New (To Us) Additions To The 2028 Watch List

From time to time, we miss athletes simply because there's SO many kids to evaluate. It is virtually impossible to cover every volleyball-playing athlete. When we do catch an athlete or two that are new to us, we give them their credit. Here are five different athletes from five different clubs around the state that have shown us that they are worth the attention.    Long, lean and already on the top 15s team at Munciana, Abbie just finished an exceptional rookie season at Southern Wells, pounding over 300 kills while hitting north of .500 on the season. Realistically, she'll be a middle at the next level, but I wouldn't be surprised if she sees some training time at every front row position because of that strength and athleticism. We'll keep an eye on this one, as she might be the fastest rising star among freshmen middles in the state.     Big and physical, Annika's track athleticism certainly helped her earn attention at our Top 250 Expo a couple of weeks ago. Raw and strong, she has more than enough athleticism to go over blocks, while also responding to coaching well and being an x-factor on defense. Her blocking is clearly ahead of her offense at this time, but with a little training at Empowered, she'll be just as strong at both---if she can find a setter that makes her attack at her max jump, which is the highest on today's list.     Probably the most refined middle of the ones listed today, Brynn is well ahead of her class in both volleyball IQ and athleticism. I'd like to see a bit more attacking from her behind the setter, but for now she's a formidable M2 with aspirations and opportunities to get better in a hurry. Her length and size can't be taught, however, as she looks to add to a long line of middles at Fishers that always seem to be D1-ready.     From the Evansville area, Danica was another kid we saw at our Top 250 Expo that really turned our heads. She needs to learn how to give herself space away from the net when attacking---this might be a result of setters consistently setting her too tight to the net over the years. Even on a truncated attack swing, however, Danica still finds ways to terminate over and around blocks regularly. I also like her court awareness; no matter where the ball is passed, she's always at the right spacing from the setter and in the air on time to get a good swing, no matter where the ball is set. This type of court awareness isn't usually seen this early in a middle's career, yet Miss Dowling has it figured out already.     Strong and physical, Jaila spent the majority of her time at our Expo on the right pin, seeing all kinds of sets in both tempo and skill. She easily adjusted to them all, which is saying a lot for a right side. She makes up for her apparent lack of size with speed and athleticism, while also making poor-to-mediocre sets hittable with her footwork. I don't recall seeing too much of her in the fall, so I'm looking forward to watching her play this club season, which might find her playing a mostly open-level schedule.

From time to time, we miss athletes simply because there's SO many kids to evaluate. It is virtually impossible to cover every volleyball-playing athlete. When we do catch an athlete or two that are new to us, we give them their credit. Here are five different athletes from five different clubs around the state that have shown us that they are worth the attention.