Volleyball is back in Ventura County.
An incredible cluster of local talent, with explosive hitters, brick-wall blockers, quarterbacking setters and gritty defensive specialists make up The Star's top-40 player rankings ahead of league action beginning soon.
1. Saylor Halvorsen, Thousand Oaks
The reigning Ventura County Star Player of the Year committed to BYU this offseason. As a sophomore she piled up 373 kills, 61 aces, 147 digs and 44 total blocks.
2. Halle Bryce, Thousand Oaks
The 6-foot-2 senior pin joined Halvorsen as a BYU commit after helping power the Lancers to a deep playoff run last season and will be the second half of Thousand Oaks’ devastating 1-2 punch.
3. Tristyn Bailey, Oaks Christian
The high-flying outside hitter, a Notre Dame commit, sat out all last season after transferring from Bishop Alemany. The 5-foot-11 senior will
be this season’s most important new addition to the local volleyball landscape.
4. Malie Ogbechie, Oaks Christian
A 6-foot-1 Princeton commit and youngest in the Lions’ Ogbechie dynasty developed a lot while playing beside Sadie Kocur and Jady Mape last fall.
5. Charley Knupp, Newbury Park
The 6-foot-3 outside hitter amassed 362 kills, 269 digs, 19 blocks and 60 aces last season. The senior is a Saint Mary’s commit.
6. Mia Howard, Ventura
The 6-foot-1 middle blocker earned an All-CIF Division 4 nod with 62 kills in just seven playoff matches last seaons. She is committed to play Division I volleyball at Lafayette College next year.
7. Aylee Pizzo, Agoura
The explosive outside hitter burst onto the scene last fall, finishing second-team All-Marmonte League thanks to a 383-kill sophomore campaign.
8. Keira Overbeck, Newbury Park
A second-team All-Marmonte League selection as a junior, the 6-foot setter orchestrated the Panthers offense to a third-place finish in league, racking up 776 assists.
9. Avyn McGugan, Oak Park
An All-CIF Division 4 selection last season as a sophomore, the Eagles setter logged 335 assists and 72 digs.
10. Laney Knopp, Newbury Park
The Pepperdine University beach volleyball commit gives the Panthers another real weapon on the outside.
11. Payton Holliday, Moorpark
The senior outside hitter has a proven skill set and will lead a developing Musketeers group.
12. Ella Ragland, Royal
The Simi Valley transfer missed the first eight games of last season with a sit-out period before racking up 132 kills, 176 digs and 42 aces.
13. Maya Cunningham, Oxnard
The senior setter is going to have an even bigger offensive load this season as the Yellowjackets rely more on her hitting.
14. Taylor Daley, Westlake
Coming off a stellar freshman campaign that saw her average just under 13 kills per match, the outside hitter is ready to step into the limelight.
15. Neariah Fasavalu, Camarillo
The Scorpions outside hitter led her team in kills (161) and attempts (510) as a junior last season.
16. Juno Schwartz, Agoura
The senior libero is the anchor of the Chargers defense.
17. Aliyah Adams, Rio Mesa
An offseason leap for the athletic, 5-foot-11 junior middle has made her the Spartans’ new go-to point terminator.
18. Harper Johns, Westlake
The senior setter had 330 assists in 15 matches last fall.
19. Zoe Benton, St. Bonaventure
The returning second-team All-TCAA outside hitter steps into big shoes after the Seraphs lost Sara Stoney and Soraya Forbes to graduation.
20. Eileen Dresel, Oak Park
The middle has “dominated” so far this fall, according to Eagles head coach Josh Giron.
21. Ellie Hallinan, Oaks Christian
The Lions’ 5-foot-10 senior libero had 311 digs last season.
22. Lyla Eason, Oaks Christian
The UC Davis commit at outside hitter plays in the middle for the Lions this fall.
23. Samantha Liba, Oak Park
The right side hitter is experienced, helping lead the Eagles’ postseason run to the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals last fall.
24. Emma Campbell-Luna, Santa Paula
The senior setter was a first-team All-Citrus Coast League selection the past two seasons,
25. Lily Morge, Thousand Oaks
The senior middle blocker who transferred in from Oak Park two years ago earned a starting role with the Lancers.
26. Chelsea McCalister, St. Bonaventure
The junior setter was one of two Seraphs to receive a first team All-TCAA slection last fall.
27. Wren Zimmerman, Nordhoff
The outside hitter was an All-CIF selection during the Rangers’ postseason run last fall.
28. Kaiya Howard, Ventura
The 6-foot-1 sophomore cut her teeth on the varsity squad last year and is making a big offensive impact.
29. Fiona Holt, Foothill Tech
A returning All-CIF player at outside hitter, the junior is the Dragons’ No. 1 attack option this season.
30. Elyse Wong, Oaks Christian
An all-Marmonte League first-teamer in beach volleyball last year, the 5-foot-11 sophomore gives the Lions more hitting depth.
31. Addison Wheeler, Agoura
The transfer pin from Louisville will slide into a scary Chargers rotation on the outside after her sit-out period ends.
32. Sara Vlaskovits, Newbury Park
The 6-foot-2 senior right-side hitter will play at Pomona-Pitzer next year.
33. Gwen Hunnicutt, Thousand Oaks
The Lancers have found a role this fall for the talented senior with an all-around skillset.
34. Harper Schwartz, Agoura
The 5-foot-3 outside hitter is a key part of the Chargers’ hitting rotation.
35. Meredith Butler, Villanova Prep
The sophomore outside hitter is an all-around player for the Wildcats.
36. Rilee Gosselin, Buena
The senior setter led the Bulldogs with 33 assists and seven kills in a five-set victory over Villanova Prep on Aug. 20.
37. Kristen Currie, Moorpark
The next in the Currie line at Moorpark is this gifted outside hitter.
38. Dezie Jimenez, Del Sol
The senior captain is anchoring the Jaguars defense at libero.
39. Tila Pham, Simi Valley
The junior setter steps into a bigger role this year after helping orchestrate the Pioneers offense last season.
40. Arzel Duran, Channel Islands
The Raiders defense will run through their junior libero.
Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: The Star ranks the top girls volleyball players in the area
