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80 players and some top teams to watch in District 10 girls volleyball this fall

tom reisenweber, erie times-news
·7 min read

Girls volleyball has become one of the top sports in District 10 as numerous teams have built solid programs. D-10 always has one or two teams making a deep run in the state playoffs, and last fall Maplewood won another PIAA Class 1A championship.

With top returning players all around District 10 including Marquette recruit Emma Parks of Meadville, District 10 could have several teams play into mid-November.

Here is a look at all four classes as region play is set to begin:

Class 4A

Not much mystery here as Erie and McDowell are the only Class 4A teams in District 10. The two rivals will meet for the D-10 title and a trip to the PIAA tournament. The Trojans lost several key players to graduation and bring back just two senior starters in Sophia Nestor and Tayler Rech. McDowell has a young roster that could improve throughout the season, while Erie has just one senior starter back in Danica Park. The Royals and Trojans meet twice to figure out how to beat each other before the deciding match for the D-10 title.

Class 3A

One of the more interesting classes, there could be a changing of the guard in Class 3A. Conneaut has been a dominant program for years under head coach Christine Krankota, but the Eagles graduated a pretty solid group. Krankota mentioned there will be positional battles early in the season and the hardest-working girls will earn playing time.

Two teams sneaking up on the Eagles are Meadville and Warren. The Bulldogs feature Parks along with setter Elliott Schleicher and standout defensive player Kendall Mealy, among others. The Dragons have five starters back in Kylie Fehlman, Summer Lucks, Alexia Bowers, Lindsay Madigan and Maddy Jones.

Hickory has three senior starters back in setter Bella Multari and hitters Leah Garm and Kiki Joanow. The Hornets are a team to keep an eye on as well as General McLane with a young team led by senior hitter Cassidy Swain and senior setter Morgan Frick.

Another wild-card team is Cathedral Prep. The Ramblers have a new head coach in Sarah Pusateri, who helped the Mercyhurst Prep boys win D-10 and reach the PIAA semifinals in the spring.

Class 2A

North East beat Corry for the D-10 title last fall and the same two teams could battle again this fall. North East is in the top 10 state rankings and is loaded with experience from last year. The Grapepickers had some tough graduation losses to overcome, but they returned starters Grace Sanfilippo, a setter, libero Brielle King and hitters Alison Gibson, Cadence Jones and Kayla Forsythe. North East also has several underclassmen who could contribute this season as the 'Pickers look for another deep run in the state playoffs.

Corry was impressive last year with a sophomore-heavy team. The Beavers will have to replace all-state setter Tayler Elchynski, but most of Corry's team is back, led by junior all-stars Makenna Moore, Aubrey Chase and Halle Albers. The junior class also includes Sydney Woods, Allison Sawyer, Payton McCray, Sadye Dyne and Emmalee Carr, while freshman hitter Grace Allen could play a big role as well.

Mercyhurst Prep, Saegertown, Slippery Rock and Fort LeBoeuf are contenders as well. The Lakers continue to improve each year and have three key players back in senior setter Julia Seth, senior middle blocker Olivia Kulyk and junior outside hitter Addica Sperry. The Panthers graduated just two players in the spring and return solid players in Brywn McLaughlin, Lindsey Greco, Alyssa Arblaster, Lyndzee Amory and Rylie Braymer. The Rockets are also loaded with experience with Anora Robare, Avalee Demidovich, Molly Bissell, CJ Sabo, Addison Novad and Brooke Balint, while the Bison have returning top players in Kayleigh Anderson, Mackenzie Galdon and Katelynn Olmstead.

Harbor Creek and Sharpsville are two more teams to watch this season. The Huskies graduated key players but have a solid group of seniors back to lead the way with Hannah Smith, Elizabeth Gunther and Aly Hester, while the Blue Devils have a young but talented team.

Class 1A

It seems like Class 1A comes down to rivals Cochranton and Maplewood each year. It could be the same case this fall as the Tigers are the defending PIAA champions and the Cardinals have a new coach with a solid team. Maplewood graduated three talented seniors, but senior middle hitter Elizabeth Hunter and junior outside hitter Madison O'Hara are back for the Tigers. Cochranton, under new head coach Leirin Baker, brings back juniors Dani Hoffman, Marley Rodax, Macie Williams and Eve Pfeiffer. The Cardinals and the Tigers are both in the top 10 in the state rankings to start the season.

Lakeview, Cambridge Springs and West Middlesex were all in the mix last year and could make it tough on Maplewood and Cochranton this year. Emma Marstellar, Madison Doyle and Riley Sample are back for Lakeview along with Kyndra Seddon, who missed most of last season with an injury. Cambridge Springs has an experienced team back with six starters, including seniors Kylee Miler, Audrey Bullock and Claire Mumford, juniors Brooke Eldred and Payton Leandro and sophomore Kenda Boozer. West Middlesex also has several seniors to lean on with Caitlin Stephens, Emma Mild and Avery Hanahan.

2022 all-stars: Meet the Erie Times-News 2022 Girls Volleyball District 10 and Region All-Stars

Players to watch

Here are some of the top returning players in District 10, in random order:

  • Cadence Jones, North East, senior, outside hitter

  • Addica Sperry, Mercyhurst Prep, Junior, outside hitter

  • Grace Sanfilippo, North East, senior, setter

  • Makenna Moore, Corry, junior, outside hitter

  • Brywn McLaughlin, Saegertown, junior, middle hitter

  • Emma Parks, Meadville, junior, outside hitter

  • Kylie Fehlman, Warren, senior, middle hitter

  • Lindsay Madigan, Warren, junior, setter

  • Elliott Schleicher, Meadville, junior, setter

  • Summer Lucks, Warren, senior, libero

  • Abby Berry, Grove City, senior, setter

  • Kayla Forsythe, North East, senior, middle hitter

  • Julia Seth, Mercyhurst Prep, senior, setter

  • Lindsey Greco, Saegertown, junior, setter

  • Molly Bissell, Slippery Rock, senior, outside hitter

  • Alyssa Arblaster, Saegertown, senior, outside hitter

  • Elizabeth Hunter, Maplewood, senior, middle hitter

  • Caitlin Stephens, West Middlesex, senior, setter

  • Emma Mild, West Middlesex, senior, outside hitter

  • Alexia Bowers, Warren, senior, outside hitter

  • Payten Karastury, Conneaut, senior, setter

  • Lainie Harrington, Conneaut, junior, outside hitter

  • Paris Karastury, Conneaut, senior, libero

  • Aubrey Chase, Corry, junior, middle hitter

  • Kayleigh Anderson, Fort LeBoeuf, senior, middle hitter

  • Halle Albers, Corry, junior, outside hitter

  • Katelynn Olmstead, Fort LeBoeuf, junior, outside hitter

  • Rylee Gearhart, Reynolds, senior, middle hitter

  • Kylee Hasan, Sharon, senior, middle hitter

  • Anora Robare Slippery Rock, senior, setter

  • Tayler Whitesell, Greenville, senior, middle blocker

  • Addison Novad, Slippery Rock, sophomore, opposite hitter

  • Kylie McAdoo, Reynolds, senior, libero

  • Audrey Bullock, Cambridge Springs, senior, outside hitter

  • Brooklyn Needler, Cochranton, senior, outside hitter

  • Mikenzie Milller, Eisenhower, senior, outside hitter

  • Claire Mumford, Cambridge Springs, senior, outside hitter

  • Paige Cresswell, Rocky Grove, senior, outside hitter

  • Elizabeth Popp, Commodore Perry, junior, right side hitter

  • Auna Davis, Commodore Perry, senior, libero

  • Madison O'Hara, Maplewood, junior, outside hitter

  • Olivia Kulyk, Mercyhurst Prep, senior, middle blocker

  • Lyndzee Amory, Saegertown, senior, middle hitter

  • Rylie Braymer, Saegertown, junior, libero

  • Hannah Smith, Harbor Creek, senior, middle hitter

  • Elizabeth Gunther Harbor Creek, senior, outside hitter

  • Maddie Weber, Fairview, senior, middle hitter

  • Addyson Greene, Fairview, junior, setter

  • Kylee Miller, Cambridge Springs, senior, libero

  • Brooke Eldred, Cambridge Springs, junior, middle hitter

  • Payton Leandro, Cambridge Springs, junior, middle hitter

  • Kenda Boozer, Cambridge Springs, sophomore, setter

  • Dani Hoffman, Cochranton, junior, outside hitter

  • Marley Rodax, Cochranton, junior, middle hitter

  • Macie Williams, Cochranton, junior, libero

  • Eve Pfeiffer, Cochranton, junior, middle hitter

  • Maria Harrison, Farrell, senior, opposite hitter

  • Ja'Niya Daniels, Farrell, sophomore, middle hitter

  • Monique Vincent, Kennedy Catholic, junior, outside hitter

  • Grace Abele, Iroquois, senior, middle hitter

  • Mila Gehrlein-Carpenter, Iroquois, setter

  • Jennifer Blum, Franklin, senior, outside hitter

  • Kristina Varion, Greenville, senior, middle blocker

  • Lexie Walker, Mercer, junior, outside hitter

  • Jillian Mount, Mercer, junior, setter

  • Anna Loposky, Reynolds, senior, setter

  • Tay Chester, Sharon, senior, outside hitter

  • Ryleigh Fry, Sharpsville, junior, setter

  • Avalee Demidovich, Slippery Rock, senior, outside hitter

  • CJ Sabo, Slippery Rock, junior, middle hitter

  • Loghan Kollar, Wilmington, senior, defensive specialist

  • Payton McCray, Corry, junior, setter

  • Brielle King, North East, senior, libero

  • Makayla Presser-Palmer, Northwestern, sophomore, middle blocker

  • Ava Guzowski, Seneca, senior, setter

  • Cathryn Reynolds, Union City, senior, outside hitter

  • Lilly Vincent, Union City, senior, defensive specialist

  • Brooke VanTassel, Union City, sophomore, middle hitter

  • Grace Allen Corry, freshman, outside hitter

  • Mya Stolz, Fort LeBoeuf, sophomore, middle hitter

Postseason key dates

Dates subject to change.

  • Oct. 19-21: Round of 16 for Class 2A

  • Oct. 23-27: Quarterfinals for Classes 1A-3A

  • Oct. 31-Nov. 4: Semifinals and championships for Classes 1A-3A

  • Nov. 4: Class 4A championship

  • Nov. 7: PIAA first round

  • Nov. 11: PIAA quarterfinals

  • Nov. 14: PIAA semifinals

  • Nov. 18: PIAA championships at Cumberland Valley

More: Maplewood volleyball is Girls Team of the Year at NWPA High School Sports Awards.

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 girls volleyball: Top teams, players to watch in 2023