Elli Payne, | Prep Dig

Elli Payne

Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter

2029 Class

5'11" Height

Northwest School

VCNebraska Club

State Rank
Position Rank

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About Elli

Elli Payne is a 5'11" Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter in the 2029 class. Payne attends Northwest in Nebraska and plays club volleyball for VCNebraska. Payne's Player Profile was created on August 24, 2025. Subscribe to Prep Dig to see where Elli Payne is ranked and what our scouts have written about them.

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Expert Analysis

Austin Kingsley

Prep Dig Lead Scout

No surprises here. We released our first set of 2029 rankings right before the season started, and Payne was a slam-dunk choice for our top five. She had an exceptional club campaign with VCNebraska, but she has gained even more ground through her sophomore output at GI Northwest. Her 0.321 hitting clip is near the top of Nebraska’s sophomore leaderboards, and she has over three-and-a-half kills per set to go along with it. Look out for central Nebraska’s high-flying pin hitters.

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1 week ago

Austin Kingsley

Prep Dig Lead Scout

Payne delivers the kind of pin-to-pin prowess you wouldn’t expect from an underclassman. This Grand Island Northwest star has split time between the outside and opposite positions, delivering indefensible heat wherever she lines up. Her tenure on the left side led to some of the best scoring numbers among Nebraska freshmen last fall. Payne racked up three kills per set and was a go-to out-of-system terminator for the Vikings. Her scouting report evolved with VCNebraska 15 Elite, where Payne saw escalating reps at the other antenna. She dished out the same heavy, undiggable swings we saw with Northwest, elevating Payne’s greatness as a frontcourt weapon. Her postseason experience with VCNebraska could lead to tournament breakthroughs on the prep side.

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3 months ago

Austin Kingsley

Prep Dig Lead Scout

Grand Island Northwest has contributed yet another unstoppable pin to the VCNebraska stable. Payne has the power and athleticism to hit some unfair angles on the pins. This quality jumped out on her USAV Nationals highlight tape as VCNebraska 15 Elite scrapped through the 15 USA division. Whenever 15 Elite needed a momentum-altering swing in Indianapolis, Payne was often the first target. Her explosive step-close is ideal for short-string sets and scramble plays. That leads to plenty of attacking volume, and Grand Island Northwest will readily feed their hot hitter after Payne logged three kills per set as a freshman.