17U Ohio: Top 3 Teams at Mid-Season
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#1 AVC CLE 17 RedThe top prospect in the Ohio 2025 class is Belle Groomes Belle Groomes 6'0" | S St. Joseph Academy | 2025 State #38 Nation OH and she is the leader of this squad that is giving…
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Continue Reading#1 AVC CLE 17 Red
The top prospect in the Ohio 2025 class is
Belle Groomes
Belle
Groomes
6'0" | S
St. Joseph Academy | 2025
State
#38
Nation
OH
and she is the leader of this squad that is giving it a good run this club season so far. Their most recent result was a 5th place finish at a very tough MEQ event in 17 Open. They finished just out of qualifying position after pushing two eventual qualifiers to the brink through extra points and sets on the final day. An earlier 5th place finish in the Nike Classic among some of the midwest’s top 18U and 17U teams set the tone for their season, which led to a very respectable 13th place result at the ultra competitive Triple Crown NIT event. Groomes, committed to national power San Diego, is supported by some other current Division I commits in pin Emma Parks (Marquette) and Lex Stutzman (Tennessee). Parks has good length at the pin while Stutzman is a solid option at the libero position.
Aubrey Anders
Aubrey
Anders
6'1" | OH
Gilmour Academy | 2025
State
OH
(Colgate) is another viable option on the pin as she can bring good power and movement.
Mi-Na Diggs
Mi-Na
Diggs
5'5" | DS/L
Gilmour Academy | 2025
State
OH
is another solid prospect in the first-touch areas as she has seen time at libero in some of their most competitive matches. In the middle are
Kayla Channell
Kayla
Channell
6'2" | MB
Gilmour Academy | 2025
State
#114
Nation
OH
and B’Lise Bradley, a tandem that has length and big upside given their ability to play with good contact above the tape on both sides of the ball. This team has good depth as other key prospects include pins
Madison Miner
Madison
Miner
5'11" | OH
Perry | 2025
State
OH
,
Chloe Smith
Chloe
Smith
5'11" | OH
Saint Joseph Academy | 2025
State
OH
, and
Natalya Bergant
Natalya
Bergant
6'0" | RS
Lake Catholic | 2025
State
OH
, along with middle
Ava Carney
Ava
Carney
6'3" | MB
Magnificat | 2025
State
OH
. They earn the top spot also given their recent convincing win over #3
Elevation
(25-16, 25-23) on day three at MEQ. With their ball control and the floor direction that Groomes provides, expect them to be in the mix to earn a coveted 17 Open bid at the upcoming Windy City Qualifier in Chicago later this month.
#2
Tri-State Elite
17 Blue
This team is competing primarily on the JVA circuit and we got a good glimpse of them at the recent Central Zone Invitational where they finished tied for 5th overall, including a two-set win over
Elevation
. They followed that up with a top-20 finish at Triple Crown and a 3rd place finish at Bluegrass. Their next big event will be the World Challenge in Louisville mid-April. This team has some really good presence in all positions including one of the better middles with length in
Ashley Sess
Ashley
Sess
6'2" | MB
Mercy McAuley | 2025
State
OH
. Sess, a Northern Kentucky commit, is 6’3 and makes a big impact on both sides of the ball, especially in the blocking phase with good reads and movement. She pairs very well with
Olivia Schmidt
Olivia
Schmidt
6'0" | MB
Badin | 2025
State
OH
(Wright State) and
Nia Jones
Nia
Jones
6'0" | MB
St. Ursula | 2025
State
OH
. Jones ads some depth at 6’1 and ability to bring big pace off of her arm. The libero is
Sakura Codling
Sakura
Codling
5'4" | DS/L
Seton | 2025
State
#77
Nation
OH
(UCLA), the top DS/L in this Ohio 2025 class. Her contributions help their setter
Addy Franz
Addy
Franz
5'11" | S
Ursuline | 2025
State
OH
(Louisiana) develop good balance of distribution and maximize the point scoring they can get from a variety of arms. Franz is a 6’0 setter that is a new addition to this team and a big upgrade with her size and skills. The pins on this team are high flyers on the left side.
Luci Heid
Luci
Heid
5'11" | OH
Badin | 2025
State
OH
(Northern Kentucky) and
Molly Creech
Molly
Creech
5'9" | OH
St. Ursula | 2025
State
OH
are at 10′ or above with their contact point that combines with big arm speed that can get the ball to the floor quickly.
Caroline Moore
Caroline
Moore
5'11" | RS
Mercy McAuley | 2025
State
OH
(Oakland) is their lefty opposite that commands respect of her own as an attacker that makes this team tough to defend when in system. Other key contributors are
Daisy Cluxton
Daisy
Cluxton
5'7" | DS/L
Seton | 2025
State
OH
(DS/L) and Sydney Crowlely (DS/L).
#3
Elevation
17 Cabo
This team has one of the top core groups of pin attackers in Ohio. Among our top-10 ranked prospects in the class of 2025 are both
Katie Gielas
Katie
Gielas
6'2" | OH
Ursuline | 2025
State
#120
Nation
OH
and
Allie Barrick
Allie
Barrick
6'0" | OH
CHCA | 2025
State
#110
Nation
OH
(Lipscomb), both of whom can terminate at a high rate from anywhere on the floor. They upgraded some of their roster with pin
Dakota Spurrier
Dakota
Spurrier
6'1" | OH
Indian Hill | 2024
State
OH
(North Florida) and setter
Ally Hughes
Ally
Hughes
5'9" | S
Roger Bacon | 2025
State
OH
(Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), one of the best and most experienced distributors in the greater Cincy area. They have good athleticism and physicality in the middle that starts with
Lindy Radaszewski
Lindy
Radaszewski
6'0" | MB
Ursuline | 2025
State
OH
(Miami) and
Katie Helmes
Katie
Helmes
5'7" | MB
Mason | 2025
OH
. Helmes is just 5’7 but is very effective as she gets off the floor well and has good court vision and arm control to take advantage of space in the opponent’s defense. Back row leadership comes from
Rainey Weidman
Rainey
Weidman
5'8" | DS/L
Ursuline | 2025
State
OH
, a much improved libero prospect in her movement efficiency and overall impact.
Malia Brinkman
Malia
Brinkman
6'1" | RS
Mount Notre Dame | 2025
State
OH
adds good depth on the pins as she can create good lift and swings with a high elbow and fast arm. As they head to the Big South Qualifier next for a 17 Open event, look for them to be among the favorites at the upcoming OVR bid event in April in Columbus that would result in a 17 National bid.
Others to Watch:
- OPVC 17 Day: Mariah Gaines Mariah Gaines 5'10" | OH Roger Bacon | 2025 State OH (OH); Zari Gillisipie (MB); Raegan Waller Raegan Waller 6'1" | MB Roger Bacon | 2025 State OH (MB); Kaylie McIntosh Kaylie McIntosh 6'1" | OH Monroe | 2025 State OH (OH); Tori Cravens Tori Cravens 5'10" | S CHCA | 2025 State OH (S)
- Mintonette m.71: Dylan Hunt Dylan Hunt 5'9" | OH Pickerington North | 2025 State OH (OH); Larsen Terrill Larsen Terrill 5'11" | S Highland | 2025 State OH (S); Jetta Brenning Jetta Brenning 5'10" | S Olentangy Liberty | 2025 State OH (S); Isabelle Thomas Isabelle Thomas 5'11" | MB Bishop Watterson | 2025 State OH (MB); Finley Sparks Finley Sparks 5'10" | OH Olentangy | 2025 State OH (OH); Keira Steininger Keira Steininger 5'5" | DS/L New Bremen | 2025 State OH (L)
- Black Swamp 171: Lyndi Wolf Lyndi Wolf 6'2" | MB Ross | 2025 State OH (MB); Parker Vackert Parker Vackert 5'11" | MB Carey | 2025 State OH (MB); Lilly Mullholand Lilly Mullholand 6'3" | MB Eastwood | 2025 State OH (RS)
- Infinity 17 Green: Abbey Emch Abbey Emch 6'4" | MB Crestview | 2025 State #122 Nation OH (MB); Reagan Price Reagan Price 5'10" | MB Lakeview | 2025 State OH (MB); Sianna Dykes Sianna Dykes 6'1" | MB Howland | 2025 State OH (OH)
- Elite VBTC 17 Black: Hailey Campagna Hailey Campagna 5'10" | OH Shekinah Christian | 2025 State #131 Nation OH (OH); Gabrielle Dials Gabrielle Dials 5'11" | MB Gahanna Lincoln | 2025 State OH (RS); Maddie Zechman Maddie Zechman 5'9" | S Dublin Scioto | 2025 State OH (S)