The West Side of the state has produced tremendous volleyball talent.
Grand Rapids has been a talent-heavy area, but the talent is still quite strong as you move out to Muskegon and the coast line out west.
In the past 12 months, a number from the Muskegon area have raised their game to an elite level. Here’s some of the best that have emerged.
[player_tooltip player_id="50295" first="Abby" last="Olin"]
Abby Olin
AbbyOlin6'3" | OHCoopersville | 2021StateMI, MH Coopersville/Inside Out (2021)
Olin was a completely dominant middle in 2019 for Coopersville, putting up 519 kills and 173 blocks. Here defensive skills at the net were hard for anyone in the state to overcome. A Michigan State commit, Olin has only gotten better during her club season with Inside Out. Coopersville was a top team in Division 2 last year and should be one in 2020 as well.
Mackenzie GrossMackenzieGross6'2" | OHGrand Haven | 2021StateMI, OH Grand Haven/MVA (2021)
Gross was a great compliment to 2019 Miss Volleyball finalist, Ashley SlaterAshleySlater5'10" | OHGrand Haven | 2020StateMI. Gross approached 400 kills in 2019, but the 6’2” outside displayed improvement over her blocking, serving and passing. Gross is in line for a big 2020 prep season as the go-to hitter
The West Side of the state has produced tremendous volleyball talent.
Grand Rapids has been a talent-heavy area, but the talent is still quite strong as you move out to Muskegon and the coast line out west.
In the past 12 months, a number from the Muskegon area have raised their game to an elite level. Here’s some of the best that have emerged.
[player_tooltip player_id="50295" first="Abby" last="Olin"]
Abby OlinAbbyOlin6'3" | OHCoopersville | 2021StateMI, MH Coopersville/Inside Out (2021)
Olin was a completely dominant middle in 2019 for Coopersville, putting up 519 kills and 173 blocks. Here defensive skills at the net were hard for anyone in the state to overcome. A Michigan State commit, Olin has only gotten better during her club season with Inside Out. Coopersville was a top team in Division 2 last year and should be one in 2020 as well.
Mackenzie GrossMackenzieGross6'2" | OHGrand Haven | 2021StateMI, OH Grand Haven/MVA (2021)
Gross was a great compliment to 2019 Miss Volleyball finalist,
Ashley SlaterAshleySlater5'10" | OHGrand Haven | 2020StateMI. Gross approached 400 kills in 2019, but the 6’2” outside displayed improvement over her blocking, serving and passing. Gross is in line for a big 2020 prep season as the go-to hitter for the Bucs. She is coming off a strong club showing with MVA during the shortened club season as well.
Samantha BoeveSamanthaBoeve5'9" | SGrand Haven | 2021MI, S Grand Haven/Inside Out (2021)
Boeve has seen improvement each of her three years with the Grand Haven varsity squad, including a big breakout 2019 season. Last fall, Boeve earned All-State honors while racking up over 1,400 assists. She also set personal bests in digs, blocks, kills and aces. Boeve has some great hitters to work with, but her timing and accuracy with her sets is what makes the Grand Haven offense sing.
Allison HallAllisonHall5'11" | MHMontague | 2021StateMI, MH/OH Montague (2021)
Hall was a captain for Montague in 2019 as a junior and her leadership came out in her play, as she put up over 450 kills and over 110 blocks. Hall doesn’t have the size of some of her opponents, but her explosiveness and athleticism allows her to be one of the most productive middles in the state.
Reilly MurphyReillyMurphy5'9" | OHMontague | 2021MI, OH Montague/Inside Out (2021)
Murphy made for a great 1-2 punch with Hall, as she was the outside force for Montague. Murphy put down over 650 kills in the 2019 season as she shows a consistent ability to terminate. Murphy also has developed her all-around game while with Inside Out and is showing a passing game that is making a lot of strides.
Raegan Murphy, S Montague/Inside Out (2021)
The Montague hitters wouldn’t be able to do what they did in 2019 without a steady setter to feed them. Murphy was that steady setter. She had over 1,550 assists in 2019, which is a top-10 performance in the MHSAA record book. Murphy also is a powerful server with nearly 100 aces while showing the ability to dig and pass at a high level as well.
Alisha Leffring, MH/OH Western Michigan Christian/FaR Out (2021)
Leffring was a standout in Division 3 in 2019, earning second team All-State honors. The 6-foot middle had the kind of footwork and blocking ability you like to see in a middle, while displaying the ability to terminate at a high level. She’s continued to raise her game with FaR Out and will be a dominant player in Division 3 in 2020.
Rayne ThompsonRayneThompson5'11" | OHWhitehall | 2022StateMI, OH/MH Whitehall (2022)
Thompson showed a lot of superior play as a sophomore for Whitehall, putting up over 450 kills for the Vikings as their top hitter. She also led the team in blocks while being near the top in digs and aces. Thompson is putting herself in position to be a top hitter in the Class of 2022.
Honorable Mention: Elena Vaara, MH/OH Ludington/Team Angle (2021);
Syann FairfieldSyannFairfield6'0" | MHNorth Muskegon | 2021MI, MH North Muskegon/FaR Out (2021);
Alexis StraitAlexisStrait5'4" | SWhite Cloud | 2021MI, S White Cloud (2021);
Rachel CarlsonRachelCarlson5'11" | MHAllendale | 2021MI, MH Allendale/MVA (2021);
Brianna StawskiBriannaStawski6'0" | MHReeths-Puffer | 2022MI, MH Reeths-Puffer/Inside Out (2021);
Kyla WiersemaKylaWiersema6'0" | MHWestern Michigan Christian | 2022StateMI, MH/OH Western Michigan Christian/Team Angle (2022); Emily May, MH Coopersville/Inside Out (2023);
Hayley WegenerHayleyWegener5'10" | SGrant | 2023StateMI, S Grant/Inside Out (2023).
AbbyOlin6'3" | OHCoopersville | 2021StateMI, MH Coopersville/Inside Out (2021)