2028s Climbing the Recruiting Boards

<a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/" id="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/">This article was shared with 150+ college coaches. Join PrepDig with 30% off using code: Coachable247</a>   Club season is winding down for the Class of 2028, and the margin for "still figuring it out" is gone. What college coaches see now is what these athletes have actually built.   At AAU Championships, the moments that stood out from this group were not the highlight reel plays. They were the decisions made mid-collapse, down big, or in a rally that mattered most, and the fact that each of these six can explain exactly why they made the choice they did. That is what recruiting-ready composure looks like at this stage. Not perfection. Recognition, followed by action.   Here are six 2028s who showed college coaches something real this tournament.    Payton Wrighster plays defense first, and it shows in how quickly she named it herself: defense and serve pressure are the two things she believes coaches see first when they watch her compete. That identity held up under real pressure at the AAU tournament. Against AVA TX, her team was down seven in the second set, the kind of deficit that ends most matches before it really gets started, and Payton went back to serve. She didn't describe a miracle run or a hot streak. She described doing her job, point after point, until her team had climbed all the way back and won.   Payton isn't waiting for the moment to feel comfortable before she competes in it. She's not doing college camps this summer. She's committed to being a CIT at SCDC instead, which tells you something about how she prioritizes her time. She's also building toward a pre-med track academically, and she credits ASB and team leadership with teaching her the discipline to manage both. Coaches recruiting a libero who can serve a team out of a hole should already have her on the radar.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     Tess Lombardi is a setter by trade, but the moment that stood out at the AAU Championships was an emergency play. When her team's libero went down with an injury mid-tournament, Tess put on the jersey and stepped into a role she hadn't planned on playing that day. She didn't frame it as a sacrifice. She framed it as an opportunity to prove she could be trusted no matter what jersey she was wearing.   That kind of versatility matters more than most. A setter who can competently step into libero under tournament pressure, without her team losing confidence in the process, is a setter who understands the game beyond her own position. Tess is already thinking about what's next: her focus this offseason is becoming a stronger front-row presence as a blocking setter, closing space at the net instead of only running the offense. She holds a 4.3 GPA, and she's candid that her faith shapes how she shows up for teammates off the court. For a program looking for a setter who can control tempo and also absorb chaos without blinking, this is exactly the kind of adaptability worth calling about.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     Aylee Pizzo's AAU tournament had a rhythm to it, and she can point to the exact moment it clicked. Three consecutive blocks on the same outside hitter, followed immediately by a kill of her own. She described the feeling as everything coming together at once, for her and for the teammates feeding off that energy. What's notable is what she did with it. Instead of riding the high and losing focus, she talked about staying locked into the next point rather than replaying the last one.   Coaches watching Aylee compete are going to notice her effort level first. She says so herself, and it tracks with how she described her tournament. She's spending this summer in the weight room and prioritizing recovery, because she wants to walk into her senior season more confident and more complete, not just more experienced. A pin hitter who blocks well enough to swing momentum on defense, and who can point to the exact in-game moment that proves it, is a low-risk evaluation for any staff.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     Lily Ebaugh game is built around aggression at the net, and she said the first thing coaches notice about her is that intensity from the opening whistle: blocks, attacks, and the energy she brings to get her team started. She's proud of how much work she's put into being more consistent defensively.   That combination, an attacker who's also investing in becoming a more complete defensive player, is exactly the kind of two-way development coaches want to see from a 2028. Lily describes herself as extroverted and quick to welcome new people, and she's deliberate about managing her time so volleyball, school, and her social life don't compete with each other. She's not afraid to advocate for herself or ask for help, which is a trait that tends to translate well once athletes get to campus and have to navigate a new system on their own.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     Mayli Hernandez's tournament came down to one rally on the final day of the AAU Tournament. Score tied at 20, a long back-and-forth exchange, and Mayli calling for the set because she'd decided this was the point she was going to finish. Her setter delivered, and she put it away to help close out for a win. What she took from that moment wasn't just the kill. It was the trust. She was explicit that the feeling of knowing her team believed in each other mattered as much as the result.   Mayli is candid that her energy is a resource for her teammates, and she treats hyping them up as part of her job, not an accessory to it. Her defense has taken a real step forward this season too, and she credits her improved serve receive and digs with giving her more confidence to play fast. She's transferring into Taft Charter High School this fall and is looking forward to building something new with that program.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247     Katerina Malhotra Guerrero identity as a libero is built on one non-negotiable: she will not let the ball drop. At AAU's, a deep tip against a team from Puerto Rico and a ball that looked like it was drifting out of play; Katerina dove anyway because she wasn't willing to assume it was gone. Her setter turned that save into a free-ball kill. She didn't describe the dive as instinct. She described it as belief, in her teammates' effort, and in her own.   That mentality shows up everywhere else in how she operates. She practices ball control against a wall at home, on top of club reps, because she wants her platform to be automatic under pressure. She's preparing to fight for the varsity libero jersey this fall, and she's doing it while studying for the SAT and building consistent routines around sleep and nutrition.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">If You Enjoyed This Article, Help Us Keep the Momentum Going</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">🔥 Athletes</h3>   Take time to explore the player profiles featured in this article. Read their evaluations, look at their accomplishments, and pay attention to how they present themselves. Every profile offers insight into what coaches are seeing and what athletes are doing to build visibility. Don't compare your journey to theirs, learn from it, continue developing your game, and keep building a profile that reflects your own growth.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">📣 Club Coaches & Directors</h3>   Celebrate the athletes from your program who were featured, and encourage your entire team to explore these profiles. They provide valuable examples of how visibility, evaluations, and consistent development work together throughout the recruiting process. Share this article with your athletes and continue creating environments where growth comes first.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">🎯 College Coaches</h3>   These profiles represent athletes who have generated significant interest throughout California over the past year. Continue following their development, update your evaluations as they grow, and use PrepDig to identify additional prospects who may be emerging throughout the season.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">🙏 Parents & Supporters</h3>   Thank you for supporting your athlete's journey. Your encouragement, investment, and belief make opportunities like these possible. Share this article with your athlete, explore the featured profiles together, and use them as a conversation about development, preparation, and the long-term recruiting process rather than comparison.   🚀 <a href="https://prepdig.com/my-account/subscriptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Upgrade to a PrepDig+ Subscription</a> Access exclusive rankings, deeper analysis, and the full Prospect Index to follow every athlete's journey.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prepdig.com/recruiting-resources/"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/07/image_3e909a.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1003951"/></a></figure>   Thank you for making today's wins matter — one article, one player, one memory at a time.   ~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247

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