The recruiting cycle for the high school volleyball class of 2026 kicked off on Saturday, and LSU has already hit the ground running.
The Tigers secured their first commitment of the class in libero Katie Raymer, who currently competes at Apex High School in North Carolina, on Saturday.
Raymer also competes in club volleyball with Triangle Volleyball Club based in Morrisville, North Carolina.
“Thank you to Coach Tonya, Jill, Ashley, and Kevin for this opportunity and giving me my dreams come true!” Raymer said in her announcement post on Instagram.
Raymer came up 325 digs in her sophomore year at Apex, as well as 60 aces.
She was named to Vballrecruiter’s 30-player Players to Watch list for the class of 2026, and was also named a 15u Club All-American by PrepVolleyball.
Raymer’s commitment continues a family tradition: her mother Lauren Raymer—then Lauren O’Connor—also played for LSU’s volleyball team.
Lauren was a setter for the Tigers from 1997 to 2000, and she still ranks No. 4 on the school’s career assists leaderboard while also being a four-time member of the Southeastern Conference honor roll.
While she was there, she overlapped with current LSU head coach Tonya Johnson, who was an assistant for the program for three of those years.
Lauren also played alongside current associate head coach Jill Wilson, who played for LSU from 1997 to 2000. Those connections helped secure Raymer’s commitment.
In addition, Raymer’s father, David, played for LSU’s baseball team from 2000 to 2002 and was a member of the 2000 national championship team.
Under the NCAA’s rules, June 15 is the first day college coaches are allowed to reach out to high school sophomores. Starting then, coaches are allowed to privately correspond with recruits and make official offers.
On the first day LSU was allowed to, it extended the offer to Raymer, and she accepted it.
With Raymer’s commitment, LSU has begun building its 2026 class that could be pivotal for the program’s future.
Under Johnson, LSU’s recruiting has taken a step forward, with the 2024 class that’s now on campus being ranked as high as No. 19 in the country by PrepDig.
Likewise, LSU’s 2025 recruiting class has five commitments who are expected to be valuable contributors in time.
For now, LSU is looking to rebound from an 11-17 season and get back to the NCAA Tournament in Johnson’s third year with the team, like the Tigers did in her debut year.
