In the state of Tennessee, 8th graders are allowed to compete on varsity high school athletic teams. Five years ago, Nicklin Hames was one of those 8th graders playing up with the high school crowd, and at the end of that season, she was named state MVP. 

Last month, Hames led the Webb School to its fifth Division II-A in a row and was named MVP of the tournament. The Nebraska-bound senior might just be the best setter in the class of 2018, and she got to put her talents to the test against some of the world’s best earlier this year as a member of the U.S. girls youth national team that competed in the FIVB U18 World Championships.

Nicklin Hames

Position: Setter

Height: 5-foot-11

High School: Webb (Knoxville, TN)

Club: K2

College Commitment: Nebraska

As a setter and hitter for Webb this fall, Hames ranked third on the team with 225 kills, hitting .423, and 32 total blocks. She was second on the team with 385 assists.

Hames comes from a family rich with volleyball talent. Her mother Chris is her coach at Webb, and was a setter at Oregon State and a member of the Australian national team. Her father Jason spent some time on the University of Tennessee coach staff, and younger sister Kayleigh was Webb's kills leader this fall as a junior and is committed to Pepperdine.

“Nicklin is a great all-around player and an elite setter with strong leadership skills,” Nebraska head coach said of his future setter. “She competes really hard and we have been impressed with her ability to take average hitters and make them great.”

See Hames and the other First Teamers in action at the Under Armour All-America Match on December 15, 2017, LIVE only on FloVolleyball.