UA Next: 2027 Athletes Ready for Tomorrow

<a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/" id="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This article was shared with 150+ college coaches. Join PrepDig with 30% off using code: Coachable247</a>     The Class of 2027 enters this year's Under Armour Next Camp Series in a very different position than they did a year ago.   Many of these athletes are no longer introducing themselves to college volleyball.     They are preparing for what comes next.     Some are already verbally committed. Others are still navigating the recruiting process while competing against some of the highest-level athletes in the country. But regardless of where they currently stand, every athlete in this group is arriving at UA Next with something to prove.     How they communicate when the gym gets loud. How they handle pressure when points tighten late. How quickly they adjust, reset, and continue making winning decisions when the level rises.     The athletes below all described their game differently, but one thing connected every response, each athlete understands that elite volleyball is rarely separated by talent alone anymore. Emotional control, volleyball IQ, leadership, consistency, and competitiveness are what start pulling athletes apart once everyone in the gym can play.      [player_tooltip player_id='524637' first='Kaitlyn' last='Vogel'] has learned how much emotional control impacts performance at the highest levels of the game.   Defense and serving are still the parts of her game she enjoys most, but the biggest growth this season has come through first contact. Training herself to “stay hinged” while passing and focusing on blocking the ball in front of her has helped create cleaner angles, stronger serve receive consistency, and a much steadier backcourt presence overall.   What stands out most, though, is how intentional she has become mentally.   Before serves and passes, Kaitlyn actively uses positive self-talk to reset and refocus. Deep breaths, routines, and emotional discipline are no longer small parts of her game, they are becoming central to how she competes under pressure.   That maturity shows up clearly in how she describes leadership too. She wants hitters swinging confidently because they trust her coverage behind them. She wants to communicate early, read hitters before contact, and organize the backcourt before problems develop.   Verbally committed to Washington State University, Kaitlyn looks like a libero whose volleyball IQ continues to separate the more pressure-filled the environment becomes.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     [player_tooltip player_id='825019' first='Lailaa' last='Williams'] is arriving at UA Next with the type of offensive growth that could translate well in a fast-paced camp environment.   Transitioning off the net more efficiently has become a major focus this season, and the improvement is already changing how available she is offensively. Instead of staying too tight to the setter, she is learning to create better spacing, open earlier, and generate a fuller, more explosive swing in transition.   Lailaa is most excited to showcase her attacking range and serving consistency, but she is also a middle who understands the importance of emotional steadiness when the level rises. Instead of forcing plays after mistakes, she focuses on staying composed, communicating more, and making smarter decisions within the flow of the match.   Coming from a highly competitive family clearly shapes part of that mindset. So does her willingness to be coached.   Verbally committed to University of California, San Diego, Lailaa feels like an athlete whose ceiling is still actively expanding.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     [player_tooltip player_id='525604' first='Kiersten' last='Moore'] is a setter I have been following for a long time, and she plays with a calmness that tends to settle the entire side of the court around her.   One of the strongest parts of her game is her ability to recognize momentum within a match and trust it. She does a great job identifying which hitter is “hot” during big moments and continuing to feed that player under pressure, something that says a lot about how she sees the game as a setter. Great setters are constantly reading confidence, timing, and rhythm in real time, and Kiersten is very comfortable doing that.   Energy, communication, and helping teammates feel confident around her all seem tied into the way she competes, which becomes especially valuable in camp environments where chemistry has to form quickly.   Committed to University of Michigan, Kiersten looks like a kind of setter athletes that the UA Roster could use.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     [player_tooltip player_id='881802' first='Aubrey' last='Burns'] is arriving at UA Next looking for a ticket to Orlando.   Defense, serving, and live competition are the three areas she is most excited to showcase, but what may stand out fastest tomorrow is the emotional control she now brings into high-pressure moments. Aubrey's mental side of her game is one of her biggest areas of growth this season, especially learning how to reset quickly and not allow mistakes to dictate everything that happens next.   That maturity already showed up in one of the biggest moments of her club season. Down 8-13 in the third set of a championship match, she stayed composed, continued communicating, and helped her team emotionally stabilize long enough to complete the comeback win.   That moment feels important heading into an environment like UA Next where momentum changes quickly and emotional steadiness matters.   Her leadership style is rooted in communication, staying loud, staying connected, and helping teammates remain locked into the next point instead of the previous mistake.   Verbally committed to Brigham Young University, Aubrey feels prepared for exactly the type of competitive environment waiting for her tomorrow.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     [player_tooltip player_id='545302' first='Sarah' last='MacDonald'] is heading into UA Next with a very clear understanding of what she wants her impact to look like.   Whether through serve receive, defensive range, communication, aggressive serving, or out-of-system setting, Sarah consistently described the libero position through the lens of responsibility and trust. She wants hitters swinging confidently, teammates feeling connected, and the offense functioning cleanly under pressure.   That perspective should translate well tomorrow.   UA Next environments move quickly, chemistry forms fast, and liberos who can organize the court early usually separate themselves quickly. Sarah's growth this season in passing range, backcourt leadership, and proactively adjusting serve receive lineups already sounds like preparation for exactly that type of setting.   What also stands out is how intentionally she competes emotionally. She prides herself in staying aggressive after mistakes instead of shrinking from them, using communication to build momentum, and approaching pressure moments with composure instead of panic.   Committed to University of Virginia, Sarah is ready to showcase her skills.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     [player_tooltip player_id='775543' first='Shewa' last='Adefemiwa'] is walking into UA Next with a skill-set that feels much more intentional than it did earlier this season.   One of the biggest shifts in her development has been learning how to score more calculatedly instead of simply swinging hard for the sake of swinging hard. Placement, decision-making, and creating better angles earlier are all becoming bigger parts of how she approaches attacking, especially in serve receive and transition situations.   High-level camp environments reward hitters who can make fast adjustments, solve the block, and continue scoring even when the play is not perfect. Shewa's focus on becoming more scrappy defensively and covering more ground also points toward a player preparing herself for a faster pace and more unpredictable rallies.   Communication is another major part of how she keeps herself engaged when the level rises. Staying vocal helps elevate her energy and keeps her mentally connected to the flow of the match, especially in chaotic moments where athletes either speed up emotionally or settle in competitively.   What may stand out most tomorrow, though, is the competitive edge underneath all of it.   “I don't settle.”   That mentality shows up throughout everything she described, from constantly chasing improvement to refusing to back down when challenged.   For an uncommitted 2027 athlete entering one of the biggest showcase environments of the summer, Shewa feels ready to compete with purpose once the whistle blows.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">If You Enjoyed This Article, Help Us Keep the Momentum Going</h2>   🔥 Athletes A college commitment is not the finish line, it is the beginning of a new standard. This event is not only about being discovered. It is about proving your game travels, your habits hold up, and your competitiveness rises when everyone around you can play. Study this group. Notice the details. The athletes who earn All-America opportunities are usually the ones who stay sharp when the margin gets smaller.   📣 Club Coaches & Directors These athletes are not just representing their clubs, they are representing the standard your program helped build. If your athletes are featured, celebrate them. Share this article, tag @PrepDigCA, and help the volleyball community see the work, leadership, and competitive maturity that continue showing up long after a commitment is made.   🙏 Parents & Supporters The flights, hotel rooms, late nights, early mornings, private lessons, missed weekends, and constant belief all matter. Opportunities like the Under Armour Next Camp Series are built on years of sacrifice. If your athlete or club is featured here, celebrate that journey, share their story, and help others see what long-term development really looks like.   🚀 <a href="https://prepdig.com/my-account/subscriptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Upgrade to a PrepDig+ Subscription</a> Follow these athletes beyond camp season   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/05/image_e90cce.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-985003" style="aspect-ratio:1.948368241597662;width:318px;height:auto"/></a></figure>

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