Notes from Nationals: Part One ('26s)

We are in the heat of the action of the USAV Girls Junior National Championships, where some of the top youth talent in the country is concentrated inside a single convention center. As the committed class of 2026s put on their club jersey for the final time, they hope to end this chapter of their career with a memorable bang before moving on to greater things. As the trio of highly-touted Nebraska commits step out onto the sport court one last time, I shared my notes and observations of what value they contribute to their team, their individual skill sets, and why they will be perfect fits as Huskers.

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‘26 Keoni Williams - Dallas Skyline 17 Royal: Keoni is an absolute force at the net, and came up with some key blocks in a deciding third-set. She touches higher than the vast majority – head and armpits at the tape, the full length of her arms pressed like a wall. Not only does she have a vertical advantage, but she knows where to set-up in front of the attacker to make herself as imposing and successful as possible. She is just as much an offensive threat – constantly running routes in front of or behind the setter, up and available at any given moment. She keeps her arm high as she swings, often finding the hole in the block, or simply just hitting over it. She gets more attempts than is typical of a middle, established as a critical factor of her team's offense. Keoni provides so much from an offensive, defensive, and even just morale standpoint – a huge energizer and leader on the court. These are all intangible qualities that make her a standout player and desired recruit, aspects that should translate incredibly well to the collegiate game and especially for the Huskers. 

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‘26 Gabby DiVita - Legacy 17-1 Adidas: After the match I just watched, Gabby is hard to be described as anything other than clutch. Watch just a few minutes and you will instantly recognize her as the team's go-to attacker, cleaning up the trash with swings that look almost effortless. Her teammates will throw up messy bump sets and she will still find a way to get a kill out of it; be it tooling the hands, hammering it down the line, or even bouncing 15ft line clean through the block. Whether it is due to a highly-impressive court vision or an innate feel for the game, she is by far the most terminal attacker on the court and heavily relied on. Gabby sets herself up for success by transitioning off the court early and making room for her approach, her bouncy vertical and quick arm swing doing the rest of the work. She has also mastered the pass-to-attack – an important facet of an outsides game – seamlessly flowing from one skill to the next and controlling the ball. After rallying her team into a comeback in the second set, Gabby led the charge in the critical third, walking off with a win. Her game could certainly be compared to another Legacy VBC Alumni and current Husker – Harper Murray – and Gabby carries all of the traits to be just as impressive in the college game. 

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‘26 Jayden Robinson - Houston Skyline 17 Royal: Last but certainly not least, Jayden is one of the standout attackers on a team full of standout attackers. Her athletic abilities are second to none in her age group, contacting the ball on an entirely different level than everyone else. By hitting it from such a high point, the angles of the shots are sharper and the trajectory of the ball is even harder to defend. With the unique nature of her attack, even her off-speed swings can turn into kills. If she hits it with full force, all you can say to the defenders is “good luck.” The same could be said to any attacker that has to hit against her iron wall of a block – 3 feet of long arms entirely suffocating the swing before it even breaches the plane of the net. Her blocks are so dominant that they leave practically everyone on the court in awe, and often come up in critical moments of matches. Whether it is a huge kill or block, Jayden always brings the momentum and energy to her side of the court, hyping up her teammates and vice versa. She is dynamic enough to get kills from anywhere on the court – trained and comfortable on both the left and right pins – which means all the more ways she could be utilized for Nebraska. As someone who already looks to be playing on another level, Jayden is more than ready for the big stage.