2028 Rankings Update: New Additions

The Class of 2028 rankings update for Washington is officially live, and these players' stock is on the rise in the Evergreen State. Being courtside at National Qualifiers and major tournaments across the Pacific Northwest and watching all the film we can find helps us find new athletes for every update.   Prospects flash at different times and sometimes on different teams to get on our Rankings radar; this group is headed into their junior year of high school and competed primarily at the 16U level this club season. While we have a solid idea of where everyone stands right now, there are always surprises, prospects who develop late, and newcomers to the area or a new position who find their way onto the list.   Let's dive into some of the prospects who put the state on notice and earned a place in our latest rankings release.    Belova has an excellent approach when she is attacking on the pin; she throws her arms back hard and generates power as she comes off the floor. She should thrive in a six-rotation role for Edmonds-Woodway; she handled the position with confidence and grit for FEVA during this club season. Belova squares up serves nicely when she is passing; she also has strong enough hands to take serves overhand and find her setter accurately. The 2028 Prospect is in the rankings update as the #91 overall player.     McMillian has an all-around, six-rotation game and a smooth athletic glide when she executes on the pin or plays middle back defense. The outside hitter from Kennedy Catholic played terrific middle back defense for NPJ during the club season, and she debuts in the rankings as the #19 OH overall. McMillian can attack the hard angle, and if she continues to add strength and power to her swing, that shot will be a go-to attack that teams will struggle to defend.     The 5'11" Phillips plays with strength and an aggressive attitude as a middle blocker; she has strong hands and is willing to attack an overpass or joust with bad intentions. Kelso High School seems to generate strong middles every year; Phillips is in a great spot to continue developing her game with both Athena and the Kelso program. Athena found ways to get Phillips swings all along the net; she has a heavy arm swing that generated kills off the block and down the line when she was on the right side.     Certain players have the feel for getting on top of the ball when they swing, creating a top-spin, downward-trajectory ball that is hard to dig up. Burrows, a middle and right side player from Lakeside High School in Seattle, is one of those players. Whether she is attacking from the middle or running a gap set out of the middle, the 6'0" Burrows finds the top of the ball and swings away. She is a blocker with good timing and length, and does a particularly good job pressing her outside hand in when she is blocking on the right side.     Bautista is a player we will be keeping an eye on during the fall and into the club season; the libero from North Creek has the range and passing ability to make another jump in the rankings. She was rock solid in serve receive for FEVA, moving her feet and staying in a solid position even when she has to move quickly on a hard-driven serve. Bautista can plant her foot and go hard to get a tip or shot, and doesn't waste movement when she has to dig up a rocket that is outside her frame.     A versatile athlete who can set or play outside, Straits plays with a hustling attitude and a fierce drive to improve her overall game. Her touch on the ball as a setter or passer is outstanding; the Bethel High School 2028 prospect looks natural at either position, and players are often clearly uncomfortable when they transition from one position to the other. We don't see that with Straits, and we expect her to continue filling multiple roles on the floor when her squad needs it.

The Class of 2028 rankings update for Washington is officially live, and these players' stock is on the rise in the Evergreen State. Being courtside at National Qualifiers and major tournaments across the Pacific Northwest and watching all the film we can find helps us find new athletes for every update.