Throughout the course of the 2025 season, many Greater Cincinnati schools learned which volleyball players will carry them into the future.
At the end of the season, several players in the class of 2028 identified themselves as top talents, helping deliver a host of district and regional titles, two state championships and a state runner-up result for Cincinnati.
Here are the top juniors in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in 2026.
Mya Bosse, Ross
She shifted roles last year to become the Rams’ primary setter as they advanced to the Division III regional semifinals. She finished the year with 814 assists, 191 digs, 86 aces and 35 blocks. Bosse is a six-rotation player and capable of winning points at any position, as evidenced by her 168 kills as a freshman.
Avery Brannon, Mason
After totaling 98 kills and 58 blocks, she should see her production take another jump. Even with a shorter approach, she gets off the floor in a hurry to find her spot for the kill. On defense, she is a stopper against the best hitters in the city. Brannon can also get the Comets on a scoring run with her serve; she posted 46 aces as a sophomore.
Lindsey Cameron, Goshen
She will lead the Warriors in the defense of their Southern Buckeye Conference-American title. As a sophomore, she was third in the SBAAC with 234 kills, including posting 15 or more kills on six occasions. Part of that is due to her ability to instantly adjust to any set location. If she can improve on her 62 digs, eight blocks and two aces, Goshen can make some noise in the postseason.
Shylah Day, Western Brown
One of the top juniors in the SBAAC this season, she posted an all-around stat line of 210 kills, 194 digs and 19 aces. Day gives the Broncos a versatile option in any rotation and will be a factor as they chase a league title.
Reagan Draper, Fairfield
Draper has big shoes to fill with the graduation of Kennedy Ostendorf, but she looks more than ready to do so after a stellar club season. At 6-foot-1, she simply intimidates opponents at the net and can put away kills with varying speeds and in just about every location. In 2025, she had 239 kills and 24 blocks.
Sadie Ellis, Sycamore
Entering her third year as a starter, Ellis will emerge as a true leader for the Aviators. She has been incredibly consistent over her first two seasons, finishing with over 160 kills, 100 digs and 45 blocks as a freshman and sophomore. If she ever finds herself facilitating the offense, she never panics as a passer.
Grace Frommeyer, Bishop Brossart
Entering her third year as the starting libero for the Lady ‘Stangs, Frommeyer is fearless in her pursuit of attacks. Her technique on her digs and serve-receive is flawless. She is part of a superb group of upperclassmen ready to lead Brossart back to the state tournament. As a sophomore, she posted 533 digs and 40 aces.
Ella George, Loveland
George is truly one of the most fearless liberos in the city. She isn’t afraid to put her body on the line to keep a point alive, and her teammates trust her to make the first touch when a ball comes over the net. Even after posting 464 digs, 102 assists and 45 aces as a sophomore, she has continued to vastly improve her skills during the club season.
Kelsey Green, Ursuline
The Lions have a trio of fantastic juniors this season and designs on another deep tournament run, even with a move back to Division I. She has shown an elite ability to adapt on the fly as a setter. She can distribute the ball flat-footed, on the jump, or even with one hand. She has a host of DI offers and had 897 assists, 284 digs, 43 kills and 37 aces as a sophomore.
Ella Groff, Mason
A perfect complement to Brannon’s front-row prowess, Groff is a floor general on the back line. More often than not, she finds herself in the right position to receive a serve or dig an attack because of her ability to read the opposition’s offense and the ball as it comes over the net. She was second on her team with 273 digs while also posting 99 aces and 35 assists in 2025.
Brenna Huber, Roger Bacon
Huber was a reliable attack option for the Spartans in 2025, but her role became more important after senior Morgan Sunderman went down with a knee injury. She ended up leading the team with 166 kills and 42 blocks. She possesses a rocket arm on the attack and a quick first step on the block.
Dara Jackson, Notre Dame
Jackson stepped right into the starting libero position as a sophomore and anchored the defense for one of the best teams in the state. That’s not easy. She’s already receiving a fair amount of attention from college recruiters and with a full year of experience under her belt, her ceiling will only rise this fall. As a sophomore, she led NDA with 516 digs and added 85 assists and 47 aces. She has also shown the ability to take a swing at the net for her club team, Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC).
Madelyn Keipert, St. Henry
The Crusaders will have four juniors at the core of their offense this season with Keipert, Violet Main, Molly Blackburn and Stella Flick. While Keipert typically facilitates the attack (879 assists in 2025), she is capable of elevating for a swing or dumping the ball over the net and into the middle of the donut. She also posted 128 kills, 274 digs, 45 blocks and 34 aces as a sophomore.
Karlie Krohn, Loveland
When it came to the attack, the Tigers relied pretty heavily on Josie Nichols and Marisa Whalen in 2025. Krohn was one of three additional players to finish with at least 100 terminations and will be a primary option this fall. On film, her approach may not make her out to the the fiercest hitter, but her arm speed and core strength are her true weapons, helping her rocket balls to the ground. She had 115 kills, 62 digs, 58 blocks and 44 aces as a sophomore.
Lowe Long, St. Ursula
From 2024 to 2025, Maisie Jones’s production went from 37 kills to 183, while jumping from 23 sets played to 77. Long should see a similar jump this season after appearing in 36 sets and 17 matches as a sophomore. The Bulldogs will have a strong front line this season as they return three of their top four hitters. Long stepping up will also allow Lucy Waleskowski to move to a pure setting role.
Violet Main, St. Henry
Main led the Crusaders in kills (299) and blocks (80) as a sophomore. It’d be quite the feat if she did the same in each of her final two seasons. With 17 kills in the Ninth Region final, she nearly led St. Henry to a reverse sweep, showing her fierce competitive nature.
Baechle Mathes, Milford
Mathes took a step back as a sophomore, appearing in 44 sets compared to 73 as a freshman. While she had just 72 kills and 31 digs in 2025, Milford coach Marie Hippe said she has already gotten off to a strong start this year, winning the team’s MVP award at the University of Louisville camp.
Dee Dee O’Malley, Madeira
O’Malley has been the Amazons’ primary setter since she stepped onto the court as a freshman. She already has over 1,000 career assists and nearly 300 career digs. Madeira has plenty of returning talent as it chases a first Cincinnati Hills League title since 2009.
Charlotte Patton, Conner
Opposing defenses hate to see the ball set to Patton. With 511 kills as a sophomore, she’s the top returning hitter by volume in Northern Kentucky. At 6-foot-2 with an approach touch of 10-foot-4, she should also see her contributions as a blocker increase from 38 rejections in 2025.
Andrea Ptaszkiewicz, Fenwick
Ptaszkiewicz stepped up as a hitter in 2025 but will need to return to form as a dominant blocker as the Falcons graduated Caroline Hinker, their leading blocker from last year. Her length allows her to not only tower over the net for blocks, it also gives her side-to-side agility. While she can power a kill to the floor, she has a soft touch to roll it over the block.
Mina Radaszewski, Ursuline
She follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Lindy, as a premier net player for the Lions. Even at 5-foot-10, she has incredible energy on her approach and gets up in a flash to spike the ball with force. She had well-rounded numbers as a sophomore, posting 160 kills, 187 digs, 34 aces and 30 blocks.
Penelope Reisman, Seton
The University of Cincinnati commit is an expert at taking spin off the ball and putting it in the right position for her hitters. Standing at 6 feet tall has also helped her excel in her role and makes her sets look effortless. Reisman totaled 422 assists in 2025, including a career-high 25 in a win at Milford, and added 147 digs and 33 aces.
Emmi Richter, Mount Notre Dame
Even after posting 149 kills as a sophomore, Richter’s film from her club season shows she is ready to step into a top attacking role for the Cougars and new head coach Dani Szczepanski. She has an incredibly powerful arm no matter the angle of approach. On defense, she is superb in the back row and should see a significant increase in opportunities after posting 25 digs in 2025.
Makayla Roose, Notre Dame Academy
Roose finished last season with 170 kills and 86 blocks, but look for those numbers to really take off this season. On the attack, she swings with real authority and intent. On the block, her perceived effort is the same as a 7-foot-tall basketball player dunking a ball. For as much energy she exerts to celebrate the points she wins, she will be a vocal leader for the Pandas.
Mia Schmitt, Fenwick
She was the Falcons’ second-leading hitter by volume last year, putting away 208 kills. She also had a strong club season with Elevation and has shown her ability to adapt to any offensive tempo during a point.
Kenadi Sieg, St. Henry
Sieg’s agility is what makes her one of the best liberos in Kentucky and a DI commit, as she recently pledged to the University of Cincinnati. She is never afraid to receive a serve or take the first touch on a free ball to set up the offense. As the Crusaders advanced to the Ninth Region finals and were on the brink of a state tournament appearance, she posted 527 digs, 82 assists and 24 aces.
Willow Smith, Ursuline
The Xavier University commit had the second-most kills and blocks and the second-best hitting percentage for the Lions in 2025. As a hitter, she finds any open spot on the floor, whether it’s down the line or a cross-court opportunity. Her blocks are equally game-changing, as she consistently gets her hands in just the right position for the stuff.
Emory Sullivan, Scott
The two-time defending 10th Region champs are an in unfamiliar spot after graduating six seniors and the majority of their production. Sullivan is one of three juniors leading the Eagles this season. She had a lot of responsibility last season, surrounded by those seniors. Now she takes on added responsibility as part of small junior and senior classes. She totaled 486 digs and 44 aces in 2025.
Anaiah Taylor, Kings
Taylor is the next top hitter in a line of them who have brought the Knights much success over the last decade. In addition to attacking out of all three positions on the front line, she excels at back-row attacks, a staple of Amanda Meadows’ teams. In addition to her 122 kills and 40 aces, she was second on her team with 62 blocks.
Maggie Timmerman, Seton
Toward the end of the 2025 season and during the 2026 club season, Timmerman has become her team’s go-to option on serve-receive. In the libero role, she finds herself in the right spot more often than not to field an attack, and she can adjust in an instant to keep a point alive off a deflection. She posted 225 digs and 34 aces as a sophomore.
Brooklyn Tudor, Lakota East
Look for Tudor to lead the Thunderhawks in kills this season and even be near the top of the Greater Miami Conference. She has a tireless work ethic as a hitter, effortlessly gets off the floor as a blocker and gives Lakota East a reliable serve-receive option. As a sophomore, she finished with 120 kills, 61 digs and 30 blocks.
Annie Tully, Mariemont
Tully was the second-leading hitter by volume (324 kills) and top five in the CHL in hitting efficiency (29.4 hitting percentage) in 2025. She gets up in a hurry and sends the ball to the floor even faster. Another year with her setter, Elle Seichter, will make for more exciting connections at the net.
Ava Vocke, Talawanda
Vocke made a major leap last year, appearing in every match and finishing third in the Southwestern Buckeye League with 55 blocks. She had a career-high six rejections in a win over Badin. She also recorded 116 kills and 38 digs. Talawanda finished one game behind Ross in its first year in the SWBL-Southwestern. Look for the Brave to be equally as competitive this season.
Meredith Walker, Summit Country Day
She was a crucial part of the Silver Knights’ first state tournament appearance while leading the Miami Valley Conference in assists by a wide margin. While she will have different options on the front line this year, she’ll still put the ball in the perfect position with pristine touch, whether she’s already in position or has to slide in to save a wayward pass.
Emmy Wilhelm, Taylor
She experienced immediate success as a freshman in 2024 when the Yellowjackets went 21-1 and lost just two sets in the regular season. Taylor’s system is built around six-rotation players and Wilhelm fits that mold to a tee. She racked up 159 kills, 187 digs, 31 assists, 23 blocks and 21 aces as a sophomore.
Lauren Williams, Milford
She led the Eagles in blocks and hitting percentage as a sophomore and will be counted on as their lead blocker this fall. Yet she still has some of the biggest upside of any player in Cincinnati. On the attack, she can produce some of the fastest ball speeds of any local hitter. She gets up with ease on the block, even dunking overpasses when given the opportunity. Her final sophomore numbers were 192 kills, 56 blocks and 15 aces.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top juniors in 2026 Cincinnati girls high school volleyball preseason
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
