Capturing three consecutive Div. 1 high school girls volleyball state championships might be enough reason for Newton North to ease up on the gas pedal.
No such luck. “The girls bring a lot of hard work to the season,” said Newton North coach Nile Fox. “They make goals in the beginning of the season and go after all of them. A lot of success comes from the preparation we do. We practice hard work on things that we struggle with and we make sure we know all that we can about our opponents.”
Challengers await, but in chasing another crown, the Tigers will lean on All-Scholastic junior setter Sasha Selivan (115 kills, 77 aces). Seniors Alayna O’Connell, Charlotte Pernisie, Cindy Qiao and Ella Tulimieri are also slated to return.
Runner-up Brookline is bringing back 10 players, including All-Scholastic outside hitter Emilie Ferdinand, All-Star Bella Bacon and Noga Naveh.
All-Stars Sadie Stants and Lizzy Tam are back for Needham, along with Eleanore Abbey, Coco Cusick, Raleigh Dellamarggio, Bella Lee and Arianna Tu.
Haley Carter, Olivia Leonardo and Sage Young will pave Attleboro’s path. Joining them are Nancy Ayisenga, Sophia Jaegar, Sienna Quaglia and Lilliana Wiese.
Franklin will be led by middle blocker Olivia Alberti and All-Star outside hitter Makayla Kuykendall. Emerson Delleo and Charlotte Yeulenski are also starting.
Mia Moorman and Laura Putt are the Acton-Boxboro middle blockers, while Carolyn Wang will be the setter. Sanskriti Nistala (defensive specialist/outside hitter) and Maria Paes (defensive specialist/opposite hitter) supply further depth and versatility.
Outside hitters Caroline Dunn and Ella Graham are the Bishop Feehan captains. Brooke Mitchell and Keira Reid will do the setting, while Mia Barnes will hit from the right side.
All-Star setter Gabby Pattie and middle blocker Sofiah Wightman Kraus will take leading roles for Hopkinton. Other returners are Georgia Flynn, Ciara Kelly, Sydney Stephen, Addy Walls and Evie Woodbury.
Westborough moves up to Div. 1 after securing back-to-back Div. 2 state titles. The Rangers feature Sady Allen, Leila Ditullio, Charlotte Dullea, Grace Hadley, Kathleen O’Reilly, Al Regnier and Katie Xia.
Middle blocker Olivia Leyden (over 100 kills, 50 blocks) and setter Ottavia Lodovico are the captains for Div. 2 semifinalist Westwood, while Annelise Beaumont and Mimi Demien will be the defensive specialists/liberos. Lulu Fenton (73 digs), Avery Herlihy, Narintra Kamolratanapiboon, Jennifer Lin and Veronica Reeves are also coming back.
Barnstable has two returning starters, Jazzy Coyer and Bella Magalhaes. Coyer, a libero, led the RedHawks in aces (45), digs (264) and service receptions (469) in 2024. Magalhaes (29 blocks) shifts from middle to outside hitter.
Oliver Ames has four juniors ready to return in opposite hitter Taylor Donohue, setter Lyla McDonough, libero Molly Milliken and outside hitter Chelsea Wagner.
All-Stars Meghan Downs (323 assists), Emma Johnson (42 aces) and Kendra Marino (117 kills) will spearhead Billerica’s 2025 campaign.
Middlesex All-Conference star Sabine Wenzel, Emme Boyer and Anna Burns will guide Melrose, while Sadie Smith is back at setter.
Wakefield returns All-Star middle hitter Lila Arkinstall. Cara Carangelo will play as an outside hitter and a libero, and Mia Kenny will hit from the outside. Wayland is another team worth keeping an eye on.
Div. 3 state champion Medfield retains Tri-Valley League MVP outside hitter Kendall Larkin. Teagan Clayton, Ava Pender and Lia Raut are the setters. Rebecca Coulombe, Ashley Fessenden, Ellie Hennessy, Liana Kane, Maya Romangolo, Jordan Sanderson and Kiley Weafer return as well.
Eleanor Wilkins and Nevaeh Yancey are the outside hitters for Weston, and setter Riley Huml (2,110 career assists) will chase the state assists record. Florence Bangalie and Kearney Dickie are middle blockers, with Ainsley Fachner and Kaya Kasdon bolstering the defense.
All-Scholastic Mia Milani (275 kills, 89 aces) and Val Nolan (240 kills, 78 aces) are the Bellingham outside hitters, with Sophia Soto (399 digs) at libero. Mia Bartucca and Jacobi Houston will do the setting, and Aubrey Callery and Caitlyn Hebert will block in the middle. Maddy Deoliveira will be the opposite hitter.
Case brings back senior outside hitters Madilyn Botelho (over 500 career kills, over 500 career digs) and Alanna Martinez, as well as sophomore setter Madyson Silva (over 700 assists). Madison Mendoca will anchor the defense, and Olivia Santos will cover the middle.
Dennis-Yarmouth presents a young roster. The Dolphins captain is setter Rafaela Prebianchi, with Sophia Cantwell at libero and Giulianna DeSouza at outside hitter.
Div. 4 state champion Ipswich is captained by outside hitter Alexandra Angell and setter Tea Princi. Percy Altieri, Becca Cody, Kirsten Cole, Lily Cummins, Emma Eliot, Leila Harb, Amani Makuwa and Julia Reed will also retake the court.
“After winning four back-to-back championships, our goal has not changed,” Ipswich coach Brian Reed said. “We are working hard to be competitive and will approach each match with a point & set mindset.”
Ursuline senior outside hitter Carly Tarantola returns from injury. Additionally, the Bears bring back Grace Hurley, Sydney Long, Rowan Luber, Maddie Lubov, Lily Simpson and Lauren Young.
All-Scholastic outside/middle hitter Nola Timo and setter/opposite hitter Sofia Halunen lead Div. 5 state champion Bourne, which moves up to Div. 4 and also showcases Arriane McCarthy, Avery Morrill, Michaela Muldoon, Madelyn Rossignoll and Lily Russell. Millis is also expected to make noise out of the Tri-Valley League.
In Div. 5, runner-up Whitinsville Christian should be a top threat to win the title.
