20 CLASS 5A VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH
 

CAMPBELL CHABOT, SEAMAN
 
One of Seaman’s primary setters a year ago, Chabot helped lead the Vikings to the Class 5A state championship, the first in program history. She ranked second on the team in assists with 530 and also was second in aces with 39. Chabot was a second-team All-United Kansas Conference selection and could be leaned on even more this year in running the offense with the graduation of the Vikings’ other setter, Taylin Stallbaumer. With 1,072 career assists, Chabot has a chance as Seaman’s career record of 1,433 set by current University of Kansas setter Camryn Turner and has a plethora of weapons at her disposal, including reigning 5A player of the year Maegan Mills and three other six-footers led by Ava Esser (168 kills last year).
 

 
KAITLYN CURE, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL

Cure was one of three All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team selections last season for Kapaun, which finished 30-7. Entering her fourth year as a starter, Cure has transformed from an outside hitter who played all the way around to a libero who plays out of the left-back position. The senior finished last season with 140 kills (1.8 per set) and 435 digs (5.3 per set). Kapaun has won 70 matches in Cure’s three seasons.
 

REESE DAUGHERTY, BISHOP CARROLL

Daugherty will handle libero duties once again for Bishop Carroll after earning All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors at the position last season. The senior finished with 34 aces, 289 digs and 78 assists last season as Carroll finished 26-11 with a loss to Andover Central in the sub-state finals. Daugherty was a defensive specialist for the Golden Eagles as a sophomore, helping them earn a Class 5A state tournament berth.
 

DELAINEE DEXTER, EISENHOWER

A three-time All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II selection – twice on the first team – Dexter holds Eisenhower’s record for career aces with 159 and shares the mark for aces in a set with six. A setter/right side who ran the Tigers’ 5-1 offense last year, Dexter had 645 assists to raise her career total to 1,701, giving her chance to be the program’s all-time leader in that category. She added 90 kills and 117 digs to raise career totals to 305 and 435, respectively.
 

KARA FEIST, GREAT BEND

The Fort Hays State commit was a pivotal part of the Panthers’ run to their first Western Athletic Conference championship in 20 years last year. Feist, a right-side hitter/middle blocker, put up 216 kills with a .339 hitting percentage and a team-high 78 blocks as a junior. The Panthers amassed a 31-5 record, narrowly missing out on a state tournament berth after dropping a three-set heartbreaker to Andover in the sub-state final. Great Bend returns two of three first-team all-conference picks from a year ago in Feist and setter Kya Behr. 
 

PAITYN FRITZ, SALINA SOUTH

The owner of Salina South’s single-season home run record in softball, Fritz has also been a key player for Cougar volleyball. The junior setter/hitter finished her first season as a starter with 245 kills, 54 blocks, 280 assists and served at 96.8%. Fritz was an All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II second-team selection for the Cougars, who finished 14-23. She also played as a freshman and currently stands in the program’s top 10 all-time for hitting percentage.
 

ALEA GOOLSBY, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Goolsby returns as the senior leader of a St. Thomas Aquinas team which fell just short of a repeat after last year’s 5A state runner-up finish. Goolsby, an Iowa State commit, led the team with 395 kills and 38 aces last season. It should not take too long for Goolsby to reach the career mark of 1,000 kills this season as she already has 965 so far. She’s pushed her kills per set average to 4.1 after hitting 2.3 and 3.4 in her first two seasons. She won’t have Tatum Grimes next to her this season, but the emergence of underclassmen Grace Martin and Presley Kreter could allow Goolsby to remain on her current production and still not see the Saints take any step back this season.
 

ALIYAH GREEN, ANDOVER

After helping Hutchinson reach the Class 6A state tournament each of her first two seasons, Green transferred to Andover last year and played a key role in the Trojans’ first 5A state appearance since 2019. The senior middle hitter registered 297 kills, 22 unassisted blocks and 45 assisted blocks, earning All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II first-team honors. She’ll start her final season with 602 career kills. Green also helped Andover finish third in 5A basketball with a 24-1 record, earning third-team all-state honors.
 

JILLIAN GREGORY, MAIZE SOUTH

With her All-Class 5A teammates Camdyn Stucky and Gracie Morrow off to play Division I volleyball, the spotlight figures to get a little brighter for Gregory, an All-5A second-team selection herself last season for the 38-5 Mavericks. Gregory, a senior outside hitter who has committed to Wyoming, led Maize South with 386 kills (4.2 per set). She hit .357 and registered 141 digs. Gregory’s efforts helped the Mavs finish third in 5A, the best in program history. She was also named to the All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I first team.
 

GRACE MARTIN, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
After performing in a productive, albeit limited, role as a freshman in 2022, Martin had her breakout performance as sophomore last season. Martin racked up 256 kills, finishing third on the team behind Alea Goolsby and Tatum Grimes. With the latter now graduated, Martin will have a chance to expand her scoring role once again. In addition to her kills total, Martin also led the team in serves received with 489 while providing 25 aces, 51 total blocks and 199 digs.
 

REESE MESSER, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Messer will lead a St. James Academy team with a lot to prove after the Thunder were unable to reach the state final for just the third time since the program started in 2007. St. James reached the final in Messer’s first two seasons, only for the team to end those seasons with state runner-up finishes. The team might have fallen short over the last three years, but Messer has seemingly done everything in her power to try to avoid that result. Messer racked up 872 assists last season, her third straight year of at last 824 assists. Messer should be able to put herself in rare company by well surpassing the career mark of 3,000 assists. Her elite ability as a setter has been clear since she first took the court for St. James as a freshman. Messer has shown the biggest improvement with the way she’s stepped up when she’s not the one making the set. She went from 75 kills that first year to 145 the next. Messer reached 150 kills in three fewer sets last season. Messer also had 251 digs last year, eclipsing her previous best of 230 in 2021. Messer also had the most aces from last season of any returner for the Thunder, finishing with 34 and crossing the century mark for her career in that category. Messer also had a career-best in total blocks with 50 last season.
 

MAEGAN MILLS, SEAMAN
 
Mills is the two-time reigning United Kansas Conference player of the year and followed a big sophomore season in which she pounded out 401 kills with a junior season that saw her top that number with 418 kills, hitting at a .295 percentage. Mills now has 1,035 kills in her career and is just 219 kills away from Seaman’s career mark of 1,316 set by current University of Kansas standout Camryn Turner. Mills also led Seaman in aces with 51 and added 62 blocks in helping lead Seaman to the Class 5A state championship, the first state volleyball title in school history. Her 136 career blocks are just 81 away from the school record set by current Viking coach Tatiana (Schafer) Dowling. The Tulsa commit was the Class 5A player of the year last season and two-time first-team All-Class 5A selection.
 

 
ALLY ORTH, BISHOP CARROLL

Orth, who pitched Carroll past St. Thomas Aquinas for the Class 5A softball title in May, will start her second season as the Golden Eagles’ setter in volleyball. She opened the 2023 season as a setter/hitter, but her setting role increased when coach Teri Larson implemented a 5-1 offense in late September. Orth registered 572 assists, 50 aces, 83 kills, 129 digs and 29 blocks. She will likely set for all six rotations this season. Orth also played on Carroll’s state-qualifying team as a freshman.
 

   
MASON PALACE, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL

Palace was one of five sophomores on the All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first team last season. A starter for the Crusaders each of her first two seasons, Mason had 224 kills a year ago to help Kapaun win 30 matches. Mason earned all-league second-team honors as a hitter her freshman year as Kapaun went 24-16.
 
 

HADLEY PORTER, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Porter returns for her senior season looking to lead a Blue Valley Southwest squad which went 28-9 last season before losing to eventual state runner-up St. Thomas Aquinas in the sub-state finals. Not only will the Timberwolves return underclassmen players who notched at least 124 kills, Porter will provide that group senior leadership and gritty style of play that keeps rallies alive. She led the team in digs last year with 329, while also finishing with 364 serves received. She generally made the court diving plays while leaving scoring to others, but she did chip in with 15 aces last season.
 

LEAH ROBINSON, ST. JAMES ACADEMY
 
Robinson could be asked to expand her role after the graduation of eight seniors from a year ago. In that group of graduates was Julia Headley, Ava Spacheck and Ella Goodwin, a trio who finished with 272, 236 and 176 kills respectively. With senior setter Reese Messer as the returner with the next highest kills total last year, Robinson will likely need to be the bigger beneficiary of taking over those open scoring opportunities. St. James Academy return from a season where the Thunder reached state, but the team failed to reach the state final for just the third time since 2007, which was the program’s inaugural season. St. James lost two straight matches to end their season after having only lost four matches total during the regular season.
 

 
KAYDENCE TORREZ, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
 
In her second year starting at middle hitter/blocker, Torrez became a much bigger force in the T-Birds’ attack last year. After recording 120 kills and 50 blocks as a sophomore, Torrez raised those numbers to 155 kills and 76 blocks last year. She went from an honorable mention All-United Kansas Conference selection to a first-team pick last year. Torrez has committed to Wichita State and will once again be Heights’ main presence in the middle this season.
 

 
JORDYN WASHINGTON, ANDOVER CENTRAL

Washington has been a starting middle blocker for a pair of Andover Central teams that qualified for the Class 5A state tournament. In 94 sets last season, Washington racked up 274 kills with a .371 hitting percentage and had 55 total blocks. She was named All-5A honorable mention and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II first team as the Jaguars posted a 39-3 record last season. A University of Central Oklahoma commit, Washington owns Central’s top two single-season hitting percentage marks over the past five seasons, and enters her final campaign with 461 kills and 111 total blocks.
 

AUBREY WISKER, SALINA SOUTH

Wisker was a welcome addition last season for the Cougars after transferring in from Texas. An outside hitter, Wisker registered 250 kills, a top-12 single-season mark since South has charted the statistic. She added 169 digs, 29 blocks and 32 aces to earn All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I honorable mention. She enters her senior season trying to help South improve on a 14-23 record a year ago.
 

 
JADE XU, EMPORIA
 
A junior outside hitter for the Spartans, Xu led Emporia with 344 kills last year as a sophomore. She boasted a kill percentage of 34.2 and added 252 digs and 20 aces on her way to earning first-team All-Centennial League honors for the second straight year. A two-year starter who has led Emporia in kills each of her first two seasons, Xu goes into her junior campaign with 553 career kills, 67 blocks, 61 aces and 376 digs.