Who's Rising to Bring the Offense in the Class of 2028

Got to love the bangers who can put the ball away. Below a dandy dozen of pin hitters and middles who rose up in the class of 2028 rankings. If you are looking for offense the players listed below can answer that call.   When you look at the top 20 in the class of 2028 Metro dominates, with seven of the top eight players and 8 of the top 10 appearing on Metro rosters. One of those Metro players competes a year up while another competes a year down leaving six players on the Metro 16 team in the top ten. All players in the top ten have committed to Division I colleges.   When this draft class was first created two years ago [player_tooltip player_id='622282' first='Emerson' last='Wolfe'] played for Maryland Juniors and [player_tooltip player_id='511457' first='Breeze' last='Johnson'] played indoor for [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']. Emerson transferred to Metro while Breeze chose to focus on beach. Breeze dropped in the rankings not because the talent is not there but the opportunity to watch her play indoors has decreased. Last year Breeze appeared on the John Handley volleyball roster however she no longer listed as a setter. She also did not appear on the Northwest District all tournament team, which tells me her indoor game has been reduced. Teagan Braun-Dunn and Tenley Mattison from John Handley made the second team. Breeze also no longer plays indoor club for [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'].   Below a dozen players with the ability to ignite an offense.    Normally players are not ranked as high when they play a year down. Many times evaluators fail to look at the circumstances, i.e. the player is young for her grade. For Emerson the circumstances are that the top two players in the class of 2028 play the same position as her. If she wanted to start for the Metro 16 team she would be forced to move to right side.   This has not impacted Emerson with respect to her college commitment. She has committed to Houston.   Last year Emme made the WCAC first team while two players who appear on older Metro teams made the second team. In addition, she led Holy Cross in kills. Holy Cross stood out as one of the top high schools in the DMV area, finishing number five in the Prep Dig top 25.   Emme is a six rotation player for both Metro and Holy Cross. She moved from 6 to 3 in the rankings.     Alexis moved from 15 to 10 in the rankings, putting her in the prestigious top ten. She has committed to Iowa, which will give her an opportunity to play in the Big Ten.   She is a six rotation outside for [program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club'], which was named by Prep Dig as one of the top five clubs in the DMV area. At 6'1" she brings a strong arm to the left side, one who can generate excellent velocity to her spikes. While that size favors her on offense it creates some difficulty in playing defense and passing. She could use a bit more consistency in those areas, though she does a serviceable job in the back row. Her ability to provide offense to six rotations is key.   Last year Alexis led her team in kills, averaging 5.2 kills per set with a hitting percentage at .334. Playing class 1 puts her at a big advantage in collecting kills when the blockers at that class level fall on the smaller side.   Lancaster reached the semi-finals of the Class 1 state championship last year before losing to Middlesex in five. Alexis finished with a team high 20 kills in the match.     Megan jumped from 24 to 19 in the rankings leading the [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] 16 team to a second place finish in the National Division at Junior Nationals. She teamed with her middle counterpart [player_tooltip player_id='545727' first='Giuliana' last='Mastrangelo'] to provide some serious offense at the middle position.   Giuliana was named to the USAV Junior National all tournament team along with [player_tooltip player_id='569865' first='Eireni' last='Scott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='554770' first='Rujuta' last='Singh']. Megan may not have earned a spot on the all tournament team but her 10'3" approach jump is tops on the team.   Megan plays for Poolesville, which last year lost to Williamsport in the finals of the Class 2 Maryland Regional playoffs.     Ann jumped from 30 to 24 in the rankings. She played for Columbia Volleyball Academy. At her skill level she would thrive at one of the more competitive clubs such as Metro or [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']. However, sometimes it is better to start on a competitive team rather than be a role player on a super team. Ana has committed to George Washington.   Last year she played for the undefeated (25-0) Howard, who knocked off North Hagerstown in the Class 3 Maryland state championship. That win earned Howard the number one high school ranking in the DMV area. Prior to that North Hagerstown was the three time defending state champion. In that championship match Anna finished second on the team in kills with 16.   While the Lions will lose their top offensive player McKenna Brown, Anna will carry the offensive load this coming season.     Catherine jumped from 60 to 47 in the rankings. Surprisingly she earned a spot as the best digger at the Capitol Hill Classic. That is a testament to her ability to play six rotations since her primary position is an outside. It appears she can also play defense.   [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] finished in 13th place in the USA Division in Junior Nationals. [player_tooltip player_id='536738' first='Avery' last='Fauver'] is another rising star on that team. [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] was just one win away from appearing in the gold bracket in the USA Division in Junior Nationals.   Catherine played for Williamsport, which made it to the Maryland Class two finals before losing to Glenelg in five. At 5'10" she certainly brings the height to be a dominating player from the outside. As a sophomore she finished second on her team in kills. This coming season she will stand out as the offensive force.     Avery is another [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] player that shot up in the rankings moving from number 65 to 50. Her rise gives [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] four players in the top 50 of our 2028 rankings. At 5'9" she is a smaller outside. She held her own in a strong USA Division at Junior Nationals, helping [program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge'] to a 13th place finish.   Avery plays for Millbrook which last year lost to James Wood in the semi-finals of the Regionals. In years past, before the arrival of Kennedy Spaid and Brenna Corbin to James Wood, Millbrook dominated the Northwest District. This year Millbrook has four returning players voted to the first team in the Northwestern District including Avery while James Wood graduates three of their four players who earned a spot on the first team.   Avery will share the outside hitting duties with Connecticut bound [player_tooltip player_id='435748' first='Aaliyah' last='Green'].     It is rare for a player to jump ahead of more than 100 other prospects in the ranking. That is what Victoria did flying from 169 to 65 in the rankings. She provided Libero with a middle presence that allowed them to win their first four matches in the American Division in Junior Nationals.   This coming season she will play for what could be a strong Independence high school team. Last year as a sophomore Victoria was name first team All Cedar District. She also won the Hustle and Heart team award.   Independence could have an interesting roster this year with [player_tooltip player_id='849196' first='Leyla' last='Landry'] joining the Rhoton sisters and banger [player_tooltip player_id='471485' first='Kaelyn' last='Wharton'] to give Independence some fire power.     Stone Bridge finished 38-0 last season, taking the championship in the VISAA Division II. She finished second on her team in kills with a hitting percentage of .407. An injury prevented her from playing in the finals, which could by why the match went five.   Peyton has played for Stone Bridge her frosh and junior season. During those two seasons the Cavaliers have gone 73-1. She earned a spot on the VISAA first team last year. Payton won the MVP last year for the Metro Conference.     Abigail moved up from 135 to 92 in the rankings. She shined for MOCO Menace this club season combining the skills of a powerful hitter mixed with an accurate passer who frequently lined up in a two person serve receive with her libero. She brings a whip like action to her arm swing that generates power to the ball.   Last year Walt Whitman qualified in the playoffs but lost in four in the Maryland Class 4 Regional finals to a strong Churchill team. Churchill would then go on to upset two time defending champion Richard Montgomery but then lost to eventual Class 4 champion Broadneck in the semi-finals.   Abigail is ready to make a difference in the 2026 season.     Anwuli sneaked into the top 100 moving up 14 spots from 114. She also won a top performer award at the Prep Dig showcase at Junior Nationals. She has moved from the middle to the outside where her athleticism can break free.   Anwuli appears to have achieved success at the most challenging aspect of playing outside which is mastering the pass. At 5'9" she brings the hops to fly high over the net. Playing for Metro National has also given her an opportunity to test her play against top level competition.   Last year she played middle for Good Counsel. This year she lists as an outside. Her team competes in the strong WCAC which will test her ability to hit outside.     Joy has risen in the rankings from 127 to 110. She has also committed to Army. At 6'2" she brings some good height for the middle. At the Volley by the James she showed the ability to time the quick tempo sets. There is potential that she will develop more power in her swing as she gets stronger while also improving her approach to the ball.   Joy will play for Brooke Point who last year finished 2-17. This will be a good opportunity for her to show her leadership skills.     Maria shot up from 172 to 122 in the class of 2028 rankings. For Virginia Elite she was one of their stronger offensive players. Her block and redirect kill gave Virginia Elite a 19-17 win in the third set of the finals of a 19-17 win at the Shamrock Showdown. She also won a top performer award at a recent Prep Dig showcase.   Now her sights are set on high school where last year she played middle for a surprising Woodbridge team. While they lost in the first round of the Regionals the returning players extra year of experience should carry them farther in the playoffs. In their first game of the year (probably an exhibition match) they beat Mountain View, the team that eliminated them in the Regionals last year.   With [player_tooltip player_id='747560' first='Elliot' last='Dorgan'] hitting outside, [player_tooltip player_id='960051' first='Caroline' last='Freeman'] playing libero, [player_tooltip player_id='747031' first='Braylin' last='Coacher'] setting and Maria playing middle they have all the positions covered to take a run at the championship.

Got to love the bangers who can put the ball away. Below a dandy dozen of pin hitters and middles who rose up in the class of 2028 rankings. If you are looking for offense the players listed below can answer that call.