Newcomers to Class of 2026 Rankings

For the class of 2026 it is not easy to find newcomers that crash into the rankings. This usually means they have leaped over some well established players who have occupied a spot for a couple years. To become ranked a player normally has to compete on a successful club or high school team while also contributing to their success.   Below are fifteen players who crashed into the 2026 rankings by achieving success. An additional fourteen players made it to the watch list. Some of those watch list players attended our Prep Dig Stock Up Showcase but did not get an extensive look. Hope to resolve that during the high school season.   [player_tooltip player_id='778715' first='Kayla' last='Cotton'] OH (Mountain View/[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']) - Our highest newcomer climbed to number 115 in our rankings. She lists herself as a middle, right side and outside. At the East Coast championship, she helped the [program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy'] take first place with her ability to hit quick sets from the left side. Her 5'11" height is more attractive for her as a left side hitter rather than the other positions. When I watched her compete, she only played front row so I could not assess her back row play. For Mountain View High she finished third on the team in kills, blocks and service aces. She also participated in serve receive.   [player_tooltip player_id='754936' first='Carina' last='Sather'] RS/OH (Stone Ridge/MVSA) - Carina debuted at number 118. Last year Carina spent her summer on the beaches of California to improve her game, at least that is what I was told. It seemed to work. She went from playing for the MVSA second team to starring for the first team. At 6'1" Carina brings good height to play the right side. When I watched her play at National Harbor she hit from the right side, providing a ton of offensive opportunities for MVSA. Her athleticism is not restricted to just volleyball. She also plays basketball at Stone Ridge.   [player_tooltip player_id='778630' first='Nalanie' last='Neal'] MB/OH (Home Schooled/[program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors'] - Nalanie debuts at number 144 in our class of 2026. She probably should have been ranked earlier after I watched her play in the Capitol Hill Classic a couple years ago. She has shown significant improvement in her game since that initial sighting. At the East Coast championship, she played middle but remained in the back row to play defense and pass. This allows her to also provide some offense in the back row. At 6'1" she also brings a good vertical jump that creates havoc for the blockers. Nalanie is home schooled. She has committed to California Baptist.   [player_tooltip player_id='768548' first='Emma' last='Smith'] S (Central Virginia Home School/Momentum) - This home schooled setter debuted at 145 in our class of 2026 rankings. She plays for Central Virginia Home School which also seems to have an affiliation with the club Momentum. At the Richmond Gran Prix tournament, she set a 5'/1 for a 17 team that carried a mixture of girls from 14-17 years old. Nice hands with good consistency in location. For whatever reason she subbed out when it came her turn to serve and then came back in after that serve rotation finished. The home schooled team finished 34-6 stealing some victories from some well established schools. Emma appears to set a 6/2 for that team since she sits second in assists. She also finished third in aces, so she knows how to serve.   [player_tooltip player_id='754929' first='Keira' last='McManus'] DS/L (South Lakes/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) - Kiera debuted at 152 on our list. She shares libero time with [player_tooltip player_id='693829' first='Ella' last='Kliner']. The two of them keep the offense humming with good passing and strong defense. Her serve also bounces around with some wicked movement that makes it difficult to pass. For the first time in their club history [program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite'] qualified for a bid to play in Junior Nationals. That is a difficult task to accomplish without quality liberos to keep your offense in system. Kierra hopes to continue that same success with South Lakes.    Sydney debuted at number 159 in our rankings. She earned a top performer award at our most recent Prep Dig showcases. At 6'2" she stands out for her height, but she also brings an infectious enthusiasm to the court. Her ability to also hit the quick tempo sets well in the drills made her stand out. When blocking her hands get high above the net. Still a tint of rawness in her game that more experience should iron out.   Next on the agenda is watching her play in a competitive game. She played one year down for an American 16U team.     Scout debuts at 160 in our 2026 rankings. I have yet to see her play but she has provided video of her hitting quick tempo sets in the middle as well as left side attacks. She hits the ball with authority as well as plays a solid back row. Scout easily led her high school team in kills with an impressive .311 hitting percentage. Her 6'0" height also contributed to her finishing second in blocks while her quickness on the court placed her second in digs. She also is one of the primary passers on the team.   Scout made second team All State in the VISAA Division II. North Cross lost to New Covenant to eliminate them from making the State playoffs. Scout finished with 20 kills in that match. If North Cross had advanced to the state playoffs she carries the skills to perhaps make the first team.      [player_tooltip player_id='754942' first='Xinyuan' last='Cui'] S (Sandy Springs/Maryland Juniors) - Xinyuan debuted at number 161 in our rankings. Another player who played a year down, Cui for Maryland Juniors 16. This allowed her to run a 5/1 and to control an offense with her leadership. With her running the offense the team did very well in the East Coast championship, finishing in third place out of 24 teams. Her 5'10" height is tall for a setter which makes it easier for her to dump the ball when she plays in the front row. For her high school it appears she shares setting duties, running a 6/2.   [player_tooltip player_id='838839' first='Sydney' last='Peterson'] OH (Norfolk Academy/[program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club']) - Sydney debuts at number 175 in our class of 2026 rankings. A six rotation left side with good height at 5'10". She was one of the main offensive weapons to earn [program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club'] a bid in the American Division in the USAV Junior Nationals. For Norfolk Academy she finished second on her team in kills while also being one of the main passers in serve receive.   [player_tooltip player_id='764655' first='Shawna' last='Dyer'] RS (Eastern Tech/Baltimore Elite) - Shawna debuted at number 191 in our rankings. A two sport athlete who mixes in a little softball with her volleyball activities. The softball gives her a strong arm that adds velocity to her hits from the right side. She also stands out as one of the top hitters on her Eastern Tech volleyball team, vaulting them to the Class 2 Maryland state championship where they ultimately lost in the semi-finals.   [player_tooltip player_id='807892' first='Caroline' last='Clements'] OH (Menchville/[program_tooltip program_id='498498' first='Virginia' last='Wave']) - Caroline debuts at number 195 in our rankings. At 5'7" she is a bit undersized for a left side, but with a good jump and fast arm swing she can create some damage. She also plays a steady six rotations which allows her to bring some offense to the back row as well as contributing to serve receive and defense. For Menchville she finished third on her team in kills as well as aces.   [player_tooltip player_id='754926' first='Caroline' last='Chubb'] RS/MB (Centerville/[program_tooltip program_id='498081' first='Loudoun' last='Elite']) - Caroline debuted at number 196 in our rankings for the class of 2026. Her strong right side play at National Harbor put together three solo blocks in one set as well as a cerebral tool off the hands of another blocker. Her 5'11" height is decent for a middle/right side. That right side play continued to score points at the Junior Nationals. For Centerville High she carried the highest hitting percentage on the team hitting from the right side.   [player_tooltip player_id='832459' first='Gretchen' last='Gottschalk'] OH (James Madison/American) - Gretchen debuted at number 198 in our rankings. As an outside hitter Gretchen put a number of balls away. She stands 6'0" so she brings good size to the outside hitter position. For Madison last season she saw limited playing time with more errors than kills. Madison graduates three of their top leaders in kills so she will have an opportunity to contribute this year. With her improvement during the club season Gretchen should make a bigger contribution to the Warhawks success for 2025.    Aklexis slipped in at number 199 in our rankings. She impressed at the Prep Dig showcase in 2024 with her ability to block. Her long arms allowed her to reach high over the net while a fast arm swing put good velocity on the ball. She also whistled the ball over the net with a good jump serve.   Despite all that she only got placed on the watch list. Her efforts at Holton Arms this past season helped them win the A Division in the Independent School League (ISL) placing her in the 2026 rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='778783' first='Mattox' last='Adams'] S (Radford/[program_tooltip program_id='506397' first='River' last='Valley Juniors']) - Mattox debuts at 200 in our class of 2026 rankings. She was one of two setters for River Valley as they earned a first place finish in the 17/18 Division of the East Coast championship. When I watched she was taken out when she moved into the front row. Her setting for Radford earned her a spot on the Class 2 All State second team. Her father is an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech volleyball team.

For the class of 2026 it is not easy to find newcomers that crash into the rankings. This usually means they have leaped over some well established players who have occupied a spot for a couple years. To become ranked a player normally has to compete on a successful club or high school team while also contributing to their success.