20 CLASS 5A VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2023
 

MYA BOLTON, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Bolton earned All-State and All-Eastern Kansas League first-team honors last season. The senior libero led the team in digs at 436 and serves received (367). Bolton, who finished her freshman campaign with 310 assists before passing off the role of setter to Reese Meeser the next season, still shows that vision in spots as the dished out 125 assists over the last two years. She also had 30 aces.
 

 
DELAINEE DEXTER, EISENHOWER
 
Dexter, a junior, will be in charge of Eisenhower’s offense this season as the Tigers’ lone setter. She earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first-team honors in that role and at outside hitter last season with 483 assists, 231 digs, 176 kills and 49 aces. “She has a great volleyball IQ and a strong work ethic,” Eisenhower coach Shelby Allee says. “She has a great vertical and will still be an offensive threat while on the front row.”
 
 

SHANNON FRAKES, SPRING HILL
 
Frakes earned All-State honorable mention and All-Frontier League first-team honors last season. The senior hitter led Spring Hill in kills with 342, aces with 47 and serves received with 464. She was also second on the team in total blocks with 36. Frakes enters this season with 615 career kills, meaning a strong season and deep playoff run could put her close to eclipsing the 1,000-kill mark before she finishes her time as a Bronco.
 

ALEA GOOLSBY, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Goolsby earned All-State and All-EKL first-team honors last season. The junior hitter enters this season as the Saints’ top returner in kills after the graduation of Betsy Goodenow. Goolsby did not trail Goodenow by much last year, with 345 kills to the latter’s 386. She was also second on the team in serves received with 334 and third in digs with 148. Goolsby also added 27 aces and 24 assists to her stat line.
 

 
BROOKLYN GORMLEY, SEAMAN

A six-foot force in the middle, Gormley ranked second on the Vikings a year ago with her 275 kills, nearly double her kill total from her sophomore year when she had 142. Gormley also nearly doubled her block total with 70 last year. Her serve was deadly as well as she finished with 57 assists to lead the Vikings. Gormley earned first-team United Kansas Conference honors and was a second-team All-Class 5A pick. She also was an All-Class 5A State Tournament selection after helping Seaman to a fourth-place finish in Class 5A and a UKC title.
 

 
ALIYAH GREEN, ANDOVER
 
After helping Hutchinson reach the state tournament in each of her first two seasons, Green has transferred to Andover, where she’ll likely make a significant impact in both volleyball and basketball. The 6-foot Green was a solid complement to Hutch standouts like Maliyah Johnson and Josie McLean, leading the Salthawks in total blocks (61) while adding 173 kills at middle hitter. She’ll occupy that role with the Trojans. 
 

 
JILLIAN GREGORY, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Gregory, who committed to play collegiately at Oregon State during the first week of fall camp, returns to keep the Mavericks well-stocked in height and talent. The 6-foot junior registered 317 kills last season as Maize South won 31 matches to earn its fifth consecutive state appearance before coming up short in Class 5A pool play. Gregory was part of a trio of Mavericks who earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors for the league champions.

 

TATUM GRIMES, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Grimes earned All-State first team and All-EKL second-team honors last season. The senior middle hitter led the team in blocks last season with 105 blocks, including 15 solo. She was also third on the team in kills with 224 and fourth in aces with 36. Grimes enters this season with 254 total blocks in her career.
 

JULIA HEADLEY, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Headley earned All-State second-team and All-EKL first-team honors last season. The senior middle hitter attacked last season in an aggressive fashion, seemingly trying to make up for all the time she missed on the court after she missed her sophomore campaign following her transfer from Olathe Northwest. Headley led St. James Academy with 257 kills last season and 62 total blocks. Her 10 solo blocks tied with Reese Messer for the team-high as well. 
 

ABBY KOONTZ, NEWTON
 
Koontz earned the libero spot midway through her freshman season and hasn’t looked back. Last season, she ranked third in the state with 594 digs (6.7 per set) and added 25 aces and 50 assists. Koontz earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors and Kansas Volleyball Association 5A honorable mention. “She has great court awareness and reads the play very well,” Newton coach Jamie Dibbens says of the senior. “She is a true competitor, loves volleyball and is a very supportive teammate.”

 

 
ANNA LAINCZ, LANSING

With graduation claiming the bulk of Lansing’s 2021 Class 5A state championship team, Laincz was called upon for a significantly bigger role last year. She delivered and led the Lions back to the Class 5A state tournament. Laincz became the Lions’ go-to attacker and responded with a team-high 419 kills, coming on a .408 kill percentage. That was more than double her 172 kills in a complementary role as a sophomore. Laincz earned second-team All-Class 5A and first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors. Laincz also ranked third on the team in digs with 248 and second in aces with 37.
 

 
AVERY MCCORRY, BISHOP CARROLL
 
McCorry, a sophomore, provides incoming veteran coach Teri Larson with a versatile weapon as the Golden Eagles take aim at their 20^th state appearance in the last 22 years. She can play the right side, middle and setter, and displayed some of those skills in helping Carroll post a 28-12 record last fall, recording 91 kills, 30 blocks and 40 aces. McCorry, who also lettered in basketball and soccer, was named All-Greater Wichita Athletic League second team as the Eagles finished second in the league to 6A state qualifier Wichita Northwest.
 

REESE MESSER, ST. JAMES ACADEMY

Messer earned All-State and All-EKL first-team honors last year. The junior setter reached 800 assists for the second straight season as she led the team with 824 assists and 9.0 assists per set. Her precision placement put her team in good enough position for four Thunder players to reach at least 196 kills last season. Messer was also fifth on the team in kills with 145 kills, digs with 167 and total blocks at 27. She tied senior Julia Headley for most solo blocks with 11. Messer spent the summer tuning up her game as part of the USA Volleyball U-19 team. 
 

 
MAEGAN MILLS, SEAMAN

Mills was named the United Kansas Conference Player of the year last year as a sophomore after leading the Vikings to the league title. An impact freshman in 2021 when she posted 212 kills, Mills emerged as a dominant attacker last year, nearly doubling her kill total as a sophomore with 401, hitting at a .264 clip with a sizzling .420 kill percentage. Mills added 40 blocks, 43 aces and 148 digs and was a first-team All-Class 5A selection and All-5A State Tournament pick after leading Seaman to a fourth-place finish for the second straight year.
 

 
GRACIE MORROW, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Morrow will try to punctuate her high school career with a fourth straight state appearance and a sweep of Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail titles this fall. The 6-foot senior outside hitter, who has pledged to Wichita State, led the Mavericks in kills (326), digs (233) and hitting percentage (.290) last season as Maize South posted a 31-8 record. She earned AVCTL Division I first-team and KVA all-state second-team honors.

 

SUI PAR, SUMNER ACADEMY
 
Par earned All-Meadowlark first-team honors last season. The senior libero led the team with 233 digs and 293 serves received. She also had 62 assists and 62 aces. Par heads into this season with 147 aces in her high school career.
 

LIZZIE ROMER, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Romer, a senior, has been a starter each of the last two seasons for the Crusaders. A versatile player, the 5-foot-10 Romer earned All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team accolades after registering 213 kills with a .377 hitting percentage and 64 total blocks. Romer also earned all-league first-team basketball honors.

 

 
HAYDEN SNODGRASS, ANDOVER CENTRAL
 
Snodgrass, a senior, managed to be a big producer for the Jaguars despite missing the first quarter of last season with a broken foot. The All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first-team setter recorded 666 assists, 137 digs, 86 kills and 24 blocks as Central earned its first state trip in six years. A standout basketball player, Snodgrass also earned all-league honorable mention as an outside hitter as a sophomore. “She has an extremely high volleyball IQ and acts as a secondary coach on the team,” Jags coach Kayla Weidert says of her floor captain.

 

CAMDYN STUCKY, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Stucky, the daughter of Maize South softball coach Cody Stucky, transferred from Wichita Northwest last season and flourished as the Mavericks’ floor leader. A Tennessee commit, the 6-foot-2 Stucky totaled 790 assists (9.4 per set), 123 kills, 49 aces, 41 blocks and 165 digs. She earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team and All-Class 5A second-team honors, and will set the table for returning hitters and fellow Division I commits Gracie Morrow and Jillian Gregory.
 

 JADE XU, EMPORIA

Xu was an impact addition to a young Spartan roster that featured only three seniors. The six-footer stepped in and led Emporia in kills with 209, posting a .291 hit percentage and .413 kill percentage. She added 26 blocks, 32 aces and 124 digs. Xu was named a first-team All-Centennial League selection – the only freshman named to the first team. Xu will team with senior Rylee Peak and junior Sadie Rethman to give Emporia three returning hitters with at least 179 kills last season.