The 2028 Pins Staying Busy this Summer

Surfia Grounds - Silver - Spike and Serve

At a towering 6’5”, Surfia Grounds is surely an asset that any team could use on either pin. She’s posted multiple times about Baylor, posing with both recruiting coordinator Jorge Penate during his visit to Spike and Serve as well as head coach Ryan McGuyre during camp. Between those visits, she spent time in the Missouri gym. Most recently, she participated in the Midwest Coaches Camp, where she posed with Creighton’s Brian Rosen and shouted out staff members from Louisville, Kansas, and UCLA among others.

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Taylor Freeland - Gold - SCVC

A member of Team USA’s U19 National Team, Taylor Freeland is a highly-touted prospect out of Utah. Her first camp of the summer was at the in-state BYU, whose upcoming recruiting class will be very interesting to watch given that it will be the first under Rob Neilson. This past weekend, she was one of many top-tier prospects who attended the Wisconsin camp up in Madison. At 6’3”, she is most definitely the kind of pin hitter that Kelly Sheffield would be after.

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Janiah Burrage - Gold - Forza 1 North

Having camped with programs like Nebraska and Baylor in the past, this summer it’s been all about Pitt for Janiah Burrage. The multi-time NTDP attendee posed with Pitt’s coaching staff and included a “talk to you soon” in her caption that may be her way of signaling to the other schools knocking on her door that she already feels spoken for. Eyes will be on Burrage on June 15th to see if blue and gold are indeed in her future.

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Halima Watkins - Elite Red - NYC VB Academy

A heavy hitting opposite out of New York, Halima Watkins has been spending her time at camps of competitive programs like USC and Iowa State. Most recently, she camped at Oregon, who is quickly rebuilding under head coach Trent Kersten. While the Ducks’ current starting opposite, Alanah Clemente, made waves as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and is poised to be one of the NCAA’s top opposites in the years to come, having Watkins as a depth piece and preparing her to take Clemente’s spot after one or two years of overlap is likely a strategy Oregon is considering.

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Mallory Mizell - Elite Red - Stars Carolinas

The South Carolina 5A Player of the Year, Mallory Mizell is a six-rotation outside hitter who will doubtlessly be a major asset to a high-level program. Last summer, she toured through a good chunk of the SEC, checking out Georgia, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt among other programs. So far this year, her camp season has included Creighton and a repeat visit to Tennessee. 

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Lowe Long - Red - Tri-State Elite

The standout from Ohio posted more than 20 camps that she was invited to this summer, but so far Lowe Long seems to have a focus on camping with mid-majors where she could immediately make an impact. First, she stayed in-state to visit Dayton, before heading out west to Santa Clara. Santa Clara has been climbing the ranks in the WCC, most recently placing fourth, and a player like Lowe Long would definitely help continue that momentum.

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Meredith Liles - Elite Orange - NC Academy

It’s been a busy summer so far for Meredith Liles out of NC Academy. The 6’3” pin hitter has spent time all over the eastern part of the country. She’s camped in-state with North Carolina and Duke, as well as the ACC’s Virginia and the Big Ten’s Michigan. Most recently, she spent the weekend in Florida, where she was part of the Gators’ camp as well as an attendee at UCF’s camp.

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Savannah Watts - Orange - OTVA

A member of the 2025 GJNC All-Tournament team in the 15 Freedom division, Watts has been spending time at some impressive programs this camp season. Notably, she was at last week’s Kentucky camp. The Watts family has a connection to Kentucky already, as Savannah’s father played football for the Wildcats. After her time in Lexington, Watts flew out west to spend time in the USC and UCLA gyms.