What Wisconsin Sophomores Are Ready For a Breakout Season?

The sophomore season.  There's no slump for these athletes.  In covering high school volleyball, I typically see the greatest improvement from freshman to sophomore year.  There are plenty of factors.  Another year of overall maturity, club, they know the routine of high school as well as high school volleyball, which usually propels to a big sophomore season.  Here are some athletes who are ready for a sophomore breakout year.     I was able to see [player_tooltip player_id='1002030' first='Alyssa' last='Kevilus'] at the Prep Dig Sizzle just over a week ago where she was a standout for Northland Pines. That squad is going to win a lot of matches this upcoming season with their blend of balance of athleticism. Kevilus is a lengthy pin attacker who has a high contact point and knows how to find the split in the block. She can also go high hands where she has no fear in swinging big. They were 23-14 in 2025, but with the play of Kevilus as well as their incoming senior class they are going to be a team to watch in the North.     Grafton was a little bit of a sleeper team last year all the way to the state championship where they were the runner up finishers. They will definitely not be sleepers this upcoming season where [player_tooltip player_id='771608' first='Addison' last='Lempke'] is going to be one of the top 2029s on the right side where her high left handed swing is going to be a problem for opponents. She will also be able to lockdown an opposing attacker as well with her block. Another sophomore for Grafton to take note of will be [player_tooltip player_id='915810' first='Brooke' last='Vanden Berg'] who had over 100 kills as a freshman.     [player_tooltip player_id='760849' first='Attigun' last='Benz'] can pack a punch from the outside where she is a high flying point scorer. She will be heading into her sophomore season after she already made noise as a freshman for Johnson Creek. She notched 329 kills and nearly 100 digs. With an expanded all around game she will be one who can score plenty from the pin, but can be one who can score points out of the backrow as well as the service line.     Mayville is going to be a team to know this upcoming season. They were 21-13 in 2025, returning a large core of their team. [player_tooltip player_id='1005793' first='Brielle' last='Ehlers'] made an impact with 184 kills, 64 blocks, and hit .285. Another incoming sophomore for the Cardinals will be their setter in Neva Middlesdat who had over 400 assists. This squad was able to see some tough competition at the Prep Dig Sizzle where they proved they could go toe to toe with much larger schools with formidable talent.     Waterloo was one match short of the state tournament last year and they have a real shot of advancing further in 2026. They have a strong core of returners back after finishing 24-10 in 2025. [player_tooltip player_id='522967' first='Lilli' last='Lauersdorf'] was one of the top freshmen kill scorers in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='915852' first='Emma' last='Crave'] did a little bit of everything for the Pirates. She collected over 500 assists, 236 digs, and 110 kills. Her dynamic skill set allows her to make plenty of positive touches for her side of the net.     [player_tooltip player_id='522523' first='Addison' last='Kiekhaefer'] has been a key piece to the success of Spiketown 16.1 the past two season where she has played up an age group. Appleton East could be a sneaky good team this upcoming fall. Kiekhaefer had 374 assists and 194 digs in her freshman campaign. She could be one to run the entire show this season. Another rising sophomore for the Patriots will be [player_tooltip player_id='739559' first='Adina' last='DePagter'] who led the team in kills in 2025.     Fond du Lac will be a team to watch in the FVA where they have one of the top outside hitters in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='510426' first='Ellisyn' last='Shultis'] who notched over 400 kills, she is a Green Bay commit. [player_tooltip player_id='732377' first='Liberty' last='Gessner'] could see a more expanded role as a setter this season. As a freshman she collected 323 assists. The FVA will once again be a power packed conference and Fondy will be one looking to make waves.     Winneconne had a nice 2025 season where they finished 23-8 and 7-1 in the Bay Conference. This is building into a tough conference with the likes of Fox Valley Lutheran and Xavier. [player_tooltip player_id='918278' first='Tess' last='Immel'] made an impact early for the Wolves where she had 229 assists. She will be a solid combination with rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='506067' first='Bailey' last='Church']. Winneconne recently competed at the Prep Dig Sizzle where they finished 2nd in the Dana Rettke bracket. Immel had a strong offseason setting at [program_tooltip program_id='428591' first='FC' last='Elite'] where her length and athleticism is something to take note of.     [player_tooltip player_id='522077' first='Briah' last='DeBoard'] was the starting libero for Appleton North as a freshman in 2025 and was a key defensive specialist for [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 15 Gold this past club season where they were 15 Open qualifiers. She picked up over 300 digs and will be a key piece in their serve receive scheme. She has a lot of length and athleticism she brings to the libero position where she could even be an option as an outside hitter. A very high IQ player, DeBoard elevates the game of those around her.     Tosa East definitely made a statement in 2025 going 22-13 where they have a rugged schedule. A rising sophomore who will be key for their success is [player_tooltip player_id='771899' first='Juliet' last='Otto']. She does a little bit of everything where she is a setter/attacker combo player for the Raiders. She was a setter for [program_tooltip program_id='428672' first='Milwaukee' last='Sting'] 15 Gold who made it to the crossover rounds at nationals where they were among the top 24 teams in the country. As a freshman she had 438 assists, 231 digs, and over 150 kills. This should be a fun team to track in 2026.

The sophomore season. There's no slump for these athletes. In covering high school volleyball, I typically see the greatest improvement from freshman to sophomore year. There are plenty of factors. Another year of overall maturity, club, they know the routine of high school as well as high school volleyball, which usually propels to a big sophomore season. Here are some athletes who are ready for a sophomore breakout year.