Top Offensive Prep Teams Entering 2026, Part 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we are now into May, the 2026 prep volleyball season isn't too far away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kids are wrapping up their club seasons and getting ready to put in the work to make a run at a state title come August.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking ahead, there's a lot of high-offensive potential around the state, with some teams returning a plethora of talent. Here's the third part of our look at some of the top returning offenses in the state for 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Lowell</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Red Arrows had a relatively young attack in 2025, but that should lead to a lot of chemistry and depth in 2026. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='839870' first='Harper' last='Schaedig'] </strong>led the team in kills as a sophomore and will be back to lead the offense in 2026. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='888958' first='Ellery' last='Bieneman'] </strong>is a dynamic 2029 middle that showed a lot of promise as a freshman as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='919157' first='Delaney' last='Lowe']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834919' first='Lily' last='Dyer'] </strong>each had over 200 kills for Lowell as well, with both returning in 2026. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='806256' first='Laney' last='Bieneman'] </strong>is a returning setter as a senior, so this offense should be rolling right from the start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Marian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs are always an offensive force and that shouldn't change in 2026. Marian will need a new starting setter, but that's never been a big challenge for this program. The new setter will have a lot of explosive arms to get the ball to, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569767' first='Quinn' last='Nelson']</strong>, who was one of the breakout outside hitters in the state last fall as a sophomore. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='436889' first='Sophia' last='Smith'] </strong>(Boston College) is a dominant right side that can power the ball as well as anyone, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='454352' first='Calli' last='LeFevre'] </strong>has the potential to be great if she can bounce back from injuries. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='828552' first='Cecilia' last='Murray']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569774' first='London' last='Gibson']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443000' first='Samantha' last='Monroe'] </strong>also were steady finishers last fall and can be big assets in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Marshall</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Redhawks had one of the top freshman performances in the country last fall with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='776808' first='Brynn' last='Johnson']</strong> making her presence known with a dominant season on the outside. She will have <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523415' first='Peyton' last='Tarmnel'] </strong>and <strong>Claire Kelly </strong>returning as seniors to help provide additional offensive sparks. <strong>Addie Carden </strong>is also returning at setter after a breakout sophomore season feeding the ball to Johnson and the rest of the offense. Look for Marshall to keep putting the ball away in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Mercy</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Division 1 state champs aren't going to be looking to take a step back in 2026. With the returning offensive talent, Mercy could come back even stronger. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442987' first='Kate' last='Kalczynski'] </strong>(Penn State) is one of the most well-balanced players in the state and she will lead the Mercy charge in 2026. She's going to have some explosive talent alongside her, especially in the middle with 6'5” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569766' first='McKenzie' last='Andrews']</strong> and 6'2” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='885468' first='Saniya' last='Tucker']</strong> returning. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587002' first='Cydnee' last='Speights'] </strong>could see increased opportunities as well as a returning hitter that produced in 2025. At setter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='709559' first='Kaelyn' last='Easton'] </strong>is one of the top 2029 setting prospects in the country. She has exceled in every situation she's been in and should have Mercy as one of the top offenses in the state this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fighting Irish are another team that always find ways to put a productive offense on the court. Coming into 2026, they have a great 1-2 punch on the outsides with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='765789' first='Vanessa' last='Artinian'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523848' first='Nicole' last='McDowell']</strong>. These two have a lot of explosiveness at the net. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='586781' first='Tessa' last='Bordogna']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='726340' first='Stephanie' last='Lulaj']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='770747' first='Campbell' last='Bordogna'] </strong>will also be returning hitters that were contributors for the Irish in 2025. NDP should have plenty of moving parts, which will give the offense flexibility and make them unpredictable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Orchard Lake St. Mary's</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eaglets keep getting stronger with each season and 2026 should see this team take another step forward. OLSM returns the majority of its roster, led by dynamite outside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='470031' first='Avery' last='Kapeller']</strong> (Georgetown), who heads up an impressive senior class for the Eaglets. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490043' first='Katelynn' last='Dabish'], Anna Duggan</strong> and <strong>Reese Holton</strong> provided nice offensive sparks last season as juniors, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='720520' first='Alexis' last='Donovan']</strong> had a promising showing as a sophomore. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710832' first='Anneliese' last='Weber'] </strong>is a strong setter that had an injury sideline her for most of 2025, but she will be back as a senior in 2026 to play along fellow senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486863' first='Lindsey' last='Schwegman']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Plymouth Christian</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A smaller program that always brings plenty of offensive firepower is PCA. The Eagles will be led by senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523872' first='Anika' last='Jaroszewski']</strong>, who has a lot of experience and has already gelled with returning hitters like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523905' first='Madisyn' last='Bowman']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='587016' first='Lillian' last='Bowman']</strong>, a great 1-2 punch of length in the middle and outside, respectively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890647' first='Madi' last='Lund']</strong> is also a returning 6-foot middle that can be an imposing force up front.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->