result of improvement or even possibly me watching you on one of your better days. There was a lot of significant movement in the top 50 and even outside the top 50 to get into that group. For this piece we will focus on those players.