'28 Player Rankings: The Outsides

2028 Positional Rankings (with National Rank)

Based on PPV Evaluations

Outside Hitters

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Gold Level 

Leilani Lamar - A5 Georgia - Position 1 Class 10

We have been on the Lamar wagon since Dream Team Camp last July. She didn’t come in as the biggest name or the biggest “ranking”, but she had the biggest week in Lincoln, and she did it in a very confident and humble way. That seems to be how Lamar has continued to go about her business in ATL. She is kind of forced to, she is teamed up with America’s most famous volleyball name, maybe ever, and that is just fine with Leilani (another reason why she stayed at the top of our OH PPV ratings). Many “talent-loaded Top 5 P4 teams have been ruined by bad chemistry between two stars who can’t share the fame, and it ruins the locker room. Lamar just plays volleyball at a very high level. Again, don’t let the talk affect what the pro scouts think, and way too many of them LOVE Lamar and what she does out of the spotlight.

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Maya Ogbogu - TAV Texas - Position 2 Class 11

Ogbogu is that big personality on the big club team in the big city. She will be the one who grabs media attention wherever she goes and already has/is doing so. A dynamic game and so explosive with how she attacks the ball. She honestly has done a very nice job, sharing the spotlight this season as TAV brought in the Dream Team to try and win the 16s Open title. That took swings away from Maya’s roll, and I’m sure it took some getting used to and adjusting.

You just know that Ogbogu is a hot name for so many top programs, and you can see her having every expectation of walking in and starting day 1 for the school she attends, and I feel like the feeling would be reciprocated by the school that lands her. Big things will be expected from Maya, and she has the broad shoulders to fulfill those!

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Janiah Burrage - Forza 1 Volleyball California - Position 3 Class 13

Highest Ceiling of the position. 10’8” approach touch as a Sophomore in high school, and she plays that way on the court. Coaches and Burrage know she needs to improve her passing, but my goodness, can this girl absolutely FLY. To me, she is the perfect prospect for this class because of her culture, and I could be dead wrong, but this is who I’m targeting because I think she is OK redshirting. So the Big Dogs could take their shot and train, train, train her for 18 months, and you still have ALL of that NATURAL ability ready to bust out.

I know I’m not saying this eloquently, but this would be my long-term investment in the class hands down.

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Silver Level

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Taylor Johnson - Skyline Juniors Texas - Position 4 Class 14

Taylor Johnson is truly a pin and can play on either side, but is a threat at either. She can dominate so much that we almost rated her higher as an OPP for this list. Both of the Johnsons from Texas play in a similar manner and are of similar builds. Taylor has a powerful swing and can score from anywhere on the court. She also has a quick read and reaction on her block that makes her dominant there. Look for her to be sought after by the “locals”, but also many of the SEC and top regional ACC programs, looking for a year 1 pin ready to help immediately.

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Trinity Johnson - TAV Texas - Position 5 Class 19

Love the upside of this one. Length and explosive take off. She already plays at such a high touch point. I thought she was their MVP at the Triple Crown back in February. Might have the best “built for college” frame of the Top 20. I’m sure she sacrifices individual attention to play on the TAV squad this season, but she is learning a lot training-wise. Coaches love her ability to move around the court and her versatility playing other spots and running multiple routes well. I love Johnson for any program that gets her, and she’s a steal if anyone outside the Top 10 lands her. 

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Katherine Mitchell - METRO Volleyball Maryland - Position 6 Class 26

We switch things up for “Mitch”, but the staff has loved her since our first film session. She is completely different, more wiry, but has high upside and already plays at a highly efficient level. Mitch gets results at the highest level, though at first sight you might not think so. She is a baller and will develop into a solid P4 contributor.

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Chayse Courtney - Vision Volleyball California Position 7 Class 28

Courtney is one that we have followed since she created her Player Profile with us during her Prep season, and she is constantly productive. Highly efficient in attacking, aggressive with her serve, and an excellent passer for the outside. This Cali prospect has looked nationwide and plays long at the net, and some of her best matches have been in “Big Gym” settings with other of the USA’s best. She is creeping up the class ranks in a slow but steady fashion and might move just a bit more before June.

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Leah Greeny - 3DGE West Virginia - Position 8 Class 29

Greeny is strong and looks like a college player now. She does all of the little things well and can hit a variety of shots. Trying to get a consensus opinion on what her “level fit " is has been tricky and varying, so that means her June/July could be interesting. I do know there are many schools interested, and you can see Greeny as a great fit and year 2 help for such a wide variety of P4 programs. Being from West Virginia, there are many programs within just a few hours of home, so many options for a locker room + addition.

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Bryn Walcott - Sudden Impact Washington - Position 9 Class 30

Walcott has the raw skills to be very good right now, and she has the ceiling and some untouchables that a few schools LOVE that make her a very interesting June player to watch. She is this year’s Poster Child for the difference between PPV and everyone else’s “rankings” because I’m not going to lie you stack Bryn up on the court right now today with every OH in the 16s division in a playground VB game…..well she might not be one of the top 5ish picked (and I’ve talked with Bryn a couple times so she knows what I think of her game so I’m not making fun of her). You will watch this athlete in 12 months and won’t recognize her, I promise you, and that is what coaches see. Her ceiling is enormous (like Elly Randolph UK commit of 2027) she is long and has a snappy arm action that is in progress, like her approach. She passes the ball well, and she is getting looked at by multiple Top 15 programs across the nation. She is one of the most interesting June cases to follow, and honestly, I am so happy for a kid like this simply to see what happens. Now, don’t get me wrong, she’s not going to just blow up without hard work, but she has the chance with that hard work.

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Sade Bello - Houston Juniors Texas - Position 10 Class 31

Bello is an explosive weapon with maybe the most “torque” in her approach and takeoff step of anyone in the class. She flies off the court and goes over blocks for her points. I feel like she is still learning the game, and that is a good thing because she will continue to improve with more reps and improved shot-making, but coaches simply love the vertical game. I keep trying to think she might be too small for the elite level, and she keeps shutting me up every time I watch her play. She is going to be a player who is in a group with some schools, but she is going to get a few great offers, I have a feeling, especially in her home state of Texas. She kind of reminds me of Vandy Asst. Coach and former UK star Azhani Tealer, when she takes off, and all that power.

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Kolby Ross - Adversity Volleyball Illinois - Position 11 Class 37

Ross made a big move early on in her season and stayed right there for most of the club season. Another flyer, but from the Midwest this time, she is going to draw plenty of attention with all of that college attention in the Illinois region for sure. Is she Big Ten good? She would be hard to pass up for the many B1G squads right in her backyard.

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Bree Carethers - Skyline, Texas - Position 12 Class 45

Another top OH from Texas, Carethers, is quick and explosive out of her approach and swings with an aggressive hand. She gets touches on a lot of balls on her block, giving her dual effectiveness for her squad.

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Mya Lee - KC Power, Missouri - Position 13, Class 46

Another Plains star that should get plenty of attention from schools right around her, Lee has had a great season leading her Power squad to some serious finishes in the Open division. She plays with straight POWER (pun intended), she swings to do damage. She reads the block well and has no problem going line or cross, gets her the ball in-system, and she is terminating it.

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Amara Enemuo - Vision Volleyball California - Position 14 Class 49

Now Enemuo really caught our attention after the Triple Crown when we were actually watching a teammate. Long and stretchy, she gets to a lot of balls at the net for touches, but she has that swing and reach. She contacts the ball so high in her approach that she truly uses all of her verticality to contact the ball, and plays so high. She may be one of the more unheard-of stars in this class. She came in with no hype at all and plays quietly, but affectively for sure. She has a legit shot at being a Silver Level prospect by the time next season begins. We are very interested to see how her recruiting goes, as we don’t know a whole lot about her journey yet, but she is going to be a real diamond for some program.

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Summer Tukua - WAVE California - Position 15 Class 52

The solid OH, who is a true six rotation player for WAVE, is simply a solid player and has had a great season for WAVE. She is very steady and comes through for them time after time. This is where there is a difference between the current player and the prospect, and it will be up to each individual school that is looking at Tukua to evaluate how they judge her height. How much of a factor is that? She is making plays now, no doubt, but how high does her game continue to go up, and what does her growth continue to look like? Her efficiency now is not questioned; she is a productive player and a leader.

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Mallory Mizell - STARS South Carolina - Position 16 Class 55

Mizell might be in a similar position as Tukua, and they may be the same player in some ways, but on different coasts. Mizell is incredibly productive and has learned to be efficient with her given abilities. She is also the weapon on her prep and club teams, so everyone knows that she is taking the swing, so she is facing double blocks all the time, where a player like Tukua has other weapons around her. Mizell has improved her all-around game so much over the past season, and going to larger competitions has helped her learn to compete at such a higher level. She has had quite a bit of ACC and SEC interest, so schools know of her. The same questions apply to Mallory: how much growth is still in her? How much is she going to add to that approach touch as she gets older? Again, this is the cold, hard truth: when it comes down to big-time recruiting, you can’t go to the Prime Time if you are touching 9’11” or even 10’ anymore. The game is up at 10’5 and higher anymore. Mizell knows how to pass and she can score when set and she will get an opportunity who gives it to her?

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Malie Ogbechie - Sports Academy California - Position 17 Class 56

Ogbechie is rising, and the last three times we have walked by her at a tourney, we have seen her skying above us in the air. The Cali prospect has truly come quite a ways this season and is bombing the ball all over. The biggest difference is just what I mentioned; her lift now, she is playing like one of the true high risers of the class. When we interviewed her early in the season it seemed obvious that academics will be an important factor for Malie, but she is really pushing her way up the volleyball ranking also and making all schools pay attention to her ability.

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Saylor Halvorsen - SG Elite California - Position 18 Class 57

Halvorsen is another one of the under-the-radar Cali kids who just does it all well. Now we have been very impressed with her efficiency in terminating balls when given opportunities, and she is especially aggressive when set behind the 10’ line. She lets the animal come out on the court a little bit, and isn’t the quiet athlete you would think that she is. She shows some of her beach training on the court with her multitude of shots and her movement out there. I’m guessing she has quite a bit of interest, and it will be interesting if she is a regional commit or if she would look to head East? Regardless, she is a very solid player who has moved up this season.

Olivia Kitur - Madfrog Texas - Position 19 Class 66

Kitur has stepped up and taken over on a Madfrog team that was left to start over this season. She has become a terrific scoring option for the squad. She is violent when she swings, and I love the energy she plays with on the court. She is a block threat all the time and gets fingers on many balls. She has some flexibility and can move around in the front row and play either pin if needed. Another physical and aggressive attacker who has really stepped up this season and will continue to improve each year.

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Piper Coady - TStreet Volleyball - Position 20 Class 71

We have been torn a bit on Coady for the simple fact that she plays on a very deep squad, and she sometimes gets hidden just a bit, so it’s hard to see how elite she truly is. We do like her strength and her aggressiveness in her approach, and when she is attacking a ball, she doesn’t hold back. Coady is solid on the block and can cause problems with her length at times. She has a nasty serve for opponents. She is one of the top OHs in the class, and she could make a move before June; we will see.