Best High School Girls Volleyball Player in Every State for 2021

They represent the future of the sport in America.

Best High School Girls Volleyball Player in Every State for 2021

Carly Hendrickson high school girls volleyball player

Volleyball played at the highest level really is amazing. Players float in the air while they spike the ball and carve up chunks of real estate to dig out balls that appear impossible to return.

Elite high school girls volleyball players across the country represent the future of the sport. They are future NCAA champions and gold medalists who will become household names in the next few years.

These are the best high school girls volleyball player in all 50 states from the classes of 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Alabama: Rya McKinnon, Outside Hitter

High school: Hoover High School (Hoover, Alabama)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Louisville

Accolades: Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), VolleyballMag.Com All-American (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), AL.com Super All-State Player of the Year (2020), Class 7A state champion (2020), Class 7A State Tournament MVP (2020), MaxPreps All-American (2020)

Bottom line: Rya McKinnon became the first Gatorade Player of the Year from Hoover High after leading her team to the first volleyball state championship in school history.

Hoover went 50-1 behind McKinnon, who racked up an incredible 594 kills, 267 digs, 50 service aces and 29 blocks.

Hoover head coach Chris Camper called McKinnon a "generational player," which might be the highest praise you could ever give to a prep athlete.

Is McKinnon the greatest high school volleyball player in Alabama history? Another state title for Hoover and McKinnon in 2021 answers that question for good.

Alaska: Hanna Henrie, Outside Hitter

High school: South Anchorage High School (Anchorage, Alaska)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 4A state champion (2019)

Bottom line: Hanna Henrie had South Anchorage among the state's elite teams again in 2020 after helping lead her school to a Class 4A state championship in 2019.

Henrie's 2020 numbers were outstanding. She had 208 kills in 131 sets as a sophomore in 2019 and 178 kills in just 46 sets as a junior in 2020 and saw her kill percentage leap up from 30.9 percent to 34.6 percent.

Alaska actually has a pair of NCAA Division II schools with volleyball programs — University of Alaska-Anchorage and University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

Arizona: Jordan Middleton, Outside Hitter

High school: Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: USC

Accolades: Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), VolleyballMag.Com All-American (2020), MaxPreps All-American (2020), Class 6A Player of the Year (2020), Class 6A state champion (2020)

Bottom line: Jordan Middleton was named the No. 2 recruit from the Class of 2022 by VolleyballMag.com and became the first Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year from Hamilton High in 2021. She also led Hamilton to the Class 6A state championship in 2020 — the first state title in program history.

Middleton, a 6-foot-2 USC commit, had 20 kills in the state championship match against Perry High and led Hamilton with 286 kills and 141 digs. She now has 1,040 career kills headed into her senior season.

Arkansas: Kennedy Phelan, Setter/Outside Hitter

High school: Fayetteville High School (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

Height: 5-foot-7

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 6A state champion (2020), All-NWADG (2020), Class 6A All-State (2020)

Bottom line: Kennedy Phelan was a dynamo for Fayetteville on the way to winning the Class 6A state championship in 2020. She led the team with 800 assists, 125 digs, 42 service aces and 32 blocks despite being just 5-foot-7.

Phelan has 1,872 assists through her first two seasons of high school volleyball and would have easily cleared 2,000 if not for the shortened season in 2020.

Even then, she increased her assists per set from 9.3 to 10.8.

California: Claire Little, Outside Hitter

High school: Vista Murrieta High School (Murrieta, California)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: CalHiSports State Freshman Player of the Year (2019), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Inland Empire Player of the Year (2019), PrepVolleyball.com National Freshman of the Year (2019)

Bottom line: How good is Claire Little? We don't have to worry about how she missed her entire sophomore season. That's because of what she did as a freshman in 2019, leading Vista Murrieta High to the CIF Division I state championship.

Already committed to play for BYU, Little was arguably the best player in California as a freshman, when she was named Inland Empire Player of the Year and National Freshman of the Year. In fact, she may have already been the best player in the nation at that point.

Little had 461 kills, 247 digs and 35 blocks in 2019. Go ahead and compare those numbers to any of the best players in the country.

Colorado: Karlee Pinell, Outside Hitter

High school: Cheyenne Mountain High School (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Class 4A All-State (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), MaxPreps All-American (2020)

Bottom line: Karlee Pinell helped lead Cheyenne Mountain to the Class 4A state semifinals in 2020. She was an all-around stats-churning machine for her school.

She finished in the top three in four of the five major statistical categories for her team — kills (192), service aces (34), blocks (23) and digs (141).

Cheyenne Mountain has a good shot to win its first state title since 2015 with Pinell as a senior in 2021.

Connecticut: Aerin Bowman, Right-Side Hitter

High school: Darien High School (Darien, Connecticut)

Height: 6-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: GameTimeCT All-State (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), two-time All-FCIAC (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: The big story in Connecticut high school volleyball in 2020 was Guilford's Emma Appleman, but Darien's Aerin Bowman was almost as good and set herself up for a breakout senior season — one where she'll be the odds-on favorite to bring home Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

Bowman, who is 6-foot-3, led Darien with 197 kills and 23 blocks to go alongside 31 aces and 81 digs. She was great in the postseason as well, leading Darien to the finals of the FCIAC West Region playoffs.

Delaware: Julia Yurkovich, Outside Hitter

High school: St. Mark's High School (Wilmington, Delaware)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: Two-time DIAA All-State (2019, 2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), two-time All-Catholic Conference (2019, 2020), DIAA state champion (2020), DIAA state runner-up (2019)

Bottom line: Julia Yurkovich is already a two-year starter for St. Mark's — and a two-time DIAA All-State selection.

She helped lead them to a state runner-up finish in 2019 and an undefeated season and state championship in 2020, which was the first state title for St. Mark's since 2011 and 11th in school history.

Yurkovich and St. Mark's exacted some revenge in the DIAA state championship match against Padua, which defeated St. Marks in the 2019 state final.

Florida: Amaya Thomas, Middle Blocker

High school: University High School (Orlando, Florida)

Height: 6-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Florida

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), PrepVolleyball.com No. 10 overall (2022),

Bottom line: Get ready to watch Amaya Thomas dominate in the SEC sooner than later. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker is the No. 10 overall recruit in the country and committed to stay in her home state and play for the University of Florida.

You can't get around the fact that Thomas might be listed as a middle blocker but very much seems like she could be either that position or an outside hitter or right-side hitter at the next level.

She has 78 blocks over the last two seasons and saw her kills jump from 80 to 192 from her sophomore to her junior season. And in 2020, she played in just 52 sets.

Georgia: Hadlee Ackerman, Libero

High school: Marist School (Atlanta, Georgia)

Height: 5-foot-7

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Class 4A Player of the Year (2020), Class 4A All-State (2020), Class 4A State Champion (2020), two-time Class 4A All-Region 7 (2019, 2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020)

Bottom line: Is there a better high school libero (back-row player) playing the country right now than Hadlee Ackerman? It can't be a very long list of the players who might compete for that title, but our money is on her.

Ackerman led Marist to the Class 4A state championship in 2020 and was named Class 4A Player of the Year in the process. Ackerman had a staggering 104 service aces in just 82 sets in 2020 to go with a team-high 323 digs and 104 assists.

Through three seasons, Ackerman has 1,140 digs and 323 service aces.

Hawaii: Maui Robins, Outside Hitter

High school: Kamehameha Kapalama (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State (2019), two-time All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu (2019, 2020), Division I State Champion (2019), All-Division I State Tournament Team (2019)

Bottom line: Kamehameha High's Maui Robins kept up the family tradition by being named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020. Her older cousin Aloha Robins-Hardy was named Hawaii's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014.

Robins, at 5-foot-11, led the Warriors to an 8-2 record with 111 kills, 80 digs, 14 blocks and 11 service aces in their abbreviated season on the way to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Tournament championship.

Robins' teammate, Devin Kahahawai, is one of the top recruits in the nation, and they are one of the most formidable duos in the country. Need proof? They already won a state championship for Kamehameha in 2019.

Idaho: Eden Bower, Outside Hitter

High school: Skyview High School (Nampa, Idaho)

Height: 6-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: BYU

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Idaho Press Volleyball Player of the Year finalist (2021), Class 5A SIC Player of the Year (2020), Class 5A state champion (2020)

Bottom line: Eden Bower led Skyview High to the school's first volleyball state championship in 2020 and was never better than in the state championship match, when the 6-foot-3 outside hitter had 25 kills and 17 digs against Boise High.

Here's an incredible stat to wrap your head around. Eden Bower is one of seven sisters and is the third of those who will play volleyball for BYU, following older sisters Morgan Bower and Whitney Bower, who are currently on the Cougars' roster.

Illinois: Ella Wrobel, Outside Hitter/Right-Side Hitter

High school: Plainfield North High School (Plainfield, Illinois)

Height: 6-foot-4

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Wisconsin

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), VolleyballMag.com Top 25 Underclassmen (2020), Bugle News All-Area Volleyball (2020), Illinois Prep Volleyball All-State (2019)

Bottom line: University of Wisconsin commit will be the third member of her family to play volleyball in the Big Ten — and at the third different school.

Her father, Garrett Wrobel, played for Ohio State and her older sister, Jenna Wrobel, was a four-time All-Big Ten pick at Michigan State and an All-American in 1998. All that being said, Ella Wrobel could be the best of the bunch.

In her last full season of play in 2019, Wrobel was phenomenal with 373 kills, 64 service aces and 55 blocks.

Indiana: Emma Halter, Defensive Specialist/Libero

High school: Roncalli High School (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Height: 5-foot-5

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Texas

Accolades: Two-time Class 4A All-State (2019, 2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 4A All-Central District (2020), AAU All-American (2019)

Bottom line: Roncalli High's Emma Halter was the first Class of 2022 commit for powerhouse University of Texas, and she did so with a full two seasons of high school volleyball left.

One of the nation's elite liberos, Halter had exactly 766 digs each of the last two seasons and passed 2,000 digs for her career in 2020. Halter finished the season with 2,212 career digs and has a shot at passing 3,000 digs for her career in her senior season.

Iowa: Hayden Kubik, Outside Hitter

High school: Valley High School (West Des Moines, Iowa)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Nebraska

Accolades: VolleyballMag.com All-American (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 5A state runner-up (2019), VolleyballMag.com No. 1 Overall (2022),

Bottom line: Valley High outside hitter Hayden Kubik is arguably the top recruit in the Class of 2022 and headed to the nation's No. 1 college volleyball powerhouse at the University of Nebraska.

That makes sense, because older sister Madi Kubik was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and National Freshman of the Year for the Cornhuskers in 2020.

It shouldn't go without saying that Hayden Kubik seems like she might be even better than her older sister. Hayden had 401 kills in her last full season in 2019.

Kansas: Skyler Pierce, Outside Hitter

High school: Olathe Northwest High School (Olathe, Kansas)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2024

Accolades: Class 6A All-State (2020), PrepVolleyball.Com All-American (2020)

Bottom line: The only player from the Class of 2024 to make the list is Olathe Northwest's Skylar Pierce, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter who was named Class 6A All-State as a freshman in the largest division in Kansas.

Pierce is really bad news for elite opponents in Kansas on the high school volleyball and Midwest club level. Because they're going to have to deal with her for another three years.

She had a whopping 384 kills in just 79 sets in 2020.

Kentucky: Lucy Trump, Outside Hitter

High school: Ryle High School (Union, Kentucky)

Height: 6-foot

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Notre Dame

Accolades: Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division I Most Outstanding Player (2019), AVCA Phenom List (2020), USA Volleyball A1 National Training Program (2019), PrepDig.Com No.1 Kentucky (2022)

Bottom line: There's not much Notre Dame-bound Lucy Trump can't do on a volleyball court. Her stats tell the tale of a totally complete player.

Trump played considerably less sets in 2020 than she did in 2019 — like a lot of players on this list — going from 101 to 71 sets played. But she still put up impressive numbers.

While Trump's total kills dropped from 436 to 366 in 2020, her kills per set jumped from 4.3 to 5.2, and her kill percentage jumped from 40.4 to 44.4 percent.

Louisiana: Kate Baker, Setter

High school: St. Mary's Dominican High School (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Height: 5-foot-8

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: LSU (beach)

Accolades: Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Division I State Champion (2020), Division I State Tournament MVP (2020), Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Player of the Year (2020), two-time Division I All-State (2019, 2020),

Bottom line: Kate Baker was the best player in Louisiana as a junior and one of the best setters in the nation when she led St. Mary's to the Division I state championship with 957 assists, 357 digs, 173 kills, 64 service aces and 33 blocks.

St. Mary's went 31-2 with Baker on the way to its state title, and she now has 2,741 assists and 1,164 digs for her career.

Baker has an outside-of-the-box athletic career path waiting for her. She's committed to play beach volleyball for LSU.

Maine: Madeline Strouse, Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter

High school: Scarborough High School (Scarborough, Maine)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Varsity Maine All-State (2019)

Bottom line: Maine high schools didn't get to play football or volleyball in the fall of 2020, making this one of the more difficult states to pick a player for, but Scarborough High's Madeline Strouse seemed like the obvious pick.

Strouse, who's 5-foot-11, was an All-State pick as a sophomore in 2019 with 140 kills in just 62 sets played.

Maryland: Kelenna Onukwugha, Outside Hitter

High school: Mount de Sales Academy (Catonsville, Maryland)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Baltimore Sun All-Metro Volleyball (2019)

Bottom line: Mount de Sales outside hitter Kelenna Onukwugha didn't play in the shadow of older sister Chidinha Onukwugha for very long in 2019, racking up 194 kills, 83 digs and 58 service aces on the way to being named to the Baltimore Sun's All-Metro squad.

Kelenna should return to the court in a big way after seeing her 2020 season wiped out. She's already on the AVCA Phenom List for 2020.

Massachusetts: Elizabeth Hurm, Outside Hitter

High school: Cardinal Spellman High School (Brockton, Massachusetts)

Height: 5-foot-4

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches Association Division 3 All-State (2020)

Bottom line: At just 5-foot-4, Cardinal Spellman High's Elizabeth Hurm is one of the shortest outside hitters on this list, but that doesn't lessen her impact on the court.

Hurm was a Division 3 All-State pick in 2019 as a sophomore with 350 kills, but her 46 service aces and 447 digs show she could be a defensive specialist/libero on the next level.

In a sad twist, Hurm's original high school, Sacred Heart High, closed its doors after the 2019-20 school year, and she was forced to find a new home and played her junior year at Cardinal Spellman High.

Michigan: Aly Borellis, Outside Hitter

High school: Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac, Michigan)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Ole Miss

Accolades: MaxPreps All-American (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), three-time MLive.com Division I All-State (2019, 2020), PrepDig.Com No. 5 Michigan (2022), MaxPreps Freshman All-American (2018), PrepVolleyball.com All-American (2020), MIVCA Division I All-State (2020)

Bottom line: Notre Dame Prep outside hitter Alyssa Borellis is already a two-time All-State selection and headed to the SEC and Ole Miss after posting 447 kills, 239 digs, 51 blocks and 44 service aces in 2020.

Borellis has been dominant since she stepped on the court for Notre Dame Prep. She had 595 kills and 101 blocks in her last full season in 2019 and has 1,370 career kills through three seasons.

Minnesota: Sydney Schnichels, Outside Hitter

High school: Wilmar High School (Wilmar, Minnesota)

Height: 6-foot-4

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), PrepDig.com Minnesota No. 1 (2023), West Central Tribune All-Area (2020), U17 USA Volleyball National Development Team (2021)

Bottom line: Sydney Schnichels' phone will be lighting up in the middle of June 2021 when Division I college coaches are allowed to make direct contact with the Willmar High superstar for the first time.

Schnichels is 6-foot-4 and was dominant in her first two seasons of high school volleyball with 376 kills in 119 sets. She also improved her kill percentage over 10 whole points from her freshman to sophomore seasons, going from 35.3 to 46.6 percent.

If you're interested in volleyball recruiting, the pursuit of Schnichels will be one of the big stories to follow over the next year.

Mississippi: Lakin Laurendine, Outside Hitter

High school: Clinton High School (Clinton, Mississippi)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), three-time SBLive All-State (2018-2020), three-time Class 6A All-State (2018-2020), Class 6A state champion (2019)

Bottom line: One of the top players in the Class of 2023, Clinton High's Lakin Laurendine is already a two-time All-State pick and led her school into the Class 6A state playoffs in 2020.

The rules for varsity play are a little different in Mississippi, and Laurendine has been on the Clinton High varsity since she was an eighth-grader. She already has 1,580 career kills and racked up 427 kills and 338 digs in just 57 sets as a sophomore.

As a freshman, Laurendine led Clinton to the Class 6A state championship.

Missouri: Vanessa Polk, Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker

High school: John Burroughs School (St. Louis, Missouri)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Pepperdine

Accolades: PrepDig.com Missouri No. 1 (2022), AVCA Phenom List (2020),

Bottom line: John Burroughs School's Vanessa Polk is one of the great two-sport stars in high school today. She's also a basketball standout. In 2020, she had a whopping 183 kills in just 40 sets played in 2020. She has averaged 4.6 kills per set over her first three high school seasons.

Polk is committed to play college volleyball for Pepperdine, and on that note, doesn't going to college in Malibu sound pretty amazing?

Will she play basketball for the Wave as well? Inquiring minds want to know.

Montana: Lauren Lindseth, Outside Hitter

High school: C.M. Russell High School (Great Falls, Montana)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Class AA Eastern Player of the Year (2020), two-time Class AA All-State (2019, 2020), Great Falls Tribune Super-State Team (2020), Class AA state runner-up (2020)

Bottom line: C.M Russell High's Lauren Lindseth — Lolo if you know what's up — came out of nowhere to win Eastern AA Player of the Year honors in 2020, aided by a growth spurt that saw her go from a 5-foot-5 libero as a sophomore to a 5-foot-9 outside hitter as a junior.

Even more impressive was the lack of dropoff between Lindseth and the player she had to replace — 6-foot-3 University of Utah signee Allie Olsen.

Lindseth led C.M. Russell to a state runner-up finish in 2020, and her team should be the favorite to win it all in 2021 with another returning Class AA All-State pick in Tennisen Hiller.

Nebraska: Kylie Weeks, Outside Hitter/Libero

High school: Elkhorn South High School (Elkhorn, Nebraska)

Height: 5-foot-7

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Arkansas

Accolades: Class A state champion (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), PrepDig.Com No. 1 Recruit Nebraska (2022), Class A All-State (2020), AAU All-American (2020)

Bottom line: Arkansas commit Kylie Weeks led Elkhorn South to the first volleyball state championship in school history in 2020. She played her best in the biggest match of the season, racking up 21 kills in the state championship match victory over Papillion-La Vista South.

Weeks is a stathead's dream. She's increased both her kills and her kill percentage each of her first three seasons, including 432 kills at a 37 percent clip in 2020.

Elkhorn South has a great opportunity to repeat as state champions in 2021 with both Weeks and University of Missouri commit Estella Zatechka back.

Nevada: Tori Harper, Outside Hitter

High school: Bishop Manogue Catholic High School (Reno, Nevada)

Height: 6-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Georgia

Accolades: Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 5A Northern Region champion (2020), two-time All-Sierra League (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: Tori Harper became the first Gatorade Player of the Year from Bishop Manogue High in 2020 despite only playing in 24 sets during a shortened season. She still racked up 116 kills and 13 blocks.

We already knew how good Harper is from what she did in 2019, when she had 528 kills and 40 blocks. Harper, who is 6-foot-3, also led Bishop Manogue to a 7-1 record and the Class 5A Northern Region championship in 2020.

Committed to play for the University of Georgia, don't be surprised to see Harper's name popping up on All-SEC lists in a few years.

New Hampshire: Caleigh O'Connell, Setter/Right-Side Hitter

High school: Bedford High School (Bedford, New Hampshire)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Division I state champion (2020), two-time Division I All-State (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: With one season of high school volleyball left, Caleigh O'Connell already has a state championship and the school career assists record under her belt.

O'Connell became the first Gatorade Player of the year from Bedford High in 2020 after the 5-foot-11 setter led her school to a 13-0 record and the Division I state title. She finished the season with 396 assists, 82 digs, 52 kills, 38 service aces and 28 blocks.

O'Connell has 1,319 career assists headed into her senior season.

New Jersey: Bella Craig, Defensive Specialist/Libero

High school: Camden Catholic High School (Cherry Hill, New Jersey)

Height: 5-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: New Jersey PrepDig.com No. 1 (2022), All-Olympic Conference Freedom Division (2019), two-time Olympic Conference Freedom Division champion (2018, 2019)

Bottom line: The No. 1-ranked recruit from the Class of 2022 in all of New Jersey, Camden Catholic High's Bella Craig is one of the shortest players to make the list at just 5-foot-3.

Craig is listed as a defensive specialist/libero, but she also can play outside hitter if needed. Just look at her stats from her last full season as a sophomore in 2019, when she led Camden Catholic with 93 kills and 87 digs.

She was also third on the team with 24 service aces.

New Mexico: Erin Jones, Setter

High school: La Cueva High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), two-time NMHSCA Class 5A All-State (2019, 2020), two-time Class 5A State Champion (2018, 2019)

Bottom line: Erin Jones teamed up with All-State outside hitter Sidney Mcintosh to help lead La Cueva High to back-to-back Class 5A state championships in 2018 and 2019 before narrowly missing out on the three-peat in 2020-21.

Playing in a shortened season in 2021, Jones was still able to show the kind of improvement that makes her an elite setter. Jones had 808 assists in 72 sets in 2019 before putting up 275 assists in just 23 sets in 2020.

That was an improvement from 11.2 to 12.0 assists per set.

New York: Carlie Rzeszotarski, Outside Hitter

High school: Burnt Hills-Balston Lake High School (Burnt Hills, New York)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Colgate

Accolades: New York Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class A State Champion (2019), Class A State Tournament Most Valuable Player (2019), Times Union Volleyball Player of the Year finalist (2019), two-time Class A All-State (2019, 2020), Suburban Council championship (2020), Suburban Council Most Valuable Player (2020)

Bottom line: Colgate-bound Carlie Rzeszotarski can already make a case as one of the greatest high school volleyball players to come out of New York. She led Burnt Hills-Balston Lake High to a state championship as a sophomore and was named Class A State Tournament MVP.

Rzeszotarski made the best of a less-than-ideal situation in 2020, guiding her school to an undefeated, 20-0 season and the Suburban Council championship with 290 kills, 141 digs and 40 service aces.

Her standout junior year earned New York Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Rzeszotarski.

North Carolina: Riley Buckley, Setter/Middle Blocker/Right-Side Hitter

High school: North Raleigh Christian Academy (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Missouri

Accolades: North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), VolleyballMag.com All-American (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), NCIAA Class 4A State Champion (2020), two-time PrepVolleyball.com All-American (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: The first Gatorade Player of the Year from North Raleigh Christian Academy, Riley Buckley has one of the more intriguing skill sets of any player on the list. She doubles as a setter and a middle blocker.

NRCA went 17-1 and won the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 4A state championship in 2020 as Buckley racked up 235 assists, 151 digs, 136 kills and 24 service aces with an out-of-sight 57.1 kill percentage.

Like many players on this list, Buckley is SEC-bound. She's committed to play for the University of Missouri.

North Dakota: Logan Nissley

High school: Century High School (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: NDHSCA Class A All-State (2020), North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year, Basketball (2021), North Dakota MaxPreps Player of the Year, Basketball (2021)

Bottom line: Logan Nissley led Bismarck Century High to its fifth state championship in the past six seasons in 2020. She followed that up with a basketball state championship a few months later.

While Nissley is the best volleyball player in North Dakota, she's also one of the best high school basketball players in the nation. And that's probably where her future is.

Nissley led Century to an undefeated season and state championship in 2021, when she averaged 21.4 points and 3.6 steals, and seems headed for a top-level Division I program.

Ohio: Carly Hendrickson, Outside Hitter

High school: Mount Notre Dame High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Florida

Accolades: VolleyballMag.Com All-American (2020), Division I State Champion (2020), Cincinnati Enquirer Division I Co-Player of the Year (2020), All-Ohio (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), MaxPreps All-American (2020), U19 USA National Development Team (2021)

Bottom line: University of Florida commit Carly Hendrickson might be the best girls volleyball player in high school today. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter led Mont Notre Dame High to a Division I state championship and 23-2 record in 2020.

Few players in the country can dominate at the net like Hendrickson, who had 512 kills, 92 digs, 35 service aces and 30 blocks as a junior.

Hendrickson's talent might be generational. T ake into account she was the only underclassmen named to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Division I All-State team and was also named the newspaper's Division I Co-Player of the Year.

Oklahoma: Bella Wakley, Outside Hitter

High school: Victory Christian School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Tulsa World All-State (2020), Tulsa World Volleyball Athlete of the Year finalist (2020), three-time Class 5A State Champion (2018-20)

Bottom line: Bella Wakley will try to win a fourth consecutive state championship for herself and fifth overall for Victory Christian School in the fall of 2021.

The younger sister of Oral Roberts middle blocker/outside hitter and former teammate Jaxie Wakley, Bella Wakley racked up a staggering 566 kills on the way to the 2020 Class 5A state title.

She also had 39 service aces, 24 blocks and 437 digs while being named one of the finalists for the Tulsa World's Volleyball Player of the Year — the award her older sister won in 2019. Will Bella Wakley add another to the family's trophy case in 2021?

Oregon: Sophie Gregoire-Salagean, Outside Hitter

High school: Newberg High School (Newberg, Oregon)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: PrepDig.com No.1 Overall (2023), AVCA Phenom List (2020), All-Three Rivers League (2019)

Bottom line: Newberg High star Sophia Gregoire-Salagean had her entire sophomore season wiped out due to strict health-related restrictions. But don't overlook her talent.

One of the obvious, main components for an elite outside hitter is leaping ability, and Gregoire-Salagean might be one of the best on this list at getting in the air.

At last check, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter can touch 10-foot-1 on a jump approach. That's the kind of athleticism that elite Division I colleges are looking for. In her only full season as a freshman, Gregoire-Salagean racked up 172 kills, 136 and 21 service aces.

Pennsylvania: Brynn Dreisbach, Outside Hitter

High school: Parkland High School (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Two-time Class 4A All-State (2019, 2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 4A state semifinalist (2019), Class 4A District 11 champion (2019), The Morning Call All-Area Volleyball (2020)

Bottom line: Parkland High's Brynn Dreisbach has been a dominant outside hitter in Pennsylvania high school volleyball over the last two seasons. She's already a two-time All-State pick who still averaged 4.3 kills per set despite playing in just 49 sets in 2020.

What that 2020 performance also did for Dreisbach was prove that 2019 wasn't a fluke, when she racked up 515 kills, 342 digs and 29 blocks and was the runner-up for The Morning Call All-Area Player of the Year honors — an award she will have her sights squarely on in 2021.

Rhode Island: Sophie Breitenbach, Outside Hitter

High school: Rogers High School (Newport, Rhode Island)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: Two-time Providence Journal All-State (2019, 2020), Division 3 State Champion (2018), Division 3 Most Valuable Player (2018)

Bottom line: Sophie Breitenbach has been a star for Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island, since her family moved to the area from Florida before her freshman year of high school.

Breitenbach led Rogers High into the state playoffs in 2020 and is already a two-time Providence Journal All-State pick headed into her senior season. She led Rogers to the Division 3 state championship as a freshman and the state semifinals as a sophomore.

Because Rhode Island is off the beaten trail for many college volleyball recruiters, it would be smart of the in-state Division I schools to try and land Breitenbach and keep her in-state. It's crazy how often that doesn't happen.

South Carolina: Marianna Singletary, Middle Blocker

High school: Porter-Gaud School (Charleston, South Carolina)

Height: 6-foot-4

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Texas

Accolades: VolleyballMag.com No. 3 Overall Underclassmen (2022), AVCA Phenom List (2020), SCISA Class 3A State Champion (2019), PrepVolleyball.Com All-American (2020)

Bottom line: Marianna Singletary is one of the top volleyball recruits in the country for the Class of 2022, and it won't be long before the Texas-bound player is popping up on ESPN highlight reels for her above-the-net play.

Singletary, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, led Porter-Gaud School to the SCISA Class 3A state championship in 2019 with 539 kills and 93 blocks and was just one of seven sophomores named a PrepVolleyball.Com All-American.

South Dakota: Bergen Reilly, Setter/Right-Side Hitter

High school: Bishop O'Gorman High School (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), Class AA Player of the Year (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), MaxPreps All-American (2020), Class AA State Champion (2020), USA Volleyball National Training Team (2020), PrepVolleyball.com No. 14 Overall (2023)

Bottom line: Bishop O'Gorman High's Bergen Reilly started breathing some rare air in 2020, when she was named South Dakota's Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore. It's rare to earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors as an underclassmen, much less a sophomore, in any sport.

Reilly, 6-foot-1, earned those accolades by leading O'Gorman to an undefeated, 26-0 season and Class AA state championship with 400 kills, 260 digs and 131 assists.

She's already a Top 20 recruit in the Class of 2023, according to PrepVolleyball.com, and there aren't a lot of those coming out of South Dakota.

Tennessee: Liv Gravatt, Setter

High school: Maryville High School (Maryville, Tennessee)

Height: 5-foot-10

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: AVCA Phenom List (2020), The Daily Times Volleyball Player of the Year (2020), Class 3A District Player of the Year (2020)

Bottom line: If you're in the betting pool for who will be the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year next season, the smart money is on 5-foot-10 Maryville High setter Liv Gravatt.

Few players in the country can say they went on the volleyball odyssey Gravatt and her family embarked on in 2020. When it was clear that her native California wasn't going to have high school sports in the fall, Gravatt's family moved almost 2,000 miles to Maryville so she could play.

The move paid off in a big way. Gravatt led Maryville to the state tournament for the first time since 1984 and quickly established herself as one of the best players in Tennessee. In her first season with the team, she had 881 assists, 238 digs and 81 service aces.

Texas: Averi Carlson, Setter

High school: Lovejoy High School (Lucas, Texas)

Height: 6-foot

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Baylor

Accolades: Dallas Morning News Setter of the Year (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), VolleyballMag.com All-American (2020), MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year (2018), three-time MaxPreps All-American (2018-20), two-time Class 5A State Champion (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: Having an elite, 6-foot setter is like having a 6-foot-9 point guard in basketball, which is what Baylor has on the way in Lovejoy High superstar Averi Carlson.

Carlson is already a three-time MaxPreps All-American and was named National Freshman of the Year in 2018. She's also led Lovejoy High to back-to-back state championships in 2019 and 2020.

Is she the best high school setter in the nation? All signs point to yes.

Utah: Silina Damuni, Setter

High school: Timpview High School (Provo, Utah)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: Deseret News Class 5A Most Valuable Player (2020), Class 5A state champion (2020), Class 5A All-State (2020)

Bottom line: The daughter of former BYU safety Jack Damuni, Silina Damuni turned high school volleyball on its head in 2020 when her family moved from Hawaii to Utah after her father was hired as the BYU football team's on-campus recruiting coordinator and director of community/player relations.

Silina Damuni led Timpview High to a Class 5A state championship in 2020 with 868 assists, 69 service aces, 60 blocks and 211 digs. Which is a little bit of everything.

Any guesses on where Damuni might end up playing college volleyball?

Vermont: Molly Ardren, Setter*

High school: Essex High School (Essex Junction, Vermont)

Height: 5-foot-11

Graduation year: 2021

College choice: Vassar

Accolades: Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), two-time Burlington Free Press All-State (2019, 2020)

*Ardren is the only Class of 2021 player on the list.

Bottom line: Vermont made the unusual decision to play their volleyball season outdoors in 2020-21, and we had to make an exception and include Essex High setter Molly Ardren as the only Class of 2021 player on our list.

Vermont doesn't do a great job of keeping up-to-date statistics for its high school volleyball players so information on players from the Classes of 2022, 2023 and 2024 weren't readily available.

Ardren was still able to dominate in the pandemic and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Vermont. She'll play college volleyball at Vassar.

Virginia/District of Columbia: Kaitlyn McNeel, Outside Hitter

High school: Mills Godwin High School (Henrico, Virginia)

Height: 6-foot-3

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Dayton

Accolades: Class 5 Region B Player of the Year (2019), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro (2019)

Bottom line: Kaitlin McNeel led Godwin High to an undefeated regular season as a sophomore in 2019 on the way to Class 5 Region B Player of the Year and All-State honors.

McNeel did a little bit of everything in 2019 with 303 kills, 69 service aces, 48 blocks and 141 digs. She added 95 kills in an abbreviated junior season in which she was only able to play 19 sets. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter is committed to play for the University of Dayton, one of the best teams in the Atlantic-10.

Washington: Hailey Brockway, Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker

High school: Graham-Kapowsin High School (Graham, Washington)

Height: 6-foot-4

Graduation year: 2023

Accolades: Tacoma News Tribune Area Player of the Year (2019), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Class 4A Player of the Year (2019), West Central III/Southwest Bi-District champion (2019)

Bottom line: The West Coast is filled with up-and-coming volleyball phenoms — California's Claire Little, Oregon's Sophia Gregoire-Salagean and Washington's Hailey Brockway, who was arguably the best player in her state as a freshman in 2019.

Brockway has shot up two inches since her freshman season. She's now 6-foot-1, and opponents have to be terrified at what she might do the next two seasons.

In 2019, Brockway racked up a staggering 578 kills, 246 digs and 62 blocks on the way to a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament.

West Virginia: Skylar Yates, Outside Hitter

High school: Hedgesville High School (Hedgesville, West Virginia)

Height: 5-foot-9

Graduation year: 2022

Accolades: West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference Player of the Year (2020), Class AAA state semifinals (2020), Class AAA All-State (2020)

Bottom line: Skylar Yates became just the second player in Hedgesville High to earn West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2020 with some eye-popping stats — 513 kills, 321 digs, 44 service aces and 39 blocks.

Yates was also named EPAC Player of the Year after leading Hedgesville to the Class AAA state semifinals.

On a side note, Hedgesville's mascot is the Eagles. We'd like to point out this seems like a gigantic missed opportunity to be the Hedgesville Hedgehogs. The merch sales alone would pay for the athletics budget.

Wisconsin: McKenna Wucherer, Outside Hitter

High school: Brookfield Central High School (Brookfield, Wisconsin)

Height: 6-foot-1

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Minnesota

Accolades: MaxPreps All-American (2020), AVCA Phenom List (2020), U18 Youth National Team (2021), two-time WVCA Division I All-State (2019, 2020)

Bottom line: Playing in the Milwaukee suburbs for Brookfield Central High, McKenna Wucherer was ranked the No. 2 overall player in the Class of 2020 by VolleyballMag.com.

One of several players on the list committed to play for the University of MInnesota, Wucherer is already a two-time All-State pick and racked up 421 kills with a hitting percentage just over 40 percent as a junior, when she was one of three unanimous picks for the All-State team.

She also had 201 digs and 21 service aces.

Wyoming: Alexis Stucky, Outside Hitter

High school: Laramie High School (Laramie, Wyoming)

Height: 6-foot-2

Graduation year: 2022

College choice: Minnesota

Accolades: Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year (2021), AVCA Phenom List (2020), Wyoming Class 4A state champion (2020), Class 4A Player of the Year (2020), three-time Class 4A All-State (2018-20), MaxPreps All-American (2020)

Bottom line: There aren't a lot of top-level Division I athletes who come out of Wyoming — regardless of the sport — but Laramie High's Alexis Stucky is one of them.

Stucky, 6-foot-2, led Laramie to an undefeated season and Class 4A state championship as a junior, racking up 419 kills, 371 digs, 35 service aces and 32 blocks on the way to Class 4A Player of the Year honors.

Stucky, who is committed to Minnesota, is ranked the No. 16 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 by PrepVolleyball.com.