It’s time to vote for the Detroit Free Press Buffalo Wild Wings Girls Preseason Volleyball Player of the Year.
This week’s poll features nine players across southeast Michigan who are expected to have big seasons in 2026-27.
Voting will close at 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 9.
Here are the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Kate Kalczynski, Farmington Hills Mercy
Kalczynski is the No. 3 ranked player in Michigan according to PrepDig.com and committed to Penn State. The rising senior is an outside hitter for Mercy and contributed to the team’s run to the Division 1 state championship. She played 125 sets across 49 matches and averaged 10.8 kills, 6.1 digs, 1.2 aces and one assist last season. She is also a three-time AAU All American.
Nicole McDowell, Notre Dame Prep
McDowell has developed in her role as a leader for Notre Dame Prep throughout her high school career. She’s a three-year starter and earned second team all-state honors last year. She recorded 375 kills, 144 digs and 102 blocks to go along with her 94% serve rating.
Ashlyn Pelon, Birmingham Marian
Pelon is the No. 2 ranked player in the state for the class of 2028 by PrepDig and will look to lead Marian to state title since 2022. Last season, Pelon had 340 digs, 94 assists and 64 aces.
Cynthia Ockerman, Brighton
Ockerman led Brighton to the regional semifinals last year but fell short of advancing in a 3-2 loss to South Lyon. The team’s middle hitter recorded 258 kills, 53 blocks, 51 digs and 49 aces in addition to an 89% serve rating.
Lauren Sheldon, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Sheldon led Stoney Creek to a 27-10 record and a district semifinal appearance. She had 495 kills, 29 assists and 26 blocks, earning second team all-state honors.
Marlie Smith, Clarkston
PrepDig has the North Carolina commit ranked No. 2 in the state for 2027. She recorded 235 digs, 785 assists, 121 kills, 76 aces and 20 blocks. Smith earned Oakland Athletic Association all-conference honors along with all-region and made second team all-state for the third consecutive season.
Addison Stepp, South Lyon East
Stepp led South Lyon East to the district finals but fell in a 3-2 loss to its neighbor South Lyon. The Alabama commit finished last season with 1,001 digs and 105 aces. She earned third team-all state, all-region, and Lake Valley Conference all-conference honors.
Brynn Wilcox, Bloomfield Hills
The rising senior for Bloomfield Hills will look to pick up where last year ended after coming up short in the Division 1 State finals against Mercy. Wilcox had 1,340 assists, 119 digs, 53 aces and a 92.4% serve rating.
Payton Woodruff, Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day
Woodruff was a key contributor for Detroit Country Day’s venture to repeat as Division 2 state champion. In her sophomore season, she had 946 assists with a serve rating of 89%, 67 aces and 46 blocks, according to MaxPreps. Woodruff is the No. 1 player in the state for the class of 2028 and is committed to LSU.
Editor’s Note: We reserve the right to disqualify a candidate or declare a vote “no contest” if tampering such as bots or offering to pay for voting is evident. Please respect the integrity of the vote the way these athletes respect the integrity of the game.
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Vote Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Preseason Girls Volleyball Player of Year
Reporting by Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
