Senior Sendoff: 2025s Competing in GJNC 18 Open

With the USAV 18U national championships set to begin soon, there are several Ohio prospects that will be culminating their club and prep careers in the coming days in Salt Lake City. Here are a few 2025 athletes, qualified into the 18 Open level, that we have been tracking for a handful of seasons. Good luck to all of them!    Finishing her prep career as one of the top setters in this Ohio class, Venard has had a very successful cycle in her senior year. Guiding her St. Ursula team to a DII Ohio state title, she has led a healthy NKYVC 18 Tsunami team to an exciting season, one of the best given the collective experience among the core group from this squad over the past few rounds. An all-Ohio selection this past season, the 6'0 setter is committed to Florida Atlantic University.     Channell has been a relevant middle her entire prep career, learning and developing immediately and across her annual cycle at Gilmour Academy and AVC. The Coastal Carolina commit grew consistently in all phases of the game even though she was making an impact at the start of her freshman year. With 850 total career kills and three state titles in which she was a significant contributor, her senior season was her best at 3.2 k/s and a 64% termination rate.       Smith is such a dynamic athlete with big hops and an aggressive and terminal arm. Her steady development led to her having a great senior season after which she will transition to her new home at East Tennessee State University. SJA has consistently been one of the top programs in Ohio and Smith was a key factor for them in her senior season with 337 total kills and a 3.9 k/s average. This included a team best 14 kills in the DI state championship match as the Jaguars claimed second place.     Another top setter in this class and another [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last=''] faithful throughout her club career, Terrill achieved a lot of success throughout her prep career. Her numbers are impressive as she earned over 2,100 total assists and nearly 600 kills for her career. Over that span she earned three selections to the all-Ohio teams, including two 1st-team nods. At 5'11, she has the full range of setting tools to run a dynamic offense with great competitive experience to pressure and advance her development along the way. She will join a solid Ohio-based DI program at Wright State next fall.     A [program_tooltip program_id='431555' first='Mintonette' last=''] mainstay for her club experience, Hunt has been a reliable point scorer her entire career at Pickerington North and during club play. A four-year contributor for the Panthers, Hunt earned 1,150 total kills for a 3.7 k/s average for her high school career. Scoring from the jump, she earned her most kills for a season in 2024 at 332 while picking up a career total of 819 digs. Hunt takes her talents to the University of New Hampshire next season.    Contributor Bio   Mike Bryant is in his 6th cycle as the lead scout for Prep Dig Ohio, helping grow the visibility and support for prospects from all areas of the state. With multiple years leading the Minnesota site prior to arriving in Ohio, he has decades of experience developing and evaluating talent as a recruiting coordinator and coach through high school, elite club, and Division I college levels that include multiple appearances in DI postseason play, medals at the GJNC as well as a 2023 Triple Crown NIT 17U gold title. You can email Mike at ohioprepdig@gmail.com

With the USAV 18U national championships set to begin soon, there are several Ohio prospects that will be culminating their club and prep careers in the coming days in Salt Lake City. Here are a few 2025 athletes, qualified into the 18 Open level, that we have been tracking for a handful of seasons. Good luck to all of them!