Early standouts for next year’s PVF Draft
I'm a sicko and you are too, so here's some incoming seniors to watch.
We’re just a week removed from the 2024-25 PVF Draft, and my mind is already swirling with thoughts about next year’s class and how I can apply what I learned this year to the next cycle of draft prospects. I’m well along in the process of assembling a draft prospects watchlist for next season, and while it’s still a bit underbaked, I’m too excited about these players to hold back completely.
So, as a primer, I decided to share a few of the top and middle range names that I’ve landed on so far. While these are by no means predictions for future first round players or anything of that nature, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them near the top of my draft board in a year’s time. While there’s still lots of time for players to emerge or be discovered, it’s my initial opinion that next year’s crop of talent is a bit thinner than this year’s. Nevertheless, here’s a preliminary look at some of next year’s seniors who have intrigued me already.
S Maddie Waak, Texas A&M
The Aggies snagged Maddie Waak as a transfer from LSU, where she had spent the first two years of her collegiate career as the starter and slotted into the same role in her new home. That confidence was well rewarded as Waak as an integral part of the team that played their way to an NCAA Tournament berth. She failed to reach the 30 assist mark in only four matches of the 2024 season, of which just one ran longer than three sets, and posted six double-doubles along the way. Standing at 5-foot-10, she’s capable of making herself useful in defense as well. As a model of consistency and flanked by teammates Logan Lednicky and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, she presents a strong case as one of the best-performing senior setters in the nation entering next year.
I’m not the best at evaluating setters and the Federation is pretty picky about who they’re willing to invest in coming out of college. I was able to correctly identify all three drafted setters this year, though, so let’s give it another shot. Illinois’ Brooke Mosher is dangerous in every phase of the game and Texas’ Avery Carlson has been a quality starter since the day she walked into the college sport.
OH Eva Hudson, Purdue
Purdue leans pretty hard on Eva Hudson, and she has yet to let them down. Coming off an All-American Second Team honors as a sophomore last year, the ball found her 1,368 times during regular season play this year. She converted those opportunities into a career best campaign, terminating the ball 4.73 times per set and hitting at a tidy .278 clip, while at the same time shaving a bit off the rate at which she hits errors. The Boilermakers turned to her in the biggest moments and she delivered, with her two highest kill totals on the season coming against powerful opponents in Oregon and Nebraska. As a top performer in a top conference, she’s almost certainly bound for a professional future.
Narrowing down who to highlight here was not easy. Frankly, narrowing down who is and is not a pro prospect is tough. The sport is packed with talented hitters across every level of competition, and the PVF clearly values depth hitters. Other players I like include Oklahoma’s Alexis Shelton, Oregon’s Mimi Colyer, and Ole Miss’ Nia Washington, whose back row attack made me literally gasp the first time I watched her play.
OPP Avry Tatum, Indiana
Tatum played her first season of ball at Cincinnati, but really found her stride after transferring to play for the Hoosiers. The 2024 season has been her best to date, as she set career highs in kills and points per set by a mile. Serving tough is a must for Indiana starters, and she can do that too. Tatum is a bit on the shorter side for an opposite hitter, but she’s plenty physical enough for the position and established herself as the most efficient hitter in the Indiana offense. I’m hoping she’ll keep her foot on the gas for next season and knock my socks off.
Truthfully, I’m not the biggest fan of the group of opposites heading into their final year of eligibility. The only other player at this position I really like is Texas A&M’s Logan Lednicky. Other options include Baylor’s Allie Sczech (famous name, mediocre performance), Rutgers’ Alissa Kinkela (big tools, lacking refinement) or Bowling Green’s Lauryn Hovey (small school star, international background). None of those archetypes inspire tons of confidence.
MB Kiki Granberry, Tennessee
In my mind, I jokingly refer to Granberry as Thanos, because like the comic book villain, she is inevitable. Though she isn’t exactly a prolific hitter, she spend the entirety of the 2024 season near or atop the hitting percentage leaderboard for all of D1 volleyball. When the regular season came to a close, she was the second most efficient attacker in the nation, hitting .457 on 354 offensive touches. She obviously threw it into high gear this year, but Granberry has filled pretty much the exact same role in the Lady Vols’ offense for the past three seasons thanks to her off the charts volleyball IQ. I’d love to see what she could do on larger volume, but that was never in the cards for her this year as Tennessee designed their offense around Hayden Kubik and recently-drafted Nina Cajic.
Watching high quality middles dominate their opponents across the net is just about my favorite thing in the sport of volleyball. Unfortunately, that means I tend to get suckered into overrating their true talent. With that asterisk in mind, here’s some other middles I’ve enjoyed watching so far: Wisconsin’s Carter Booth is a monster in the best way, but way too inconsistent. Louisville’s Cara Cresse had a slightly down year, but she has a ludicrously high ceiling. Texas A&M’s Ifenna Cos-Okpalla sees the court well and her solo block numbers skyrocketed in 2024.
L Emma Farrell, Wake Forest
There’s hardly a less glamorous job in volleyball than that of a steady libero, but Farrell broke through to get some serious love from awards voters in 2022 and was named the ACC Freshman of the Year. She’s continued to be the stabilizer that Wake Forest needs throughout her career, and while Farrell hasn’t been able to repeat the sheer statistical volume of her freshman campaign, finished this year with a respectable 4.05 digs per set. I haven’t devoted much energy to scouting liberos yet, but another who stands out on paper is Missouri’s Maya Sands, who transferred from the Mountain West in 2023 and promptly won the SEC Libero of the Year award.