Ohio's best: The top 23 high school volleyball players in 2023
The state of Ohio continues to produce high-quality high school volleyball players who will put their talents on display this fall.
As a preview to this season, the high school sports staff of the USA Today Network Ohio's 21 newspapers and websites compiled a who's who in the Buckeye State. The staff chose athletes, no matter the high school division, receiving interest from or committing to higher Division I collegiate programs.
This is the second in a four-part series that will include the sports of football, boys soccer and girls soccer in the coming weeks.
Football: The top 23 Ohio high school football players in 2023
Here are the best volleyball players in the state of Ohio.
1. Alec Rothe, Dublin Scioto
A 6-foot 3-inch middle hitter who has committed to the University of Florida, Rothe earned second-team all-state and first-team all-district honors in Division I as a junior. She led Scioto in kills (341) and blocks (80) and was second in digs (198), helping the Irish go 20-5 and win their fourth consecutive OCC-Capital title. Rothe also competes with the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program.
2. Elise Marchal, Kings
A senior middle blocker, Marchal is committed to play at Appalachian State after high school. Marchal collected third-team All-Ohio honors in 2022. Appeared in the top 50 in Ohio in kills with 389 on 815 attempts. PrepDig Ohio lists her as the No. 2 player in the state.
3. Allison Barrick, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
PrepDig’s No. 1 player for the class of 2025 in Ohio, the outside hitter from CHCA earned third-team All-Ohio honors in 2022. As a freshman in 2021, Barrick led CHCA to the state semifinals with 292 kills, 154 digs, and 58 aces. As a sophomore last season, Barrick was the Miami Valley Conference Scarlet Division Player of the Year with 365 kills.
4. Lucy Mott, St. Ursula Academy (Toledo)
A USA Volleyball Development Program player, Mott is currently committed to playing for Boston College. Standing at 6-foot-1, the setter made contact with over 50 Division I programs before her commitment to Boston College. Mott is a national top-100 player.
5. Taryn DeWese, Lake (Toledo)
A 6-foot-tall setter committed to Vanderbilt, DeWese earned conference and district Player of the Year in the Toledo area. DeWeses’ junior season consisted of 317 kills, 330 assists, 283 digs, and 56 aces. Lake has gone 68-6 in DeWese’s three years of high school volleyball.
6. Myriah Massey, Pickerington Central
This senior is a star on the beach volleyball scene, having committed to playing the sport at Florida State. She has competed with the National Beach Volleyball team at the U19 level, playing in the FIVB World Championships and earning a silver medal. As for indoor volleyball, Massey plays outside hitter for Central. She had 334 kills, 55 aces and 216 digs last year, leading the Tigers to the OCC-Buckeye title and a 21-5 finish.
7. Reese Wuebker, Centerville
Wuebker was the Greater Western Ohio Conference Athlete of the Year as a junior last year. The Ohio State commit had 366 kills, 135 digs, 41 service aces and 20 blocks in 79 sets played in 2022.
8. Kayla Channell, Gilmour Academy
The 6-foot-1-inch middle blocker has helped lead Gilmour Academy to the state finals as a freshman in 2021 and a sophomore last year with one title victory to her name. The No. 3-ranked junior in Ohio has had 487 kills over her two varsity seasons, averaging over 2.7 kills per set played.
9. Abby Yoder, Kings
Verbally committed to play at Ohio State, the class of 2024 setter was Ohio’s No. 3 in assists in 2022, just cracking 1,000. Yoder runs the offense for a powerful Kings team that could shake up the usual landscape in Ohio's Division I.
10. Belle Groomes, Saint Joseph Academy
The class of 2025’s No. 3 player in Ohio, the 6-foot 1-inch setter/right hitter is committed to the University of San Diego. Groomes collected Honorable Mention in Ohio’s Division I honors at the end of 2022.
11. Sydney Barrett, Kings
Barrett was featured on the second-team All-Ohio Division I list last fall. The 6-foot outside hitter is committed to playing volleyball at the University of Dayton. For Kings, Barrett had 362 kills as a junior last season, which was second on her team and in the conference behind Elise Marchal. Barrett enters the 2023 campaign sitting on 968 kills for her career.
12. Madison Cugino, Olentangy Orange
Cugino is a senior libero who committed to Gonzaga University to continue her volleyball career. She was on USA Volleyball’s Spring Training Series Roster in Chicago in 2022. Last season, she accumulated more than 200 kills and 291 digs as well as 52 aces.
13. Katie Gielas, Ursuline Academy
A part of the 2022 Division I state champions, Gielas as a sophomore finished with 249 kills, good for fourth in the GGCL, on .222 efficiency. The outside hitter/defensive specialist stands at 6 feet, 3 inches.
14. Hannah Pattie, Lake Catholic
One of 13 players in Ohio High School Athletic Association history to reach 1,000 assists in a season, Pattie, a setter, is committed to continue playing volleyball at Campbell University after she graduates in 2024. Earned first-team Ohio honors for Division III and led the state in assists.
15. Lily Barron, Olentangy Orange
A 6-foot-2-inch outside hitter/defensive specialist, Barron is one of Central Ohio’s top players in the class of 2024. A University of Houston commit, Barron was honorable mention all-state in Division I in 2022. She had a team-high 323 kills along with 215 digs, 31 aces and 24 blocks.
16. Lyndi Wolf, Fremont Ross
The 6-foot-2-inch middle blocker from Fremont Ross is the class of 2025’s No. 4 overall player, as of May. Wolf collected first-team Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC) honors in 2022, and earned district Player of the Year in Division I. Wolf resides anywhere from middle blocker to opposite/outside hitter.
17. Gretchen Sigman, Springfield
A class of 2024 commit to the University of Cincinnati, Sigman, a 5-foot 10-inch hitter, has cleared 1,000 kills in her career already. Sigman broke a school record for most kills in a match, 33, and earned third-team Ohio honors in 2022. Sigman in 2022 had over 200 digs, 65 blocks, 50 aces, and 432 kills.
18. Addy Brus, St. Ursula Academy (Cincinnati)
Brus, an outside hitter/defensive specialist in the class of 2024 garnered 231 kills, over three per game, during the 2022 season. Brus is committed to playing volleyball at St. Louis University. Brus and St. Ursula made a run to the regional finals of the state tournament in 2022 before bowing out to eventual state champion Ursuline Academy.
19. Emma McCartney, Chardon
A 6-foot-tall senior out of Chardon, McCartney (outside hitter) in 2022-23 had over 400 kills, 40 blocks, and a .254 hitting percentage. Chardon volleyball won its first conference championship in volleyball since 2005, and she earned back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards. McCartney has committed to Northern Illinois.
20. Hailey Campagna, Shekinah Christian
This junior was a first-team all-state and all-district honoree in Division IV last fall. Campagna had 577 kills, 389 digs, 89 aces and 29 assists as the Flames went 23-2 and won an undefeated league title.
21. Grace Auer, Crestview
Committed to the University of Findlay, Auer posted over 370 kills and a .409 hit percentage last season. Crestview in 2022 lost in the regional semifinals to eventual state Division III champion Lake Catholic while Auer earned first-team All-Ohio honors.
22. Darbi Ricketts, Little Miami
Committed to playing volleyball at Ohio University, Ricketts is a hybrid of a defensive specialist who can hit from the outside. As a sophomore in 2021, Rickett had 181 digs and 206 kills while notching 172 digs and 277 kills as a junior.
23. Hannah Dobbs, Toronto
A second-team All-Ohio honoree in Division IV, Dobbs is committed to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to continue playing volleyball. Dobbs was second in the state in kills in 2022 with 580. Last October, Dobbs crossed the 1,000 career digs milestone after recording her 1,000th kill the night prior.
Others receiving votes
Dakota Henry, Kings; Alyvia Hughes, Western Reserve; Niyah Lester, Charles F Brush; Madison Miner, Perry; Natalie Robinson, Hudson; Presley Stokes, Wellsville; Sydney Waller, Hudson; Jalynn West, Coshocton.
How they were ranked
Gannett staff members researched and compiled a list of high Division I-caliber players. More than 30 players made up the pool, and from there the staff chose its top 23. Each player received points based on where they placed in each journalist's rankings. First-place players received 23 points, second-place players got 22 and so on until the 23rd player wrapped it up with 1 point. Those points were tabulated to determine the top 23 players.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio includes The Enquirer, the Columbus Dispatch, the Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other news outlets across the state.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio high school volleyball: The best players in 2023
