Who Can Stop Seton’s Pursuit of a Third Straight DI Crown?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seton has been the bar in Division I Ohio high school girls volleyball the past few seasons. Their dominance since 2024 includes consecutive DI state titles that included just one loss over that span. Unbeaten in 2025, they have motored through the current 2026 season in equal fashion as they are unbeaten once again at the end of regular season play, proudly wearing the target as the favorite to win it all once again. With a high impact core group of arms, they also feature some of the top skill players in their ball control and distribution. Deficiency is tough identify in their effort on both sides of the ball, but those who know the game of volleyball are well aware that precision, efficiency, and low-error effort can put any team in a position to win, which can open the door for upsets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the top-ranked Seton Saints (22-0) seek a third straight Division I state title, here are some teams that could contend for a late season run and an opportunity on the final weekend in November.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ST. URSULA Bulldogs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>This team has been interesting to follow all season. They have competed through one of the toughest schedules and boast an overall record of 14-8 while finishing second in the GGCL behind Seton. Currently ranked #2 in DI, they feature a solid core group of very skilled athletes including one of the top freshman liberos in [player_tooltip player_id='935335' first='Sophie' last='Frietch']. She anchors their ball control earning 300 digs so far in her first varsity season, competing like a veteran and through a fearless approach. SUA has maintained a position high in the rankings and they have the opportunity to make good on that consideration with the big offense they can create, led by senior pin [player_tooltip player_id='480820' first='Lola' last='Waleskowski']. She finished top three in the GGCL with 257 total kills. She gets offensive support from other very capable point scorers in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='778092' first='Parker' last='Terrill'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='510903' first='Lowe' last='Long']. Both can bring power and range. Production from the middle may be the x-factor if they can get sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='774788' first='Jean' last='DeBow'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1023125' first='Abigail' last='Peterson']</strong> going. They have a combined total of 128 kills. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='582200' first='Lucy' last='Waleskowski'] is the current #1 prospect in the Ohio 2029 class. She wears multiple hats for this team as a key distributor and another point scoring threat. Heading to the postseason, she has 570 assists and 109 kills. Expect SUA to advance to the latter stages of their regional bracket. as the Bulldogs begin their postseason run as the #3 seed in the Southwest 5 sectional. They await the winner of the match between Western Hills and Springfield. Their advantage is that they know Seton and other GGCL teams well as they competed better versus Seton the second time around in pushing them to four sets.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>URSULINE Lions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Another foe from the GGCL, the Lions also faced a tough slate of competition in 2026 as they finished the 2026 regular season at 14-7 overall. Currently ranked #3 in Division I, they feature one of the top prospects in the 2027 class in [player_tooltip player_id='434971' first='Jillian' last='Forrest']. She has numbers that put her among the best in the league and will earn her a third consecutive all-league nod. The University of Washington commit finished fourth in total kills at 250 while leading the league defensively with 78 total blocks. Also in the top five offensively is junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='564942' first='Mina' last='Radaszewski']. She has steadily come into her own as a primary threat that is athletic and capable of putting some big force and movement on the ball. She provides 2.6 k/s on 197 total kills this season. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='582202' first='Kelsey' last='Green'] is the top setter in the GGCL and one of the best in Ohio across all classes and divisions. With smooth movement and delivery, she has dished 776 total assists, recently surpassing 1,700 for her varsity career thus far. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='774797' first='Natalie' last='Preyss'] has been a bright surprise simply given she sits atop the GGCL in total digs with 349 for an average of 4.7 d/s. Her skills are solid as she is quick and efficient, which will be a big asset to their offensive motor if she and her first-touch counterparts can get them in system. Ursuline, the #2 seed in the Southwest 6 sectional, opens postseason play against Winton Woods. Similar to SUA, they know Seton well as they also pushed the Saints to an extra frame the second time they played in league play.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OLENTANGY BERLIN Bears</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>As the GGCL will be well represented into the later rounds of the Division I playoffs, don't sleep on the Olentangy Berlin Bears. They are 21-1 and currently ranked #4 in the latest Ohio DI poll. They navigated their regular season slate versus some quality opponents, which included finishing the season unbeaten in the Ohio Capital-Cardinal division. They feature a corps of arms that can give some different looks offensively. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='833264' first='Jillian' last='Rode'] is their leader with a big arm and high potential for point scoring each time she takes the court. With 212 total kills on the season, she is averaging 3.1 k/s on a career best .315 efficiency. Supporting Rode on the other side of the court is junior opposite <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1054080' first='Kacey' last='Clark']</strong> at 165 total kills, just ahead of her season total from 2025 although her per set average has improved to 2.4 kills on a 42% kill rate. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='593905' first='Charlize' last='Ailes'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='907600' first='Maddie' last='Jirele'] provide additional options at 2.2 k/s and 1.9 k/s respectively. Ailes is also a top defender for the Bears at 11.1 digs per match. Leading their defense in the back row is senior veteran [player_tooltip player_id='549972' first='Addison' last='Knapke']. Committed to Northwestern in the Big10, Knapke provides a career high 17.1 d/m as she recently eclipsed 1,100 career digs. At the net, Clark and sophomore middle <strong>Sarah Ross</strong> contribute 1.6 and 3.2 b/m respectively. An advantage for this team lies in their balance on both sides of the ball. With good options offensively, their defense features five prospects between 100 and nearly 400 digs for a collective effort of over 1,200 digs and a 17.1 d/s team average. The Patriots will face Westland in their first postseason match in the Central 2 sectional. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>OLENTANGY LIBERTY Patriots</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>At 19-3 overall, 10-0 in the Ohio Capital-Central division, the Patriots found good playoff success in 2025 to set a tone for the program for this fall season as they turned to some different talent to help carry the torch. They are a dark horse as their offense is led by some youngsters as freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1005480' first='Quinn' last='Smith'] leads their effort at 3.0 k/s. She opened her varsity career with 17 kills to start the 2026 season and has been steady every since, including back-to-back double digit kills efforts in their most recent two matches to conclude the regular season. On the defensive side, senior [player_tooltip player_id='809370' first='Delaney' last='Larkin'] has increased her impact from her previous varsity seasons as she contributes 16.6 d/m, a key factor in this team's ability to win. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1051212' first='Sophia' last='Aquillo']</strong> leads the team in assists and aces at 397 and 34 respectively. The Patriots' setting tandem also includes junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1054096' first='Greta' last='Holman']</strong> who has provided 245 assists of her own, in addition to 130 kills and 28 blocks to highlight her contributions through the front row. Featuring young talent lacking some significant experience in the postseason, that could be the best advantage for this squad in allowing them to show up and compete freely without focusing on what they don't know. Larkin and Holman, along with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='502963' first='Ellyn' last='Lough'] (1.8 k/s) and [player_tooltip player_id='812224' first='Caroline' last='Scott'] (team high 57 blocks), all played supporting roles to the senior corps from 2025. Lough has some big arm speed as Scott is among league leaders defensively at the net. This new identity among a handful of athletes that have stepped in nicely to fill those shoes could do some damage over the next few weeks. The Patriots begin their postseason quest in the Central 1 sectional versus Groveport-Madison.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OTHERS TO WATCH</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>STRONGSVILLE Mustangs</strong><br>Record: 20-1 | Current Rank: #6 | Key Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='481209' first='Payton' last='Beard'] | 2027 | OH; [player_tooltip player_id='788216' first='Gianna' last='Grecol'] | 2027 | S; [player_tooltip player_id='781288' first='Calette' last='Hicks'] | 2029 | OH</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY Jaguars</strong><br>Record: 14-8 | Current Rank: #7 | Key Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='480834' first='Anne' last='Culkar'] | 2027 | OH; [player_tooltip player_id='569698' first='Milani' last='Marrero'] | 2027 | DS/L; [player_tooltip player_id='740425' first='Stella' last='Welch'] | 2029 | S</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>MASON Comets</strong><br>Record: 16-5 | Current Rank: #8 | Key Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='781702' first='Brooklyn' last='Meinberg'] | 2029 | OH; [player_tooltip player_id='769884' first='Ella' last='Groff'] | 2028 | DS/L; [player_tooltip player_id='733157' first='Preslie' last='Evans'] | 2028 | RS/OH</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->