The IHSAA high school volleyball season is upon us, and it's time for you — the fans — to make your voices heard in The Star Press Preseason Volleyball Player of the Year poll, brought to you by IU Health.
The Preseason Player of the Year poll features 16 nominees, one from each volleyball team in The Star Press' coverage area. Nominees were pulled from our 55 volleyball players to watch list — to see the full list, click here.
The poll will run until Sunday, Aug. 30, at noon ET. You may vote as many times as you'd like. To vote ulimited, you must refresh the page after each vote. Please vote using the poll found by scrolling to the bottom of this page — votes submitted via email will not be counted.
Here's a quick look at the nominees for The Star Press Preseason Volleyball Player of the Year, sorted alphabetically by school:
- Ava Mendoza, Blackford: Mendoza led the Bruins with 137 kills while adding 179 digs and 39 aces as a sophomore. She was a Central Indiana Conference all-conference honorable mention. So far this season, she leads the team again with 32 kills through 18 sets.
- Autumn West, Blue River Valley: West led the Vikings with 308 kills and 37 blocks last season while adding 230 digs and 49 aces, both good for second on the team.
- Savannah Hall, Cowan: A three-sport standout for the Blackhawks between volleyball, basketball and softball, Hall returns for her senior year after earning all-MEC honors last season. She led Cowan with 196 kills on .245 hitting last year and also led the team in digs (237) and total blocks (70).
- Maddie Rees, Daleville: An all-conference selection in the MEC last year, Rees posted 367 kills last season and has 1,074 for her career. The senior also logged 277 digs last season and led the team with 70 aces.
- Baylee Rich, Delta: Rich is an experienced six-rotation hitter who plays fast and dynamic. She posted 107 kills, 23 aces and a team-high 310 digs last season.
- Hallie Schwieterman, Jay County: An elite three-sport athlete across volleyball, basketball and softball for the Patriots, Schwieterman will get her senior year started on the volleyball court after pacing the offense with 244 kills last year. She also tied for the team lead with 42 aces and added 152 digs and 48 total blocks.
- Raegan Quattlebaum, Monroe Central: Quattlebaum is a four-year varsity player for the Golden Bears who is also a standout wrestler and softball player. Last year, she logged 97 digs and 153 receptions across 83 sets played as a rotation player. Quattlebaum has enjoyed a strong season thus far as the starting libero with 21 digs and 29 receptions through Monroe Central's first three matches.
- JaMaria Jackson, Muncie Burris: Jackson brings elite athleticism to the Owls' frontcourt and led the team with 319 kills on .268 hitting last year. She also led the team with 68 total blocks. Jackson is already off to a strong start this season, nearly matching her career-high of 23 kills with 21 in a five-set win over Pendleton Heights on Aug. 22.
- Kendall Kahle, Muncie Central: Kahle led the reigning North Central Conference champions' offense last season with 307 kills. She also logged 255 digs and 19 total blocks in her 93 sets. She was attributed 63 errors on 470 receptions.
- Akiyah Turner, New Castle: Turner led the Trojans in kills with 308 on .172 hitting last year. She also posted a team-high 45 aces and had 199 digs.
- Khloe Goble, Shenandoah: Goble will look to replace the graduated Gabbi Patrick and Aleyna Sharritts as Shenandoah's go-to offensive player up front. She posted 26 kills in the Lady Raiders' season-opening win over Alexandria-Monroe on Aug. 19.
- Addisyn Farmer, Union (Modoc): Farmer was the Rockets' lone representative on last year's all-MEC team and will bring senior leadership to Union's defense this season.
- Nola Baker, Wapahani: Baker is by far the most productive returning player for a Wapahani team that graduated eight seniors from last year's conference and sectional championship team. As a freshman, she logged 125 kills, 138 digs, 51 aces and 13 blocks.
- Joy Toney, Wes-Del: Toney is a three-sport athlete for the Warriors who also participates in basketball and softball. Last season as a freshman, she finished second on the team with 142 kills and led the team in both aces (67) and digs (198).
- Auden Hummel, Winchester Community: One of the top senior players in the area, Hummel is one of a handful of Winchester seniors who helped lead the team to a regional title when they were sophomores. Last season, she logged 425 kills on .302 hitting and has over 1,000 kills for her career. She also posted 204 digs and 45 blocks last year. This season, the 6-foot-3 senior already has 56 kills as the Golden Falcons are off to a 4-0 start.
- Chloe Ritchie, Yorktown: One of the state's top liberos, Ritchie is a two-year varsity player for the Tigers and logged 641 digs a season ago. She also added 41 aces and had 700 serve receptions with just 32 reception errors en route to all-conference honors from the Hoosier Heritage Conference. Ritchie is the No. 3 prospect in the state for the Class of 2028 according to Prep Dig Indiana and announced her commitment to Louisville in June.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: VOTE for The Star Press IU Health Preseason Volleyball Player of the Year
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