Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Shaye Witherspoon underwent knee surgery in May, and her recovery timetable will likely keep her out this fall.
One of Nebraska’s top 2027 commits will likely miss her senior season.
Shaye Witherspoon, who is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in her class according to PrepDig, is recovering from knee surgery and is unlikely to suit up for Lafayette High School, the reigning four-time Missouri Class 5 state champion.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Witherspoon underwent surgery in May to address a lingering knee injury, which would have knocked her out for six weeks. However, once the surgeons started work on the meniscus, it was worse than anticipated, and the recovery timetable stretched out to five to six months.
“I don’t know this year if we’ll see if Shaye’s on the court or not,” Lafayette coach Zach Young said to the Post-Dispatch. “We are going to enjoy just having them around for this last year.”
Young said Witherspoon is ahead of her recovery right now, but it is still a long road before she can get back on the court. In the meantime, Witherspoon will still be part of the team for her final season.
“That kid’s getting a jersey. She’s going to be with us,” Young said. “I think she’s going to have a lot of leadership opportunities. But as far as on the court, I don’t know that she has an answer, and I don’t think that we have an answer. But we’re excited about what she’s going to be able to do for us leadership-wise this year.”
She is expected to make a full recovery before she begins her college career at Nebraska.
Witherspoon was the MaxPreps Player of the Year for Missouri in 2025 and an All-American. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter put up 636 kills (5.9 per set) while hitting .395. She added 274 digs, 98 blocks and 94 aces as the Lancers posted a 40-1 record. Lafayette, which is located in Wildwood in suburban St. Louis, finished ranked as the No. 20 team in the nation.
MaxPreps also named her a sophomore All-American after putting up 4.4 kills per set and hitting .379 as the Lancers went 32-5. Witherspoon plays club with Rockwood Thunder.
She is part of the No. 1 2027 recruiting class for the Huskers, according to PrepVolleyball, where she is the No. 9 overall prospect. The group also includes middle blocker Kendall Omoruyi, ranked No. 3 overall; setter Malorie Boesiger, No. 11; libero Pulelehua Laikona, No. 38; and libero Mallory Johnson, No. 40.
Witherspoon is the daughter of former NFL player Will Witherspoon, and her mother, Rebecca, played volleyball at Georgia. Her two sisters also played college volleyball. Maya is a redshirt sophomore at Vanderbilt, and Layne is a senior at Division II Augusta University after starting her college career at Eastern Illinois.
Current redshirt freshman opposite Ryan Hunter also suffered a knee injury before her senior year of high school. She missed the season and was cleared to resume volleyball in December before enrolling in Nebraska the following month. She sat out the beach season before returning to the court for the spring indoor matches. After NU added two other opposites to the roster, Hunter redshirted the 2025 season.
