Carrington Has Plenty to Build On Heading Into 2026

<a href="https://prepdig.com/subscribe/">More than 150 college coaches shared this article. Join PrepDig and get 30% off with code "digdakotas30."</a>   <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigdakotas/?hl=en">Follow on Instagram@prepdigdakota</a>   Carrington came one match away from the Division A state tournament last fall. The Cardinals went unbeaten in Region 2A during the regular season, reached the region championship, and played their way into a state qualifier.   Now two All-State players are back.   [player_tooltip player_id='832655' first='Harper' last='Kollman'] enters her senior season on the outside. [player_tooltip player_id='930172' first='Aniston' last='Hoornaert'] returns as a junior setter. Carrington was young in several spots a year ago, so there are players coming into this season with more court time than they had walking into last August.    [player_tooltip player_id='832655' first='Harper' last='Kollman'] had 319 kills, 516 digs, 35 aces, and 27 blocks as a junior, earning Second Team Division A All-State honors. (According to maxprep.com)   I watched Kollman at the Hi-Liner Classic last season, and the six-rotation piece stood out. She's comfortable taking swings on the pin, and she doesn't disappear when she rotates into the back row. She passes, defends, and handles a lot of touches.   Now it's her senior year, and I expect Carrington to lean on that experience. She will be there not just when they need a kill. Kollman has played enough volleyball at this level to know when her team needs some energy, when things need to settle down, and when it's time to demand the next ball. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas     1,130 assists as a sophomore gets your attention.   Hoornaert added 311 digs, 44 aces, 70 kills, and 36 blocks and earned Second Team Division A All-State. Those numbers are huge for a setter. (According to maxprep.com)   She can attack when she's front row. She's active at the net. Her serve can score. Then there are more than 1,100 assists from running this offense all season.   I like that she gets Kollman back for another year, too. That connection doesn't have to be built in August. They've played the reps together, including the ones late in the season when the pressure looked a little different.   And she's doing all of this heading into just her junior season. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas     [player_tooltip player_id='830737' first='Calleigh' last='Hewitt'] gives Carrington experience right through the middle, and she showed late last season that she can handle being a real offensive option.   I like a middle who makes herself available. Hewitt can get up, be an option in transition, and make the setter think about going back to her instead of automatically pushing everything outside. She also works at the net defensively and can change a point with the block.   Her senior role goes beyond that. Hewitt was being talked about as a leader before last season, and now she's one of the experienced players in this gym. Middle can be a tough position to lead from because you're constantly moving, communicating on the block, and working with players on both sides of you. Hewitt has been doing that. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas     [player_tooltip player_id='835674' first='Marah' last='Johnson'] plays with some edge, and I like that from the outside.   She's aggressive with her swings and doesn't look afraid to challenge a block. Johnson can hit a powerful right cross, work the hands, and find different ways to finish instead of relying on one shot. She also plays strong defense, which was especially evident during Carrington's postseason run.   What stands out to me about Johnson heading into this year is her confidence. She was a sophomore putting up 16 kills and 32 digs in a five-set region semifinal. That's a young pin being asked to do quite a bit when the match mattered. (According to maxprep.com)   She's no longer the younger outsider trying to find her way. Johnson comes into this season knowing she can handle those points. I could see her being a much bigger part of what Carrington does offensively this fall. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas     [player_tooltip player_id='930173' first='Maara' last='Kutz'] is another reason Carrington doesn't have to live on the outside.   She works through the middle, gets herself up as an option, and showed last season that she can score when Hoornaert goes her way. Kutz had 10 kills in the five-set region semifinal against Thompson, but I'm more interested in what that tells us than the number itself. Hoornaert was comfortable going to a sophomore middle as the season tightened. (According to maxprep.com)   That connection gets another year together.   Kutz can make life easier on Carrington's pins if she's scoring enough to hold the opposing middle. Defensively, she's got another year to get stronger with her reads and closing the block. She's a junior now, and I think Carrington has more to use. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas     The back row needs somebody willing to work, and [player_tooltip player_id='953701' first='Journey' last='Peltier'] showed she can handle a lot of balls when Carrington needed it. Her 38 digs in the region semifinal against Thompson weren't empty numbers. In a five-set match, she kept giving Carrington chances to get back into a system and take another swing.   That's the kind of senior play that can hold a team together. Not every big point ends with somebody pounding a ball off the floor. Occasionally it's the defender who refuses to let it hit the floor in the first place.   Peltier gives Carrington that experience behind the block, and with the offensive options they have returning, keeping rallies alive could be a pretty important part of this team's success. ~Theresa@prepdigdakotas    Carrington was one match away from state last fall, and this roster provides us plenty of reasons to keep the Cardinals in the conversation.   Kollman and Hewitt are seniors. Hoornaert is an All-State junior setter. Johnson showed what she can do in a postseason match, and Kutz gives Carrington another junior through the middle. There is also experience behind them. It doesn't guarantee Carrington anything. Division A won't make the road easy. But this isn't an article built around two returning stars anymore. There is a group here. After reviewing what some of these players were doing late last season, I want to get eyes on Carrington early this fall.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thank you to all my readers for making this journey possible. My goal has always been simple: to shine a light on athletes at every level, from Division I to NAIA, and give them a platform to keep chasing their love for the game. Every player deserves a shot, and I'm honored to help tell their stories.</h2>   Please help us continue to grow this positive platform for players by spreading the word and encouraging your friends to subscribe at PrepDig.com. With your support, we can create unforgettable memories and experiences!   The village, along with athletes, coaches, families, and subscribers, creates this journey.   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Thank you for making it all possible! ~ Theresa Hickman</h4>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Follow on Instagram@prepdigdakotas</h3>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Case You Missed It</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/08/image-8-2.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1020878" /></figure> </figure>

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