American's 200 : Getting Down To It #65-#51

America’s Top 200 List

#65-#51

​

#51 Julia Masselink - Class of 2029 Outside - Club: Kairos Elite - Commit: UC

Masselink WILL NOT bring any attention upon herself or her game, and her club squad is a top team in their age group, but Kairos isn’t as well-known as the big national powers, so you are really going to have to search if you want to hear about her. That’s not a knock on Julia, she is an amazing talent and she has more than proven herself at the NTDP level (thus the invite to the U17 National Team tryout) she just happens to have three very talented and very dynamic OH’s from very LARGE NATIONAL clubs in the same class with her that will always take a large portion of the spotlight. Heck, people in her own town and state don’t even know how talented Masselink is because even though everyone else pictures South Dakota as a tiny little spot on the map, she is teammates with a 2x Gatorade POY already on this list, and another teammate yet to be named on here.

People who do understand how legit this 6’2” smooth attacker is…..Top 10 college coaches, though they may have a problem pronouncing her last name, they know her game. Julia is long and plays the game effortlessly. Big gym performance? Solid, no flash, she definitely held her own at multiple NTDPs last year, as well as USA Nationals and Husker Dream Team Camp, though you had to recall if she was there at the end of the day. This is a VERY GOOD volleyball player that will be highly sought after, and you may never say her name.

​

#52 Elena Hoecke - Class of 2026 - Club: MN Select - Commit: Minnesota

It seems like years ago when Hoecke verbally committed to the home state Gophers, and that was a huge Win for that staff. She has about every honor you can have at the club and prep level and has been a regular at the USA Volleyball sessions for years now. She finally moves on to the next level. Her versatility as a middle has always been a strength, and the ability to do multiple things on the court. She never had a player profile, so I'm not positive of her block touch and what that will translate to in the BIG, but her attacking and movement on the court should make her a weapon early.

​

#53 Ella Andrews - Class of 2029 - Club: Legacy - Commit: UC

Part of Legacy’s Dream Team, Andrews is a combination of athletic and strength, characteristics you don’t often see in 9th graders. Another 2029 on the list and another 2029 on her way to tryout for the U17 National Team next week. Andrews makes it very easy for her Setter to “get her middles involved early”. Andrews is aggressive on the attack and will finish a quick or slide with equally high efficiency. When you look at her block touch and approach touch #s, you compare them to freshman in college, not high school. Ella also plays with tenacity on the court and has a high IQ. She is a top target early in that deep class at the middle position, and you will get plenty of looks at her on championship courts.

​

#54 Marlee Steiner - Class of 2027 - Club: HPSTL - Commit: Mizzou

Steiner came on strong, just like Spring, about March 1st last year. It seemed like each week there were more and more eyes and different schools around her court, and the logos were very recognizable. Steiner’s skills were showing up week after week, and she was tearing things up at the Open Division, playing as well all-around as anyone in the division. NTDP invites are followed by Select Camp invites. Mizzou grabs an in-state talent and rising star in the country. She will get better as she gains strength at the next level, also.

​

#55 Carsyn Comer - Class of 2027 - Club: Munciana - Commit: Louisville

Comer brings a work ethic and physical nature to her game that few in the class have. She was a bit overlooked because she played on an 18s team last year, so she wasn’t watched like most others in her class, and her season was done early. She did crush it at the Louisville Select Camp, however, and that was the most important “tournament” of her season. Like all of the top prospects, Carsyn has been an NTDP regular and has held her own in the big settings. She may wow you athletically like other middles in the class, but she is fundamentally solid and is almost a throwback physical middle from a few years ago. The key with Comer is her training and her work ethic; you simply know she is going to last and be a solid, steady player at the next level.

​

#56 McKenna McIntosh - Class of 2027 - Club: CITY - Commit: USC

I have often felt like McIntosh has been the overshadowed OH in this class, and I’m not sure if that is because she doesn’t quite play vertical enough to be a dominant attacker, or what coaches at the elite levels see or don’t see. Again, a more soft-spoken star of the ’27 class, she is a great passer in the back row and is efficient at killing the ball against some of the very best. She has been to all of the same events as everyone else, and I think USC landed a better prospect than others may have. In the Vegas Prep Tourney in September, I truly thought she was the most consistent player and effective on the loaded Sierra Canyon squad, minus the high upside of a couple of teammates.

​

#57 Nejari Crooks - Class of 2027 - Club: Triangle Volleyball - Commit: Penn State

Crooks is explosion and power. The setter turned opposite, turned out to be a terrific career move for the North Carolina prospect, who is a jack-in-the-box the way she volleys out of her approach and takes balls all over the court. She already touches over 10’2”, which is incredible when you look at her off the court. Undersized, no doubt her challenge is going to be continuing to elevate and use all of that lift to be effective at the highest level, but when you are predicting success and potential on athleticism, she ranks very high.

​

#58 Pulelehua Laikona - Class of 2027 - Club: AZ Storm - Commit: Nebraska

Hua is a leader, and she is focused on the court. She has trained with the best and has been given the “star treatment” from all the sites in her club days. She is a great fit for Nebraska because of her attitude and demeanor; now it’s her game that has to prove it on the court. Work and work and work, that's what it’s going to take. With upperclassmen ahead of her, another very good bro in her class, and whatever the Huskers bring in behind her, Hua has to outwork them all to get on and stay on the court. Lightning-quick reads and her reaction time have set her apart thus far.

​

#59 Elizabeth Bower - Class of 2027 - Club: Idaho Crush - Commit: Louisville

This is one that could easily jump up very quickly, and we had a discussion about possibly moving her before the final list was set. Once again, Bower plays for the Idaho Crush and not one of the Big 4, and that doesn't matter a bit with coverage, but she is very good, and you never know what happens with portal moves, etc, but I could see her being a Day 1 libero at Louisville very easily. She comes from a volleyball family of college-level sisters, and like she will tell you, “the best ones are still coming”. She had to play OH for her teams previously, but is finally able to settle into her natural position of libero, so you can see the aggressiveness of being an attacker before. Don’t believe our evaluation: Ok, she went to three select camps and had three offers last summer: Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Louisville. Heard of any of those schools?

​

#60 Ellery DeBoer - Class of 2027 - Club: MN Select - Commit: Michigan State

When you talk about great fits, you have to think DeBoer ending up as Kristen Kelsey’s first Setter at MSU has to be one of the better ones of 2027. Her time playing up the last couple of years with the MN Select squad was invaluable to her. Her height and her strength will be benefits when she goes on to the next level, and being a little feisty will work well as Kelsey’s floor general. We are big believers that players flourish or go backwards depending more on coach fit than ability, and this is a hard-working athlete who is a coach’s kid, so she works hard and is a student of the game; she will mix very well with her new coach.

​

#61 Taylor Johnson - Class of 2028 - Club: TAV - Commit: UC

Johnson plays a lot higher and more physically than a Sophomore in high school. MVP at USA Nationals and maybe the most impressive week at Dream Team Camp of a 2028 OH, she has that combination of power in her take off and grace in the air (maybe due to her cheer/dance background as well). Johnson is someone who looks as if they could get to 6’2.5” and be touching 10’6” when she steps on a college campus, and that is simply next level. Her passing will come along, but you just can’t teach her kind of athleticism.

**Another that we seriously considered moving higher, and probably should have

​

#62 Mesa James - Class of 2028 - Club: Northern Lights - Commit: UC

Powerful Opposite from Minnesota. James is another who looks older than she is. Another one who has been getting all of this extra NTDP training for a while now, and it’s showing. She can hammer it down the line, but can also go cross, or simply tool off or through a block with her power. Will push for that #2 Opp spot in this class.

​

#63 Marlie Smith - Class of 2027 - Club: Legacy - Commit: North Carolina

She wins Google her, sorry if you are a college football fan, you will get that. But, she does, at some point, put the height thing to bed and just sees that she’s a winner. I’m so glad she was finally invited to an NTDP session simply to get to experience that because I wish about 10 of our “best setters” had her inner makeup and intangibles. I also love what North Carolina did by going and grabbing her early. They have put together back-to-back solid seasons, and now this is a good 2027 class with your anchor. I guess we will find out what she ends up being at the college level, but there is zero chance this athlete hurts your culture or locker room while competing for your starting setter spot, and she brings a culture of winning with her. That should be worth something.

​

#64 Makenna Crosson - Class of 2026 - Club: Vision Volleyball - Commit: Minnesota

Crosson was the big name in the ’26 class for the U of M and has had a decorated career out on the West Coast. Already 6’3” and a reach much longer, Crosson takes up space on the court and adds to the Gophers' list of Big Ten-worthy attackers brought in by Keegan Cook. Makenna is another who shows a high ceiling due to the fact that once she adds the strength a college program can provide after a year or two, she will be even more lethal with her skill and frame.

​

#65 Willtrace Ngoh - Class of 2027 - Club: Houston Jrs. - Commit: USC

The most recent Trojan we have talked about is the HUGE upside for Ngoh. Really just learning the sport and the position, she is still a project with everything ahead of her. Also, in her favor is a set of amazing athletic tools, such as a 10’7” approach touch, already that is something most coaching staffs are willing to take a chance on. If Willtrace can make the jump next year, as she did this past year, she could be looking at All-American status. I would guess there is no plan to have her play early at USC, but when you do see her sky is the limit.

​