As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports is celebrating the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states and regions.
What’s our rubric for determining the “defining” volleyball players in Wisconsin history? Some players became local legends in the high school gym but didn’t translate that success to college or in the pros. Some blossomed late, and their high school days offered only a hint of their eventual greatness. How do we compare or measure those things?
Our aim: Identifying trailblazers and trendsetter whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics − and whose stories reflect a lasting impact on their state.
Our process is imperfect. Let us know at the bottom who should be on this list.
Brooke Andersen, Lake Country Lutheran, (graduated in) 2018
In 2018, Brooke Andersen became the first Lake Country Lutheran player to snag a Gatorade Wisconsin Volleyball Player of the Year nod, also finishing as a finalist for the national Gatorade Player of the Year award.
Andersen quickly established herself as one of Wisconsin’s most dominant small-school hitters, ultimately leading the Lighting into state contention in Division 3. Andersen was named as an AVCA second-team All-American in 2017.
Recording a match-high of 26 kills in the state title match against Eau Claire Regis, Andersen earned all-state tournament team honors and also earned first-team all-state honors for three consecutive seasons. She helped lead Lake County Lutheran to its first state title during her senior season on the back of a 45-5 overall record.
She finished her career known as a consistent offensive producer and a steady leadership figure. Tallying 2,303 kills and 1,091 digs, her kills mark ranked among the highest career totals recorded in Wisconsin at the time.
Brittney Dolgner, Waupun, 2006
Dolgner built and maintained a reputation as one of Wisconsin’s most-feared attackers during the mid-2000s, playing a hand in leading Waupun to multiple deep postseason runs.
A standout multi-sport athlete in volleyball and basketball, Dolgner was a three-time first-team all-state selection and finished as a two-time Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year and 2005–06 Gatorade National Player of the Year finalist.
In 2005, she took the PrepVolleyball National Player of the Year award.
When her high school career concluded, she signed with the University of Wisconsin, playing there from 2006 to 2009 before continuing a professional career.
She became the first UW sophomore to be named an All-American, earning second-team honors in 2007. Her 1,643 all-time kills at the time of her departure stood as the third best in program history.
Dolgner finished as a two-time first-team all-Big Ten and AVCA all-Mideast Region selection, while becoming the first player in Badgers history to tally 1,500 kills, 1,000 digs and 200 blocks.
Simone Lee, Menomonee Falls, 2014
Lee capped off her high school career at Menomonee Falls, accumulating more than 2,000 career kills as a four-year varsity starter,eventually finishing as a top national recruit.
Her dominance on the floor and 2,065 career kills amount to one of the highest totals in Wisconsin history.
As a senior, Lee led Menomonee Falls to the 2013 WIAA Division 1 state championship with a 48-4 record as a senior while posting 660 kills, 355 digs, 100 aces and 57 blocks en route to being named the 2013–14 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year.
Over the course of her high school career, Lee finished as a three-time all-state selection (second team as a sophomore, first team as a junior and senior) and earned 2013 Under Armour and American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team All-American honors.
After playing for Penn State from 2014 to 2017, Lee began a professional career overseas.
Brooke Mosher, Waterloo, 2021
One of the top setters in the history of the state, Mosher has made her presence felt on the national stage. She smashed the ace to help Pittsburgh earn its fifth consecutive Final Four appearance, and also appeared in the Major League Volleyball finals with the Omaha Supernovas.
During her high school tenure, Mosher was named the 2020–21 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after leading Waterloo to the Division 3 state title match, among two state tournament appearances.
Finishing her high school career with 1,992 kills, 1,687 assists and 1,063 digs, Mosher finished as a two-time MaxPreps All-American and Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-state selection.
Ranked as the No. 36 recruit nationally in the class of 2021 by PrepVolleyball.com, Mosher earned three Division 3 first-team all-state selections, two WVCA first-team all-state selections (2018, 2019), and earned two Capital South Conference Player of the Year nods.
Madison Quest, Divine Savior Holy Angels, 2025
Quest is one of the more recent entrants to reach this acclaimed list, highlighted by an astronomical junior campaign in which she produced 557 kills, 306 digs and 67 blocks, spearheading one of the most dominant runs in state history in which DSHA captured three consecutive Division 1 state titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Among her list of accolades, which includes becoming the all-time kills leader at DHSA, Quest eclipsed 1,000 kills before her junior season.
Throughout her high school tenure, Quest earned first-team all-conference honors all four years in the Greater Metro league and won the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year twice.
In 2023, she earned a nod as a MaxPreps first-team All-American honoree before finishing as a National Player of the Year finalist.
Heading into college play, Quest was listed as one of the top national recruits in the class of 2025, coming in as the No. 17 overall recruit by PrepDig.
After her decorated high school career, Quest followed in her parents’ footsteps and committed to the University of Wisconsin, where father played basketball and mother played volleyball from 1995-98.
Sheila Shaw, Muskego, 2002
A 2004 and 2005 Big Ten all-conference selection, Shaw is one of the most-accomplished volleyball players to emerge from Wisconsin.
She captured the 2001-02 Wisconsin Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year and became a two-time all-state honoree, after helping lead Muskego to the program’s third WIAA state volleyball tournament appearance in program history in 2000.
On the club scene, she made national waves, earning nods as a two-time USA Junior Olympic All-American andtwo-time USA Junior Olympic best blocker award winner.
In 2005, as part of the University of Wisconsin team, Shaw became one of only a handful of Badgers to be selected as an AVCA All-American on the back of first-team all-Big Ten nods in her junior and senior seasons.
During that stretch, she also earned AVCA All-Mideast Region honors.
Shaw registered 1,313 kills at Wisconsin, ranking among the best in program history at the time. She also finished among the school’s leaders in hitting percentage, blocks, aces, points and block assists.
In 2007, she started training with the U.S. National Team, and had professional stints in France and Germany from 2007 to 2010, becoming a team captain in Paris and reaching German All-Star honors.
Allison Wack, Westosha Central, 2007
Allison Wack is one of the most-decorated volleyball players in Wisconsin history, helping lead Westosha Central to three Division 1 state championships in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Throughout her high school tenure, Wack earned four consecutive WVCA all-state selections, reaching a level of buzz few Wisconsin volleyball players had reached at the time
In 2003, she was named National Freshman of the Year by PrepVolleyball.com, then two years later found herself listed among Volleyball Magazine’s “25 underclassmen to watch,” marking her status as an elite national prospect.
That was on display when she earned All-America honors in 2003 at the Junior Olympics in the 15-open division.
On the state level, in 2006, she completed one of the more dominant two-game performances in tournament history, leading the Falcons to the state championship, recording 30 kills in the semifinal match against Menomonee Falls and 29 kills in the title match vs. Muskego – a year in which she broke the school record, tallying 690 single-season kills.
After high school, she joined her sister Jocelyn at the University of Wisconsin, and currently is an assistant coach with the Northwestern State program.
Jocelyn Wack, Westosha Central, 2004
Jocelyn Wack capped off her career at the University of Wisconsin as the school’s all-time kills leader at the time – after collecting 1,277 kills, 694 blocks, 853 digs and 204 aces at Westosha Central.
In 2002 and 2003, she accomplished the rare feat of becoming one of the first athletes in state history to win the Wisconsin Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons.
Wack’s 220 blocks in the 2002 season stand as one of the best single-season blocking marks in school history. As one of the nation’s top recruits, she joined the Badgers and transitioned from outside hitter to libero, where she established herself as one of the most-important defensive players in program history.
At UW, she started as a versatile weapon for three seasons and she helped the Badgers reach consecutive NCAA regional finals.
Mariah Whalen, Wausau Newman Catholic, 2017
On top of already wielding a resume few across the state can rival, Whalen is the only player on this list to win fourconsecutive WIAA state championships: in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
She graduated as one of the most statistically productive players in Wisconsin volleyball history, across all divisions, as a four-year varsity standout under coach Betty Lange.
Notching 2,812 career kills as a Fighting Cardinal,Whalen finished as a four-time all-Marawood Conference selection.
Across her four dominant seasons at Newman, Whalen was named the PrepVolleyball and MaxPreps national freshman of the year in 2013, and an Under Armour third-team All-American in 2016. She also finished as a two-time first-team all-state selection.
Whalen topped off her career at Newman Catholic, eclipsing 1,000 career digs, 300 aces and 300 blocks before playing her first two seasons at the University of Wisconsin. She then capped off her college career playing beach volleyball at Cal Poly.
McKenna Wucherer, Brookfield Central, 2022
Wucherer captivated the state during her time at Brookfield Central, leading the program to its first-ever Division 1 state tournament appearance in 2021.
She maintained an immense level of sustained excellence, becoming a four-time Greater Metro Conference player of the year from 2018 to 2021 while snagging the 2021–22 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year her senior season.
Wucherer was the No. 1 recruit in Wisconsin’s class of 2022 and was ranked No. 1 nationally by PrepDig while being among the top recruits nationally by PrepVolleyball.
During her senior season, she recorded 444 kills, 210 digs, 50 aces and 30 blocks while maintaining a .414 hitting percentage, tallying 2,028 career kills and 1,076 digs as a four-year varsity standout.
In 2021,Wucherer earnedAVCA first-team All-American honors and was selected as an Under Armour first-team All-American before signing with the University of Minnesota.
Before that, Wucherer won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2021 FIVB U18 World Championships in Mexico while still a student at Brookfield Central.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Reporter Alfred Smith III at alfred.smith@usatoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AlfredS_III.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who are Wisconsin’s best-ever high school volleyball players? Vote here
Reporting by Alfred Smith III, Wausau Daily Herald / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Alfred Smith III, Wausau Daily Herald | USA TODAY Network
