The list of South Bend area powers on the volleyball court this fall appears to be a case of the same old, same old.
The usual suspects should be strong once again when it comes to high school squads.
Penn won the NIC and Class 4A sectional and regional titles in 2025. The Kingsmen return several standouts, led by the trio of seniors Anna McCullough and Carson Petty and sophomore Emily Noto, for coach Kaitlyn Ross.
Mishawaka Marian and NorthWood should once again be players in Class 3A. NorthWood beat the Knights 3-2 in the semi-state semifinal a season ago before losing to Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 3-1 in the title tilt.
Marian welcomes back the star duo of Elle Boser and Jenna VanBruaene. Boser is a junior hitter and VanBruaene a senior libero for the Knights.
NorthWood, which has reached the semi-state the past four years, will count on star hitter Ella Branham to be a key figure once again.
Elkhart has Rylee Drummond to lead the way this fall. The senior setter/opposite was the NIC MVP in 2025 and has committed to Purdue Fort Wayne.
Here is a quick look at the top five teams in the Tribune coverage area, in alphabetical order.
Elkhart
The Lions boast plenty of experience for coach Jacquie Rost. Elkhart’s roster includes six seniors, led by the trio of Drummond, Serenity Rodriguez and Ava Walker.
“Our team is blessed with a lot of returning varsity players who contributed significantly last year,” said Rost. “In losing just three athletes from the 2025 team to graduation, competition for the open varsity spots this year was quite intense.”
Rost, the highly successful longtime coach at Elkhart Memorial and EHS, likes what she has seen from her squad.
“The leadership we’ve seen from all of our seniors has been impressive,” Rost said. “Having six seniors can be challenging when it comes to leading a team, but we’re pleased with how they’ve come together and communicated as a group to set the tone for the program.
Who does Rost believe will perform well for her team in 2026?
“With Rylee and Cat’s (junior Camryn Tyrakowski) skill level as setters, our goal is to run a fast purposeful offense,” Rost said. “In addition, the improvement in attack efficiency from seniors Serenity Rodriguez, Bayle Mitchell, and Bela Sassaman raises the bar for what this team will be able to do on the offensive side of the game. Our back court will be managed by Ava Walker and Teagan Scott, whose demonstration of defensive grit and pursuit mentality will set the foundation for this team’s success.”
Jimtown
A new face is in charge of the Jimmies this time around.
Colleen Herrity takes over at Jimtown after Bill Stose stepped down after leading the team to a Class 2A sectional title in 2025.
Herrity is a 2004 Penn High School graduate. The former setter was on the Penn 2002 state runner-up team. Herrity has seven years of middle school coaching experience, including at Jimtown Junior High and Discovery Middle School.
“I’m really excited about this group,” Herrity said. “Our focus has been on building a team that works hard, competes every point, and plays for each other. We have a good mix of experienced upperclassmen and younger players who are stepping into important roles.
“We want to build off last season’s sectional championship and continue to push the program forward. Our goal isn’t just to compete; we want to put ourselves in a position to compete for championships and make a deeper postseason run.”
The duo of seniors Jayla Armstrong and Emma Young are expected to lead the way for the Jimmies. Armstrong is an outside hitter and Young a setter.
Mishawaka Marian
Excitement is the buzzword around the tradition-rich Knights program this season.
Marian did lose six seniors from its Class 3A sectional and regional title team, but there is plenty of talent and experience back for coach Alisha Fransted.
The duo of junior hitter Boser and senior libero VanBruaene lead the way. Both were All-NIC first team in 2025 and Boser was team MVP. Boser had 450 kills and VanBruaene 621 digs in 2025.
“There is a lot of excitement surrounding Marian volleyball,” commented Fransted. “We are coming off a championship season, and while we graduated six seniors who played an important role in our program, we return a strong core of players who understand what it takes to compete at a high level.
“Both Elle and Jenna have established themselves as leaders on and off the court, and we will look to them to help set the standard for our team. We are also excited to add junior, Jalynne Williams, who joins us after earning recognition as one of the NLC’s top middles. Her experience, athleticism, and presence at the net will be an important addition to our team. We are also looking forward to a breakout season from senior Annie Verslype. Annie has worked hard to put herself in a position to take on a bigger role for our team this season.”
Williams was All-NLC honorable mention playing for Goshen a season ago.
The Knights finished 24-12 overall and 5-2 in the NIC in 2025. They won the Marian Sectional and beat Hammond Bishop Noll 3-0 in the regional before losing a close match to NorthWood.
“One of the most exciting parts of this year’s team is the experience within our senior class,” Fransted noted. “We have five seniors who have been part of the Marian program for three years. They have grown with this program, and they have been instrumental in helping us shape our team culture and establish traditions that we hope will continue for years to come. Their leadership will be critical as we continue to build on the foundation that has been established.”
NorthWood
The Panthers, as they always are under longtime coach Hilary Laidig, will be a key player in the Northern Lakes Conference and Class 3A again this fall.
NorthWood returns four starters from last year’s squad that finished 21-15 overall and 4-3 in the NLC.
Branham will lead the way on offense on the outside for NorthWood. Also back are seniors Krystal Hershberger and Addie Davis and junior libero Nola Nephew. Other key returnees include seniors Allie Yoder, Abby Schmucker and Kenzie Miller. Yoder and Schmucker will be setters this season, and Miller is a defensive specialist.
“So far, this team has great chemistry,” Laidig said. “They have decided to make their motto ‘We over Me.’ These girls work hard and enjoy one another. We can’t wait to play our first game to see where we are at. Strengths for this team will be serving and defense. I think it may take some time for our offense to be smooth, but these girls are not afraid to be gritty and get it done. We have high expectations for this group and will work through the conference and regular season to get better for the tournament.”
Penn
The Kingsmen should once again be in contention for the NIC title and a player in the Class 4A state tournament series.
Penn claimed the NIC title at 7-0 in 2025, including a 3-1 win over Elkhart. The Kingsmen finished 24-7 overall, winning the LaPorte Sectional and beating Warsaw 3-0 in the regional before losing to Crown Point 3-1 in a semi-state semifinal tilt.
The Kingsmen will count on hitter McCullough, a first-team All-NIC choice in 2025, along with NIC second-team picks Petty, a setter, and hitter Noto to lead the way. Penn has four seniors and will also count on seniors Kam Burns and Avery Olsen and junior Kyle Hurley.
“This year’s team is a strong, quick, and scrappy team with many players able to play multiple spots,” said Penn coach Ross. “They are a fun group to watch and have a high volleyball IQ this season. Their goal is to get back to semi-state and make it past that first round, while winning NIC again and I do think that is doable with the talent and hard work they are putting into each practice. Even with the loss of our four seniors last year, this group is ready to step into their new roles and perform when they are given that opportunity.”
Ross is expecting her first child in November. The former Kaitlyn Hickey was a star player at Penn, where she helped the Kingsmen win Class 4A state titles in 2010 and 2011 and was twice All-State. Hickey went on to play at IU Indy, where she was the Summit League Player of the Year in 2016.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend area high school volleyball teams to watch for in 2026
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
