Caleigh Ponn only held the record for kills for one season. The 6’1″ Sophie Taylor Sophie Taylor 6'1" | OH Giles | 2026 State VA broke that record this year. She rampaged through the competition leading Giles to the class 1 state championship. The previous two years they have fallen short but Sophie still won player of the year. Her selection this year gives her three straight player of the year awards.

Sophie fires missiles from the left side. She also has the ability to play six rotations. At 6’1′ she is one of the more dominant players in Virginia. She ranks number 7 in our class of 2026.

MaxPreps voted Giles the number one small school in the country. They also named her to the small school All-America second team.

In the past Sophie has played club for River Valley Juniors . Last year they competed in the Triple Crown in Kansas City. She played with Caleigh Ponn and they finished 41st out of 96 teams.

Sophis has committed to Ole Miss.

She led her River Valley Juniors team to the 17/18 gold in the East Coast championship. This was the first time I have actually seen her play since Capitol Hill Classic a couple years ago. No player in the state of Virginia exceeded her 742 kills for the year with a hitting percentage at .370. She certainly earns this top billing.

While all this offense occurred in Class 1 her River Valley Juniors team competed in the Triple Crown . When I watch her play I say to myself would she fit on the Metro 17 team that took third place in the Open at Junior Nationals. My response is without a doubt. Because of that she rises from 16 to 7 in our class of 2026 rankings .

Sophie plays a solid six rotations. Her 6’1 height and long arm extension make her difficult to stop when hitting outside. Truely a complete player.

She has committed to Ole Miss. I ran into an Ole Miss coach scouting at junior nationals in Dallas and commented to her that she got a good one in Sophie Taylor Sophie Taylor 6'1" | OH Giles | 2026 State VA .