High school volleyball is back.
And with regular season matches beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Herald-Tribune compiled a list of the area’s top volleyball players to watch in 2026, called The Elite 11. The selections were determined by past performances and expectations for this season.
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Here are the top 11 players to watch in Sarasota and Manatee counties:
Amelia Anselmi
School: Venice
Year: Senior
Highlights: Anselmi is a 5-foot-9 setter entering her senior season. In 2025, Anselmi helped Venice to a 16-13 record, notching 836 assists, 158 digs, 35 aces and 19 kills in 93 sets. She also added six blocks.
Lyla Bailey
School: Riverview
Year: Senior
Highlights: Bailey is a 5-foot-10 outside hitter entering her senior season. In 2025, Bailey recorded 235 kills, 268 digs, 34 aces and nine blocks in 74 sets.
Alex Beasley
School: Out-of-Door Academy
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Beasley is a 6-foot-1 sophomore entering her sophomore season. Beasley had 234 kills, 120 digs and 45 aces in 69 sets, helping ODA to a 16-9 finish.
Liza Collier
School: Sarasota
Year: Senior
Highlights: Collier is a 5-foot-7 outside hitter entering her senior season. In 2025, Collier had 201 kills, 46 digs, 14 aces and six assists in 62 sets. She also added eight blocks.
Beckett Hammers
School: Venice
Year: Junior
Highlights: In the offseason, Hammers transferred from Marvin Ridge in Waxhaw, North Carolina to Venice. At Martin Ridge, the then-sophomore recorded 386 digs, 102 kills, 45 assists and 29 aces in 95 sets. She also added 11 blocks, helping Marvin Ridge to a 32-2 record and its first state title since 2018.
Charlee Hermann
School: Cardinal Mooney
Year: Senior
Highlights: Hermann is a 6-foot-2 outside hitter entering her senior year. Hermann recorded 214 kills, 125 digs, 41 aces and 15 blocks in 61 sets, helping Cardinal Mooney to a 15-11 record.
Olivia Ierulli
School: Saint Stephen’s
Year: Junior
Highlights: Ierulli is a 5-foot-7 outside hitter entering her junior season. In 2025, Ierulli recorded 218 kills, 192 digs, 43 aces and five assists in 71 sets. She also added eight blocks, helping Saint Stephen’s to a 17-7 record.
Kinsey Judge
School: Venice
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Judge is a 5-foot-7 sophomore who can play multiple positions as a setter, opposite hitter and defensive specialist. In 2025, Judge had 45 kills, 69 digs, 16 aces and two blocks in 48 sets.
Molly Lynch
School: Braden River
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Lynch is a 5-foot-9 outside/middle hitter entering her sophomore season. In 2025, Lynch recorded 187 kills, 259 digs and 48 aces in 96 sets.
Samara da Silva
School: Cardinal Mooney
Year: Senior
Highlights: Silva is a 5-foot-10 middle blocker entering her senior season. In 2025, Silva recorded 77 kills, 46 blocks, 46 digs and 29 assists in 55 sets, helping Cardinal Mooney to a 15-11 record.
Addelyn VanDuinen
School: Bradenton Christian
Year: Junior
Highlights: VanDuinen is a 6-foot opposite hitter/outside hitter. In 2025, VanDuinen had 235 kills, 213 digs, 324 assists, 53 aces and 16 blocks in 72 sets. She is committed to Wofford.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The Elite 11: Who are Sarasota, Manatee’s top volleyball players in 2026?
Reporting by Emma Moon, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Emma Moon, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
