Top 2028 Prospects Part 1

The 2028 class is full of talented and driven athletes who are so deserving of recognition for their contributions to their teams throughout the years. I wanted to do another little segment covering some of my favorite athletes from this group.   Who are some of your favorite athletes from the 2028 class?    [player_tooltip player_id='693879' first='Delaney' last='Vaske'] is a dominant force in the middle and has been a key scorer for the CCA offense. She is quick to adjust and remains aggressive with all of her shots. On defense, she holds her own in the middle and does a great job of closing with the pins, making her incredibly tough to hit around. She knows her role, and she executes it well. I am very excited to see how Vaske continues to contribute in the offseason.     Let's be honest, when you see girls who are over 6 ft in high school and play in the middle, you don't think much about them having good ball control. But that isn't the case with Annabell. Although she is a fantastic hitter, which we'll get to, I am always so impressed with her ball control (when she gets the ability to pass). She looks extremely coordinated and controlled in the back row, even though she doesn't get a whole lot of reps. When Niggemeyer is in the front row, everyone knows it without even looking. From her great communication to the sound she makes when she rips a ball, it doesn't take long for her to turn heads.     [player_tooltip player_id='773976' first='Rachel' last='McCaulley'] is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to her skills. Although middle seems to be her primary focus, she knows how to put a ball away from anywhere on the net. Her leaping ability and manipulation of the ball make her extremely hard to defend. McCaulley does a fantastic job of taking away a good amount of the court with her block and knows how to get her hands on the ball. She had made a lot of growth between her freshman and sophomore year, and I'm waiting for her to get back on that upward trend that I know she's capable of.     [player_tooltip player_id='808900' first='Lauren' last='Heying'] is another athlete who can do it all. Although she has more recently stepped into the lib role, this girl knows how to put a ball away. Heying has an amazing team-first mentality and is always willing to play where she's needed, which isn't something you see a lot of these days. Not only is she willing to fill any role, but you can count on her to give it her absolute all no matter where she is on the court, and I think that is something that truly makes her stand out in her class. When it comes to her skills, Lauren is extremely level-headed and relaxed, which helps her create a clean first contact for her setters. She is very fundamentally strong and is capable of achieving greatness in this sport.     [player_tooltip player_id='814357' first='Jenna' last='Dunlap'] is an authoritative hitter who is tracking to reach a very high ceiling. With her long arms, height, and impressive vertical, it doesn't take much for her to turn heads. Dunlap has been a dominating presence at the net; she is even leading her team in kills and blocks so far this season. I was fairly impressed with Jenna when I watched her play with 16 Mizuno at Nationals this past year. She had gotten moved up for the postseason, and I thought she had done an amazing job fitting right in and holding her own with the elite group.     [player_tooltip player_id='775146' first='Reagan' last='Miller'] is yet another kid who can truly do it all. She can be used pretty much anywhere on the court and will be successful in every position. Even now in the high school season, they have her setting and hitting from all across the net. Miller makes her presence known no matter where she is on the court. When she's setting, she sets with consistency and authority. Then, when she's swinging, she leads with an explosive approach that turns into a whip-like arm swing, making her incredibly tough to defend. I am so excited to see how Miller excels this club season with United's elite 17s squad.     [player_tooltip player_id='694203' first='Belle' last='Cotton'] is a fierce outside who has done a fantastic job leading her teams to success throughout her high school career. In her sophomore season, she managed to rack up 248 kills and was a promising piece of the Knights' offense, especially in the state tournament. Cotton is back and has been doing more of the same this year, taking the Knights from being ranked #12th all the way up to the #1 spot, and is already at 218 kills for the season. Her swing is fearless, and her defense is relentless. Cotton is on the path to do amazing things, not only in high school, but also at the collegiate level as well.     [player_tooltip player_id='771525' first='Ava' last='Lampe'] was probably one of my favorite setters to watch this past club season. Not just because of her setting abilities, but because of the energy she brought to the court. You can tell that she's a leader (and a good one at that) because whatever she does, the team follows. Even in tough situations, Ava remained calm and confident in her abilities, and she encouraged her team to do the same. Her skills and confidence allow her to make risky plays and move the ball around freely, making her opponents unaware of their next moves. I am excited to continue to track Lampe and follow her success through this next year.     [player_tooltip player_id='882673' first='Emary' last='Cooper'] is an explosive pin hitter with an incredible hang time. Her patience and incredibly fast arm swing make her a lethal option no matter where she is on the court. Similar to last year, Cooper has become a reliable scoring source for the Titans. With all the talk about high school season going on and a lot of the focus being on the top-ranked schools, it's easy to lose focus on some of the other talent outside of the top 15 schools. [player_tooltip player_id='882673' first='Emary' last='Cooper'] (along with many other Titans that will be brought up) has loads of talent and is on the track to becoming a big name.     [player_tooltip player_id='498069' first='Kaelyn' last='Rinehart'] does an amazing job of setting the tone for the Jaguars' back row. She brings energy, competitiveness, aggression, and passion to the floor and pushes her teammates to do the same. Rinehart does a fantastic job of reading her opponents in serve receive and defense, reacts exceptionally well, and makes the tougher opponents look easy. She wields a lot of control with her platform and focuses on crisp and clean first touches for her setter. Rinehart also brings a scrappy mentality to her defense and makes sure to cover as much ground as possible.

The 2028 class is full of talented and driven athletes who are so deserving of recognition for their contributions to their teams throughout the years. I wanted to do another little segment covering some of my favorite athletes from this group.