New Additions Crowd the 2027 Rankings

It is always tough making new additions. That usually means a player drops out of the rankings while other players behind her drop one spot. For the class of 2027 twenty two players made their appearance on the list. Below is a summary of those 22 players by position.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Middles</h2>    Technically she is not new to the rankings. Lexianna attended the first Prep Dig showcase at St. James a couple years ago. While she did not earn a top performer award she still appeared in our rankings. The next year she moved to Ohio.   She has returned to Virginia coming in at number 41. That is the highest debut of any player added to the class of 2027. At one point prior to her departure she ranked at number 32 in the class of 2027. She will play one year up with Virginia Elite 18. On the roster she is listed as an outside/opposite but she has played middle in the past.   An athletic player who can put the ball down. The biggest unknown is her ability to pass if she plays left side.    100. [player_tooltip player_id='906029' first='Kristen' last='Boone'] MB (Urbana/Metro) - At the Maryland class 4 championships Kristin towered over her Urbana teammates as they waited along the back line for introductions. At 6'3" she has the height. She can play either middle or right side. The quickness may not be there for blocking the middle. She also swings lefthanded, which is tough for a middle. Urbana used her in the middle because of the smaller middles for Broadneck. Kristin can easily just punch a ball over the smaller blocks. Last year she played for a Metro Regional team.   140. [player_tooltip player_id='814457' first='Joceylnn' last='Kinlaw'] MB (Oakton) - An extremely athletic player. While listed at 5'10" she carried an impressive vertical to play middle. Unfortunately, her primary sport is basketball so she will probably not play club. For Oakton she ranked first on the team in blocks and second in kills. It was enough to get her on the Concorde District second team. She can rise up far over the net. Plenty of upside here if she decides to focus on volleyball.   179. [player_tooltip player_id='810691' first='Allison' last='Nemets'] MB (Robinson/Braddock Road) - Allison impressed at the Crossroads tourney. She has decent height at 5'10" but her arm extension makes her play taller. She also hits the quick tempo sets in the middle well. Right side is another option for her. Her quickness and athleticism bring her some versatility.   183. [player_tooltip player_id='827679' first='Reese' last='Justice'] MB (James Wood/[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']) -Reese was one of a trio of players the Colonels used at middle or right side. At 5'7" her height falls short of what you would expect from a middle. James Wood always seems to make it work with their smaller middles. Reese did finish second on the team in blocks and 6th in kills. Most important of all, the Colonels won a state championship with her performance in the lineup.   184. [player_tooltip player_id='806216' first='Kyla' last='Wilhelm'] MB (James Wood/[program_tooltip program_id='494409' first='Blue' last='Ridge']) - Another member of the James Wood trio that shared the middle and right side duties. At 5'8' she brought a little more height to the net. She finished third on the team in kills and blocks.   196. [player_tooltip player_id='814032' first='Isabelle' last='Brabrand'] MB (Collegiate School/[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']) - At 6'0" she brings good height to the middle position. For Collegiate last year the top two offensive players were their middles. Isabelle finished second on her team in kills and first in blocks.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Specialist/Libero</h2>    Audrey debuts at number 51, the second highest for the class of 2027. Coming into this season not much was expected from West Springfield. They lost their top hitter who accounted for more than 50 percent of their kills. However, what was not known was the improvement from their libero [player_tooltip player_id='725456' first='Audrey' last='Busch'] who doubled the number of digs she collected last year.   She has the quickness to make some incredible digs. Prior to the state playoffs she was my sleeper to watch during the semi-finals. That proved prophetic as she scooped up 27 digs in the five set final.   A player not afraid to control the back row.    168. [player_tooltip player_id='887040' first='Libbie' last='Plumlee'] DS/L/OH (Stonebridge/Peake Volleyball Academy) - At the Endless Summer tournament she played libero. An injury to one of their left sides during the VISAA playoffs forced her to a move to the outside. In the championship match she finished with 13 kills and 18 digs. That flexibility should do her good. She made the Division II first team in the VISAA.   185. [player_tooltip player_id='888041' first='Sophia' last='Chan'] DS/L (Meridian/Libero) - She played a solid libero in the match I watched against Kettle Run. Her serve produced points even though it may not have found the court all the time. She played a strong defense breaking out into a dolphin dive to dig up a ball. The Northwestern District voted her to the second team.    Gillian debuted at number 193. Loved her enthusiasm on the court. Only a junior she was made court captain and certainly represented herself well when talking to the officials.   Certainly not afraid of hitting the floor when making a dig. Always moving on the court, covering the block and then moving back to base. Puts a lot of miles in when on the court.   Definitely a player to watch with her quick movements and full court coverage.    198. [player_tooltip player_id='809104' first='Norah' last='Anderson'] DS/L (Fort Defiance/Shenandoah Valley Juniors) - She led the team in digs as Fort Definace ran through an undefeated season until the championship final. She scooped up 21 digs in the four set loss. Last year she made the Region 2b first team as a sophomore. Perhaps she would be higher if I could see her play.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pin Hitters</h2>   87. [player_tooltip player_id='887042' first='Madalyn' last='Wartick'] OH (Stonebridge/[program_tooltip program_id='450416' first='East' last='Coast Volleyball Club']) - She earned the player of the year honors in the VISAA Division II for leading Stonebridge to a 38-0 record. She led the team with 23 kills in that five set championship match win. Overall, she finished with a hitting percentage success rate of .425. At 6'0" she brings good size to the outside with excellent arm extension with her swing. For Stonebridge she stood out as that go to person whenever you needed a point. Her back row play was also solid.   111. [player_tooltip player_id='896386' first='Kristina' last='Melton'] OH/MB (Glenelg Country/Baltimore Area Volleyball Academy) - Glenelg Country School (not to be confused with Glenelg Public school) won the IAAM championship. Kristina won player of the match for her 12 kills, 6 aces, 11 digs and 22 points accumulated serving. That earned her a spot on the all conference team in the "B" Division. At 5'8" she is a bit undersized for an outside. However, she may increase her exposure by playing for Maryland Juniors 17 this year.   136. [player_tooltip player_id='881848' first='Alex' last='Adam'] RS (Kettle Run) -While Alex played right side she also showed an ability to put the ball away from the left side as well. Loved her enthusiasm on the court after she put a ball down. At 5'10 she brings decent height to the position. Kettle Run reached the semi-finals in the Class 3 state championship before their elimination..   165. [player_tooltip player_id='908869' first='Naomi' last='Kolo'] RS (Northern/Maryland Juniors) - At 5'7" she is undersized for a right side but she brings a good vertical to the position. She also takes a left handed swing, which is built for the right side. Blocking could be an issue, especially when you consider her primary responsibility would be to block the left side hitter.    Kennedy debuts at 169. She showed some versatility for Ocean Lakes, playing some middle against Riverside in the semi-finals of the state championship. Against Riverside she showed a forceful redirect as well as a quick arm swing when hitting. She mixes in quick tempo sets with higher sets.   With her height she might be better used as an outside. One thing you can't take away from her is her enthusiasm on the volleyball court. She can swing the momentum with one kill.    181. [player_tooltip player_id='833808' first='Katherine' last='Warrell'] OH (McLean/MOJO) - At 6'1" Katherine shows promise from the left side. She put a number of balls down during warmups. Once the game starts the rawness in her skills speak out. Improving her transition game would put her in a better position to hit. That would improve her consistency. However, with more experience she could surprise as a game changer.   191. [player_tooltip player_id='828736' first='Ada' last='Huntington'] OH (St. Catherines/[program_tooltip program_id='498495' first='Richmond' last='Volleyball Club']) - At 5'9" she is undersized for a left side but she brings a tremendous jump and quick arm swing to put some good velocity on the ball. She finished second on the team in kills.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Setters</h2>   148. [player_tooltip player_id='887098' first='Vivian' last='Blue'] S (Holy Cross/MVSA) - Vivian was one of two new varsity additions who took over the setter responsibilities for Holy Cross. By the end of the season she was setting a 5/1 because of an injury to the second setter. Holy Cross eventually lost in the semi-finals of the WCAC. Vivian finished the season second on the team in assists. Given another year of setting at the club level should improve her overall consistency.   163. [player_tooltip player_id='882556' first='Caroline' last='Butkovich'] S (Frank Cox/757 VBC) - She sets a 5/1 for Cox leading the team in assists and digs. While setting she does a consistent job of jumping with her set, giving the blocking middle pause. She can also pull out the one handed set when the pass travels too tight to the net. A listed height of 5'9" falls a bit on the small side for a Division I setter.   197. [player_tooltip player_id='888906' first='Ella' last='Sloan'] S (Colonial Forge/[program_tooltip program_id='489547' first='540' last='Volleyball Academy']) - Ella has a nice touch to her sets. She runs the quick tempo sets well to her powerful middles but can also effortlessly deliver her ball to the pins. Overall, impressed with her delivery of her sets. She brings a consistent motion with going forward, middle or back setting.

It is always tough making new additions. That usually means a player drops out of the rankings while other players behind her drop one spot. For the class of 2027 twenty two players made their appearance on the list. Below is a summary of those 22 players by position.