The central Ohio high school girls volleyball season should feature competitive races at the league and district levels – and beyond.
In Division I, Olentangy Berlin returns nine players who were part of the team’s success the past two seasons, reaching a regional semifinal last fall and the program’s first state semifinal in 2024.
OCC-Capital rivals Big Walnut and Dublin Scioto again have high aspirations in Division II, while Newark Catholic returns a strong nucleus from last year’s Division VI state championship team and is now in Division VII.
Here are 12 central Ohio girls volleyball players to watch this fall:
Lexi Baker, Northside Christian
The 5-foot-3 senior setter is closing out a standout prep career. She entered the season with 1,428 career assists after recording
691 last season along with 50 aces. Baker was named MOCAL Player of the Year and first-team all-district in Division VII last fall.
Shelly Caceres, Pickerington North
The 5-11 senior outside hitter hopes to lead the Panthers on another postseason run after they lost to Olentangy Orange in a Division I regional semifinal last season. The Bowling Green commit finished with 278 kills, 229 digs, 49 aces and 44 blocks. Caceres was named OCC-Ohio Player of the Year and first-team all-district.
Leah Caudill, Newark Catholic
The 6-1 senior middle blocker helped lead the Green Wave to their state title last season, tallying 273 kills, 220 digs and 63 blocks. Caudill was named first-team all-district and all-LCL-Cardinal.
Audrey Coulson, Big Walnut
The 5-5 senior setter will again ignite the Golden Eagles’ offense after finishing last season with 735 assists, 200 digs and 31 aces to earn first-team all-district and all-OCC-Capital. Big Walnut lost to Whitehouse Anthony Wayne in a regional final last fall.
Brooklyn Hall, Licking Heights
The 5-9 senior outside hitter helped lead the Hornets to their third consecutive LCL-Buckeye title last season and earned league Player of the Year. The Tiffin commit was also named first-team all-district in Division II after recording 286 kills, 321 digs, 44 aces and 27 blocks.
Sophie Hamilton, Big Walnut
The 5-8 senior outside hitter should join Coulson in again giving the Golden Eagles a solid tandem at the net. Last season, the Findlay commit finished with 283 kills, 250 digs and 52 aces. Hamilton was named first-team all-district and all-OCC-Capital.
Kaylee Jackson, Gahanna Lincoln
The 6-0 senior outside/middle hitter should be a key contributor for first-year coach Aleese Butler. Last season, Jackson recorded 233 kills – including a single-match program-record 25 – and 71 blocks. She was named first-team all-OCC-Ohio and all-district in Division I.
Addie Knapke, Olentangy Berlin
The 5-6 senior libero and Northwestern commit helped lead the Bears to a district title in 2025 and their state semifinal berth in 2024. Last season, Knapke finished with 366 digs, 94 kills, 69 aces and 50 assists to earn first-team all-OCC-Cardinal and second-team all-district.
Elle Mortimer, Granville
The 6-1 senior middle blocker and Ohio University commit led the Blue Aces in kills (274) and blocks (114) last season and contributed 182 digs. Mortimer was named first-team all-district and all-LCL-Buckeye and third-team all-state in Division III.
Marlee Sharps, Westerville South
The 6-1 senior outside hitter shared Division II district Player of the Year honors last season with Dublin Scioto’s Mykie Ross, a 2026 graduate. Sharps, a Jacksonville State commit, led the Wildcats in kills (322) and aces (64) and added 163 digs. She was also first-team all-OCC-Capital.
Maya Soungpradith, Olentangy
The 5-5 senior libero led the Braves’ defense last season, finishing with a team-high 391 digs along with 70 assists and 35 aces. Soungpradith was named first-team all-OCC-Cardinal and second-team all-district in Division I.
Kylie Trout, Jonathan Alder
The 5-4 senior libero and Bowling Green commit led the Pioneers in digs (341) last fall and added 77 assists and 54 aces. Trout was named first-team all-CBC-Kenton Trail, second-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division III.
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio high school volleyball players to watch in 2026 season
