High School State Championship Report for 2023

In this article:
To start our high school season off with a bullet serve let’s take a look at who might be the high school state champions in class 4-6 in Virginia for 2023. The public high school tryouts have been completed and teams are formed. First, let’s take a look at the defending state champion to assess their odds of repeating. After that, my state champion selection. Finally, some high schools to consider in the running.

Class 6
Alexandria City (Defending champions)
Departures – Milan Rex, Chloe Wilmot, Annalie McCarthy
Losing Gatorade Player of the Year Milan Rex hurts big time. She hit left side and also contributed to the offense with critical back row attacks. You could count on her for over 20 to 30 kills per match. Her setter, first team All State Chloe Wilmot brings a second dose of hurt to the team. Those two were the glue that put two championships together in 2020 and 2022. Annalie McCarthy was a key piece in the middle.
Key Returnees – Bridie Wendling Bridie Wendling 5'10" | OH Alexandria City | 2024 State VA , Casey Donahue Casey Donahue 5'5" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 VA , Zana Royster Zana Royster 5'6" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 VA , Harper Travis Harper Travis 5'11" | MB Alexandria City | 2024 State VA and Alicia Randall Alicia Randall 5'8" | S Alexandria | 2026 State VA .
Sophomore Alicia Randall Alicia Randall 5'8" | S Alexandria | 2026 State VA looks to take over the setting duties. Expect some early struggles as she familiarizes herself with the offense. Senior Bridie Wendling Bridie Wendling 5'10" | OH Alexandria City | 2024 State VA will provide much of the offense from the left side. The back row should be a strength with libero Zana Royster Zana Royster 5'6" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 VA and defensive specialist Casey Donahue Casey Donahue 5'5" | DS/L Alexandria City | 2025 VA returning. Senior Harper Travis Harper Travis 5'11" | MB Alexandria City | 2024 State VA will fill one of the middle slots and share the leadership responsibilities with Bridie.
Assessment – Last year I did not anticipate them to do well because they had incurred too many roster losses. Milan and Chloe were able to overcome those losses and stitch together a competitive team. I do not anticipate this happening again this year, though a battle for a District championship or second place finish still remains a possibility.
Langley (my pick for the State championship)
Departures – Eric Maebius, Sophia Galova
Libero Erica Maebius is the one big position that needs a replacement. Her passing allowed the offense to run quicks in the middle with great regularity. A good offense starts with a pass.
Key Returnees –
Chloe Hokenson
Chloe
Hokenson
6'1" | S
Langley | 2024
State
VA
(pictured above),
Claire Mo
Claire
Mo
5'9" | S
Langley | 2026
State
VA
,
Leni Stanton-Parker
Leni
Stanton-Parker
6'0" | OH
IMG Academy | 2025
#134
Nation
FL
,
Ana Toumazatos
Ana
Toumazatos
6'1" | OH
Langley | 2025
State
VA
(pictured above),
Riley Buddie
Riley
Buddie
6'1" | OH
Langley | 2024
State
VA
,
Hailey Park
Hailey
Park
5'4" | S
Langley | 2026
State
VA
,
Amber Smith
Amber
Smith
5'6" | DS/L
Langley | 2025
State
VA
Chloe Hokenson
Chloe
Hokenson
6'1" | S
Langley | 2024
State
VA
won Liberty District MVP with her ability to set and provide significant offense on the right side. At 6’1″ she provides some length at the net.
Claire Mo
Claire
Mo
5'9" | S
Langley | 2026
State
VA
sets the other piece of the 6’2″. The sophomore has gained a year more of experience, setting her club team Paramount to an appearance in junior nationals. Junior left side
Ana Toumazatos
Ana
Toumazatos
6'1" | OH
Langley | 2025
State
VA
hits the ball with serious velocity. Even at 6’0″ she has the quickness to fill one of the back row slots.
Leni Stanton-Parker
Leni
Stanton-Parker
6'0" | OH
IMG Academy | 2025
#134
Nation
FL
went back and forth between middle and outside last year. I suspect she will find a home outside this year.
Riley Buddie
Riley
Buddie
6'1" | OH
Langley | 2024
State
VA
will continue to replace Claire on the right side. The libero spot could be earned by third setter
Hailey Park
Hailey
Park
5'4" | S
Langley | 2026
State
VA
or
Amber Smith
Amber
Smith
5'6" | DS/L
Langley | 2025
State
VA
.
Assessment – Last year this team was young, with two sophomores and one frosh playing critical roles. These players have all gained another year of experience. They lost to eventual State champion Alexandria City in the quarterfinals last year. This year they should go all the way. Langley has captured state championships in 2013 and 2017. They were runners up in 2015 and 2007.
Others to Contend
Chantilly has
Lameen Mambu
Lameen
Mambu
6'0" | OH
Chantilly | 2025
State
#68
Nation
VA
. She brings offensive firepower from the front and back row. Any team that carries the top ranked player in the class of 2025 has a chance to win. The Chargers lost setter Jaylin Price, but they gained frosh
Caycee Chhum
Caycee
Chhum
5'7" | S
Georgetown Day | 2027
State
VA
, whose setting should get her a spot on the varsity roster.
Do not count out defending 2021 state champion Colgan. The loss of setter Alexis Scipione and dominating middle Brielle Kemavor will not be replaced. Senior Left side
Aubrey Hatch
Aubrey
Hatch
6'1" | OH
Colgan | 2024
State
VA
returns to lead this offense and replace the leadership lost with Alexis and Brielle’s departure. Gaining more experience and growth from sophomore
Tehillah Garrison
Tehillah
Garrison
5'9" | OH
Colgan | 2026
State
VA
will help. Middles
Jordan Miller
Jordan
Miller
5'10" | MB
Colgan | 2024
State
VA
and
Elizabeth York
Elizabeth
York
6'3" | MB/RS
Colgan | 2026
State
VA
bring skills to the court that were hidden with Brielle and Grace Smith grabbing all the playing time.
Paula Sigurani
Paula
Sigurani
5'4" | DS/L
Colgan | 2024
State
VA
returns as the libero. Setter
Maddison Bowman
Maddison
Bowman
5'6" | S
Colgan | 2024
State
VA
hopes to replace Alexis setting up the offense.
![[player_tooltip player_id='180289' first='Lilah' last='Stevens']](https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/02/Lailah.jpg?w=778)

Class 5
Midlothian (Defending Champions)
Departures – Tatum Evans, Brooke Eslinger, Halle Phelps
The loss of 6’1″ left side Tatum Evans takes a big bite out of the Trojan offense. Libero Brooke Eslinger made numerous saves with her hustling defense. She also provided some spark on the court. Halle Phelps brought a solid middle attack. In total, seven seniors were lost.
Key Returnees –
Hannah Ball
Hannah
Ball
5'11" | OH
Midlothian | 2024
State
VA
,
Alex Mazulewicz
Alex
Mazulewicz
5'11" | S
Midlothian | 2024
VA
Hannah Ball
Hannah
Ball
5'11" | OH
Midlothian | 2024
State
VA
cannot do it alone. The senior ranks number five in our class of 2024. Hoping to assist her with the offense is sophomore Dylan Cline.
Alex Mazulewicz
Alex
Mazulewicz
5'11" | S
Midlothian | 2024
VA
returns as the setter. She stands 5’11” and could help with the offense on the right side. That would give junior
Maddy Eslinger
Maddy
Eslinger
5'7" | S
Midlothian | 2025
VA
an opportunity to set. in a 6/2.
Assessment – The loss of Evans and Phelps makes this a smaller team. They may get to the State playoffs but they will fall short of winning a championship. Last year was their first ever state championship and their first appearance in the States.
Riverside (My pick for State Champion)
Departures – Ava Ray, Sage Duggal, Emma Sawruk
They need to find someone to set after the departures of Ava Ray and Sage Duggal. Emma Sawruk provided offense from the outside and played a solid back row.
Key Returnees –
Adriana Perodin
Adriana
Perodin
5'9" | OH
Riverside | 2024
State
VA
,
Natalie Carlin
Natalie
Carlin
5'4" | DS/L
Riverside | 2024
State
VA
,
Brianna Holladay
Brianna
Holladay
6'2" | MB
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
,
Simone Schaefer
Simone
Schaefer
5'11" | OH
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
,
Sydney Ray
Sydney
Ray
5'8" | S
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
They return some powerful offensive pieces in left side
Adriana Perodin
Adriana
Perodin
5'9" | OH
Riverside | 2024
State
VA
and middles
Simone Schaefer
Simone
Schaefer
5'11" | OH
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
and
Brianna Holladay
Brianna
Holladay
6'2" | MB
Riverside | 2025
State
VA
. All three of them played for Paramount, resulting in a ninth place finish in junior nationals. Libero
Natalie Carlin
Natalie
Carlin
5'4" | DS/L
Riverside | 2024
State
VA
also played for Paramount but with the 17s team. She will provide some solid play in the back row. The setting duties could be handed off to sophomores
Sydney Ray
Sydney
Ray
5'8" | S
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
or the taller
Mackenzie Davis
Mackenzie
Davis
6'0" | S
Riverside | 2026
State
VA
, who at 5’11” could impact on the right side.
Assessment – For a team that has yet to appear in the States and may rely on two sophomore setters to lead the way, a state championship may be a lot to ask. Midlothian made it for the first time to states last year, but they had a junior setter. Riverside just carries too much offense not to score points.
Others to Contend
First Colonial lost last year in the finals to Midlothian. They have some offense in Keely Heffelfinger Keely Heffelfinger 5'8" | OH First Colonial | 2024 State VA and Teagan Emdadi Teagan Emdadi 5'8" | RS First Colonial | 2026 State VA . Michigan State commit Kayla Foley Kayla Foley 5'5" | DS/L First Colonial | 2024 State VA will bring strong back row play. The last championship for First Colonial was in 2002. They have been to the final four 11 times since 2000. With this roster they will make it 12 times but fall short of a championship.
You can’t count out Massaponax with middle
Carley P Coghill
Carley
P Coghill
5'10" | MB
Massaponax | 2024
State
VA
still contributing to the offense. The loss of left side Carlie Clements will hinder the offensive output.
Cameron Cox
Cameron
Cox
5'4" | DS/L
Massaponax | 2025
State
VA
returns for libero duties and setter
Addison Higgins
Addison
Higgins
5'9" | S
Massaponax | 2025
State
VA
hopes to lead the team to two more wins at the end of the year. Last year the Panthers made their first ever appearance in the final four of the State playoffs, losing to the eventual State champion Midlothian.
The 2021 State champions Stone Bridge will still be a threat with
Lilah Stevens
Lilah
Stevens
5'9" | OH
Stone Bridge | 2024
State
VA
(pictured above) hitting from the left side.
Gabriella Flamish
Gabriella
Flamish
6'2" | OH
Stone Bridge | 2024
State
VA
also provides some offense from the pins.

Class 4
James Wood (Defending Champions and my pick to repeat)
Departures – Carsyn Vincent, Ella Kelchner
While talent was lost they have players on the roster who can fill those positions.
Key Returnees –
Kennedy Spaid
Kennedy
Spaid
5'11" | OH
James Wood | 2026
State
#157
Nation
VA
,
Brenna Corbin
Brenna
Corbin
5'5" | DS/L
James Wood | 2026
State
#166
Nation
VA
,
Paige Ahakuelo
Paige
Ahakuelo
5'8" | S
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
(pictured above),
Ashlynn Spence
Ashlynn
Spence
5'8" | MB
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
,
Lexi Taylor
Lexi
Taylor
5'6" | MB
James Wood | 2024
VA
,
Hannah McCullough
Hannah
McCullough
5'2" | S
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
Brenna Corbin
Brenna
Corbin
5'5" | DS/L
James Wood | 2026
State
#166
Nation
VA
can move from outside to libero. While she ranked number two on the team in kills libero is where the 5’5″ player belongs, even though she loves to hit. Frosh
Aaliyah Green
Aaliyah
Green
5'10" | OH/RS
Millbrook | 2027
State
VA
(Edit: Actually on Millbrook roster) possesses the talent to fill an outside position.
Kennedy Spaid
Kennedy
Spaid
5'11" | OH
James Wood | 2026
State
#157
Nation
VA
led the team in kills as a frosh last year and she returns to do even more damage as a sophomore. The two setters
Hannah McCullough
Hannah
McCullough
5'2" | S
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
and
Paige Ahakuelo
Paige
Ahakuelo
5'8" | S
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
return. The middles are small with 5’8″
Ashlynn Spence
Ashlynn
Spence
5'8" | MB
James Wood | 2024
State
VA
and 5’6″
Lexi Taylor
Lexi
Taylor
5'6" | MB
James Wood | 2024
VA
, but Class 4 tends to lack giants at the middle spots. All six of these players participated in Junior Nationals either for Blue Ridge or Paramount. The 2022 championship was the first for James Wood ending a ten year championship run by Loudoun County.
Assessment – Too much talent returning not to repeat. This team may be better than last year, with Brenna playing libero and Aaliyah hitting outside.
Others to Contend
Dominion – Last year was their first year to make a final four in the State championship. They lost to eventual State champion James Wood in four. The Titans bring back a lot of familiar names. To start how about
Juliet Correll
Juliet
Correll
DS/L
Dominion | 2025
State
VA
and
Emma Adiacontei
Emma
Adiacontei
S
Dominion | 2025
VA
at the setting position and
Alena Smith
Alena
Smith
5'9" | OH
Dominion | 2025
State
VA
,
Megan Hiltner
Megan
Hiltner
5'10" | OH
Dominion | 2026
State
VA
and
Kaitlyn Demitz
Kaitlyn
Demitz
5'11" | RS
Dominion | 2025
State
VA
at the pins.
Abigail Vasak
Abigail
Vasak
MB
Dominion | 2025
State
VA
returns as one of the middles. Their biggest loss is libero Haley Gil.
Grafton – One of these years Grafton will come out on top. The Clippers have finished second six straight years, five of those to Loudoun County and last year to James Wood. They also have eight second place finishes and 14 final four appearances. They lose setter Alondra Miranda-Pagan but perhaps they will replace her with another 5’3″ setter in sophomore Allyson Burke Allyson Burke 5'3" | DS/L Grafton | 2026 State VA . Alexis Keeter, whose father coaches the team returns as their big offensive threat.
Millbrook – They play in the same division as James Wood. Last year they won the Northwestern District but lost in the Regional semifinals to Dominion in five. Their libero
Giselle Norris
Giselle
Norris
5'6" | DS/L
James Wood | 2026
State
VA
appears to be sitting out the season and their star player Madison Koeller graduated. They still have some pop on the pins in Grace Behneke and
Berkeley Konrady
Berkeley
Konrady
6'1" | OH
Millbrook | 2025
State
VA
. They just need to find someone to pass the ball and set the pins.
Loudoun County – It appears to be another long season for the Captains. Frosh
Kayla Luther
Kayla
Luther
5'7" | OH/DS/L
Loudoun County | 2027
State
VA
will help from the outside, but a top club player appears to have opted out from playing high school. Despite the setback don’t take them too lightly.