Nebraska has four players who have committed to its volleyball program in Just Women’s Sports’ inaugural volleyball high school player rankings, including three in the top five.
The Cornhuskers finished last season as runners-up to Wisconsin in the championship of the NCAA Tournament but are sure to have a loaded 2023 class. Texas also has four commitments featured in the rankings, while the Badgers have two.
Participants on the United States U19 team that won gold over the summer at the Pan American Cup were also well represented with eight players. Team USA opened the tournament with a scrimmage loss to Brazil before getting revenge in the final, 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17).
“We got better over the course of the tournament,” U.S. coach Jamie Morrison said. “We talked about learning from each match and making sure we fixed any problems the next morning, and then we went into the next match. We continued to do that pretty perfectly.”
With the 2022 fall season set to begin, here are JWS’ top 25 high school volleyball players from around the country.
1 | Harper Murray, Skyline (Mich.), Sr.
6-foot-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska
Murray was a dominant force on an Eagles team that finished 55-4-2 a year ago as runners-up in Division 1, recording a whopping 652 kills with a .430 hitting percentage. She also had 312 digs defensively to go along with 82 aces, 50 assists and 35 blocks. Murray also competed for Team USA at the U18 World Championship in 2021 and was a member of Team USA’s U19 gold-medal team at the Pan American Cup in July, where she earned Best Spiker honors.
2 | Chloe Chicoine, McCutcheon (Ind.), Sr.
5-10 Outside Hitter / Libero
Committed to Purdue
Prior to being named Indiana’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, Chicoine guided the Mavericks to a 30-6 record and the Class 4A state crown. During the 2021 campaign, she notched 440 kills with a .420 hitting percentage and had 20 aces. Defensively, Chicoine finished with 196 digs. She was also a member of the Pan Am Cup team that won gold over the summer.
3 | Julia Blyashov, Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), Sr.
6-3 Outside Hitter
Committed to Stanford
Blyashov led the Dons to a 36-5 record and the regional finals of California’s Open Division tournament last season. She played just 40 sets for Cathedral Catholic but recorded 139 kills to go along with 82 digs and 15 aces. Blyashov was also a Team USA participant at both the U19 Pan Am Cup and the U18 World Championship.
4 | Caroline Jurevicius, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (Ohio), Sr.
6-2 Rightside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska
The Lions went 15-8 in 2021, with Jurevicius racking up 279 kills in 58 sets played. She also had 128 digs defensively to go along with 43 aces and 37 blocks. Jurevicius later helped guide the Americans to a bronze medal at the U18 World Championship in Mexico.
5 | Bergen Reilly, O’Gorman (S.D.), Sr.
6-1 Setter
Committed to Nebraska
Behind Reilly’s versatile presence, the Knights were crowned back-to-back Class AA champions, finishing with a 23-4 record. She closed out the year with 393 assists to go along with 191 kills (.341 hitting percentage). She also had 174 digs, 43 aces and 29 blocks and went on to be named South Dakota’s Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. Over the summer, Reilly was named MVP and Best Setter at the Pan Am Cup. She also competed at the U18 World Championship in 2021.
6 | Brooklyn DeLeye, Washburn Rural (Kan.), Sr.
6-1 Outside Hitter
Committed to Kentucky
DeLeye led the Blues with 586 kills and had 259 digs defensively. She also notched 133 aces and 38 assists, as Washburn Rural finished 41-2 on the year and was a state semifinalist. DeLey is a three-time all-state selection and is coming off a season in which she was named the Class 6A Player of the Year as well as Kansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year.
7 | Ella Swindle, Rock Bridge (Mo.), Sr.
6-2 Setter
Committed to Texas
Swindle powered the Bruins to the Class 5 semifinals and was named Missouri Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year. She finished the season with 690 assists and 173 digs to go along with 57 blocks and 36 aces. Offensively, she had 141 kills with a .494 hitting percentage.
8 | Kyndal Stowers, Guyver (Texas), Sr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Baylor
With 493 kills, Stowers dominated from the outside for the Wildcats in 2021. She had a .317 hitting percentage and also contributed 497 digs defensively. She added 61 blocks and 27 aces for Guyver, which finished the season with a 21-11 mark.
9 | Jordyn Byrd, Cardinal Mooney (Fla.), Sr.
6-4 Rightside Hitter / Middle Blocker
Committed to Texas
The Cardinals were ousted in the regional quarterfinals in Class 3A, but that didn’t stop Byrd from posting eye-popping numbers in 2021. She was named Florida Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year after amassing 551 kills, 56 blocks and 25 aces. She also chipped in 258 digs on defense.
10 | Claire Little, Vista Murrieta (Calif.), Sr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to BYU
Behind Little’s play, the Broncos qualified for the CIF State Open Division for the first time in program history. She led Vista Murrieta with 442 kills and was second on the team in digs with 238. Little has been committed to BYU since the eighth grade.
11 | Skyler Pierce, Olathe Northwest (Kan.), Jr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Nebraska
The top-ranked junior in these rankings, Pierce paced the Ravens with 425 kills a year ago. She also had 62 blocks and 38 aces while adding 345 digs defensively. Olathe Northwest finished the season with a 27-13 record.
12 | Ashley Mullen, Liberty (Mo.), Sr.
5-10 Setter
Committed to UCLA
The Blue Jays finished 26-5 last season, while Mullen recorded 1,094 assists. She added 179 digs on defense and had 54 kills offensively. Mullen also finished with 49 aces and 27 blocks.
13 | Laney Choboy, Leesville Road (N.C.), Sr.
5-3 Libero / Defensive Specialist
Committed to Minnesota
Choboy was named Best Receiver when Team USA won a gold medal at the U19 Pan Am Cup in July. She was also a member of the bronze-medal team at the U18 World Championship.
14 | Jordyn Harvey, Bountiful (Utah), Stanford, Sr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Stanford
The RedHawks claimed the Class 5A state title, finishing with a 27-3 record. Harvey had 375 kills to go along with 63 aces and 20 blocks. Defensively, she notched 228 digs.
15 | Charlie Fuerbringer, Mira Costa (Calif.), Jr.
5-11 Setter
Committed to Wisconsin
Fuerbringer was selected to compete for Team USA at the Pan Am Cup but was forced to miss due to health concerns. The Mustangs went 28-9 on the season, with Fuerbringer contributing 140 digs in 30 sets played. She also had 56 kills (.352 hitting percentage), 30 aces and 37 blocks.
16 | Sydney Helmers, Assumption (Ky.), Sr.
6-3 Outside Hitter
Committed to Texas
The Rockets finished 30-6 on the year but were ousted in the region semifinals. She finished the season with 421 kills, 42 blocks and 92 digs.
17 | Eloise Brandewie, Bishop Hartley (Ohio), Sr.
6-3 Middle Blocker
Committed to Ohio State
Brandewie competed in just 49 sets but was third on her team with 171 kills, finishing 2021 with a .437 hitting percentage. She also had 65 blocks, 43 digs and 20 aces for the Hawks, who were 22-6 on the season. Brandewie was also a member of Team USA’s bronze-medal team at the U18 World Championship.
18 | Torrey Stafford, Marymount (Calif.), Sr.
6-1 Outside Hitter
Committed to Pittsburgh
Stafford helped guide the Sailers to a 35-0 record and the CIF State Open Division title. She recorded 320 kills on the year to go along with 55 blocks and 207 digs. Stafford was also a Team USA participant at the U19 Pan Am Cup in July.
19 | Saige Damrow, Howards Grove (Wisc.), Sr.
5-7 Libero / Defensive Specialist
Committed to Wisconsin
Damrow began receiving college offers in seventh grade and committed to the Badgers when she was an eighth grader. Last season, she guided the Tigers to a 43-5 record and the Division 3 state title, recording 496 digs along the way. She also contributed 300 kills and 83 aces on offense.
20 | Avery Jackson, Hockaday (Texas), Jr.
5-10 Outside Hitter
Commited to Stanford (Beach Volleyball)
Jackson and the Daisies went 31-7 a year ago, winning the Southwest Preparatory Conference title for the first time in 13 years. Jackson finished with 583 kills and had a .355 hitting percentage. She also contributed 525 digs defensively to go along with 62 aces and 38 blocks.
21 | Kennedy Wagner, Valparaiso (Ind.), Sr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Ole Miss
Wagner hit .379 and had 432 kills for the Vikings, who finished 22-11 last fall. She chipped in 243 digs defensively to go along with 50 aces and 32 blocks.
22 | Carlie Cisneros, Liberty North (Mo.), Jr.
6-foot Outside Hitter
Committed to Arizona
Cisneros was a first-team all-state selection in 2021 for an Eagles team that went 32-4 before falling in the Class 5 quarterfinals. She led Liberty North with 389 kills on the season and added 306 digs on defense. Cisneros also recorded 32 aces and 30 blocks.
23 | Izzy Starck, Rampart (Colo.), Jr.
6-2 Setter
Committed to Penn State
A member of the Pan Am Cup team, Starck finished last season with 392 kills for the Rams, who concluded the year with a 21-6 mark. She hit .368 and had 85 aces and 50 blocks to go along with 410 assists and 257 digs.
24 | Nya Bunton, DuPont Manual (Ky.), Sr.
6-5 Middle Blocker
Committed to Texas
The Crimsons finished 22-13 in 2021, led by Bunton’s 388 kills. She also contributed 42 blocks, 38 aces and 168 digs defensively and was a gold medalist on the Pan Am Cup team in July.
25 | Alex Acevedo, Skyview (Idaho), Jr.
6-2 Outside Hitter
Committed to Oregon
Acevedo concluded her 2021 campaign with 466 kills and 376 digs for the Hawks, who were crowned Class 5A champions. A first-team all-state pick, Acevedo also had 52 aces on the year.
Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.
