Volleyball Watch List: Top talent fills 919 area entering 2023
HighSchoolOT is previewing the upcoming volleyball season with its annual watch list across the state's six area codes.
The 919 area code refers to the Triangle counties of Wake, Durham, Orange as well as Johnston, Chatham, Lee, Wayne, Granville, and Franklin. In our preseason rankings, Millbrook is the top-ranked volleyball team in the 919. The Wildcats are also ranked first in the overall state rankings.
Here's what you need to know about HSOT Watch Lists:
- Unlike previous years, there was no set number of athletes on each one.
- The Watch List organizes athletes by county and then lists them alphabetically.
- Being on the HSOT Watch List does NOT factor into future awards, like HSOT All-State and HSOT Honors.
- Last year's all-state team and final rankings are listed at the bottom of this story, as is this year's preseason rankings.
- Each player has a quick list of accomplishments from this past season. Accomplishments from previous seasons are noted by what year they occurred in.
- Sometimes transfers happen in the offseason and we are unaware. If that's the case with any athlete below, please notify us at jmbpreps@gmail.com
The 919 volleyball HSOT Watch List features the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Millbrook's KiKi Horne.
Millbrook enters the year as the reigning NCHSAA 4A champ, while North Raleigh Christian claimed its eighth straight NCISAA title last year.
Granville and Franklin counties
Chapman Burnette, J.F. Webb (senior)
- 44 aces
- 469 digs (6.4/set, 20.4/match)
Tess DeZurik, Falls Lake Academy (sophomore)
- 67 kills
- 49 aces
- 663 assists (8.8/set) -- 24/1665 BHE
Delaney Lowery, Oxford Prep (senior)
- 175 kills (2.4/set, 45.6 kill%)
- 59 aces
- 222 blocks
- 192 digs (2.6/set, 7.7/match)
Mikayla Taborn, Franklinton (senior)
- 192 kills (2.1/set, 44.2 kill%)
- 20 aces
- 267 blocks
- 86 digs
Angelica Turnage, Franklinton (junior)
- 226 kills (2.5/set, 41.1 kill%)
- 29 aces
- 237 blocks
- 315 digs (3.5/set, 12.1/match)
Chloe Webster, Louisburg (senior)
- 321 kills (3.9/set, 47.1 kill%)
- 51 aces
- 30 blocks
- 179 digs (2.2/set, 8.5/match)
Lee and Chatham counties
Karaleigh Dodson, Chatham Central (junior)
- 188 kills (2.2/set, 50.7 kill%)
- 37 aces
- 59 blocks
- 42 digs
Maris Huneycutt, Seaforth (junior)
- 48 kills
- 75 aces
- 139 digs (2.0/set, 7.0/match)
- 574 assists (8.3/set) -- 4/1723 BHE
Keira Rosenmarkle, Seaforth (sophomore)
- 298 kills (4.3/set, 36.2 kill%)
- 21 aces
- 22 blocks
- 118 digs (1.7/set, 5.9/match)
Reagan Smith, Jordan-Matthews (senior)
- 188 kills (2.6/set, 39.6 kill%)
- 62 aces
- 90 blocks
- 191 digs (2.6/set, 9.1/match)
Josephine Valgus, Woods Charter (sophomore)
- 442 kills (6.1/set, 40.5 kill%)
- 48 aces
- 11 blocks
- 268 digs (3.7/set, 12.2/match)
Wayne and Johnston counties
Emily Bobbitt, Corinth Holders (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 297 kills (4.6/set, 43.0 kill%)
- 53 aces
- 29 blocks
- 197 digs (3.1/set, 10.9/match)
- 224 assists (3.5/set) -- 8/804 BHE
- Iowa State recruit
- HSOT Honorable Mention all-state in 2020
Clara Coles, C.B. Aycock (senior)
- 150 kills
- 23 aces
- 41 blocks
Hailey Evans, Clayton (senior)
- 231 kills (2.6/set, 45.9 kill%)
- 22 aces
- 43 blocks
- 79 digs
Sierra Faulkner, West Johnston (senior)
- 201 kills (2.1/set, 37.9 kill%)
- 85 aces
- 32 blocks
- 261 digs (2.7/set, 9.7/match)
- 395 assists (4.1/set) -- 27/446 BHE
Sadie Johnston, Cleveland (junior)
- 26 aces
- 404 digs (4.5/set, 15.0/match)
Lannah Price, South Johnston (junior)
- 260 kills (2.8/set, 35.4 kill%)
- 96 aces
- 265 digs (2.8/set, 10.2/match)
Orange and Durham counties
Julie Finazzo, Northern Durham (junior)
- 20 aces
- 288 digs (4.3/set, 15.2/match)
Sophia Finazzo, Northern Durham (junior)
- 51 aces
- 157 digs (2.3/set, 8.3/match)
- 324 assists (4.8/set) -- 22/909 BHE
Addie Reid, Cedar Ridge (senior)
- 90 kills (1.4/set, 44.6 kill%)
- 31 blocks
Catherine Rucker, Carrboro (senior)
- HSOT Honrable Mention all-state
- 397 kills (4.5/set, 49.7 kill%)
- 59 aces
- 11 blocks
- 122 digs (1.4/set, 4.5/match)
- Elon recruit
Hannah Smith, Eno River Academy (senior)
- 157 kills (2.1/set, 55.1 kill%)
- 18 aces
- 44 blocks
Laynie Smith, Chapel Hill (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 309 kills (4.1/set, 60.5 kill%)
- 11 aces
- 33 blocks
- 54 digs
- Illinois recruit
Rudy VanGelder, Carrboro (junior)
- 68 aces
- 142 digs (1.6/set, 5.3/match)
- 771 assists (8.9/set)
Ella Wimsatt, Orange (senior)
- 230 kills (3.2/set, 34.1 kill%)
- 29 digs
- 220 digs (3.1/set, 10.5/match)
Wake County
Charlotte Bell, Cardinal Gibbons (junior)
- 175 kills (2.1/set, 48.7 kill%)
- 31 blocks
- Wofford recruit
Ella Bennett, North Raleigh Christian (junior)
- 39 kills
- 25 blocks
- 90 digs
- 579 assists (7.6/set) -- 34/1790 BHE
Macey Boyer, Wake Christian (senior)
- 347 kills (3.3/set, 37.6 kill%)
- 64 aces
- 368 digs (3.5/set, 11.5/match)
Olivia Braswell, GRACE Christian of Raleigh (senior)
- 132 kills (1.8/set)
- 70 aces
- 27 blocks
- 213 digs (2.9/set, 8.9/match)
- 542 assists (7.3/set) -- 17/1387 BHE
Marlee Cook, Green Hope (senior)
- Moved from Ashley High in Wilmington
- 117 kills (1.2/set, 33.1 kill%)
- 60 aces
- 225 digs (2.3/set, 7.5/match)
- 763 assists (7.7/set) -- 33/1950 BHE
Avery Grantham, Millbrook (senior)
- 129 kills (1.6/set, 58.1 kill%)
- 35 blocks
Genevieve Harris, Cardinal Gibbons (sophomore)
- 74 kills
- 20 aces
- 32 blocks
- 175 digs (2.2/set, 7.0/match)
- 744 assists (9.2/set) -- 47/1898 BHE
Kiki Horne, Millbrook (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 522 kills (5.7/set, 58.5 kill%)
- 44 aces
- 37 blocks
- 220 digs (2.4/set, 7.3/match)
- UCLA recruit
Macy Leyda, Cardinal Gibbons (senior)
- 269 kills (3.2/set, 38.9 kill%)
- 23 aces
- 18 blocks
- 182 digs (2.2/set, 7.0/match)
Breanna McMillan, Millbrook (junior)
- 156 kills (1.6/set, 53.4 kill%)
- 27 aces
- 34 blocks
- 191 digs (2.0/set, 6.4/match)
- 424 assists (4.4/set)
Kate Passey, GRACE Christian of Raleigh (senior)
- 225 kills (3.0/set, 48.9 kill%)
- 48 aces
- 61 blocks
- 63 digs
Belle Patrick, Green Hope (senior)
- HSOT 2nd team all-state
- 340 kills (4.1/set, 40.8 kill%)
- 54 aces
- 20 blocks
- 156 digs (1.9/set, 6.2/match)
- Virginia Tech recruit
- HSOT 3rd team all-state in 2021
Sally Perez, Middle Creek (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 462 kills (5.1/set, 48.5 kill%)
- 71 aces
- 20 blocks
- 181 digs (2.0/set, 6.7/match)
- UCLA beach volleyball recruit
Brooke Poppe, Heritage (senior)
- 48 aces
- 149 digs (1.9/set, 6.0/match)
- 318 assists (4.0/set) -- 6/910 BHE
- Florida State beach volleyball recruit
Katie Raymer, Apex (sophomore)
- 39 aces
- 12 blocks
- 144 digs (1.9/set, 6.3/match)
- 601 assists (8.1/set) 44/1734 BHE
Zoe Richardson, North Raleigh Christian (junior)
- 195 kills (2.6/set, 33.0 kill%)
- 29 aces
- 239 digs (3.2/set, 8.9/match)
Alina Ryan, Cardinal Gibbons (junior)
- 217 kills (2.6/set, 37.3 kill%)
- 43 aces
- 17 blocks
- 225 digs (2.7/set, 8.7/match)
- 117 assists (1.4/set) -- 1/293
Avery Scoggins, Middle Creek (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 79 kills
- 57 aces
- 34 blocks
- 173 digs (1.9/set, 6.7/match)
- 830 assists (9.3/set) -- 21/1789 BHE
- Arizona recruit
Lily Slaymaker, Wakefield (senior)
- 99 kills (1.4/set, 49.7 kill%)
- 146 blocks
Asia Thigpen, Green Level (senior)
- HSOT 1st team all-state
- 274 kills (4.5/set, 50.6 kill%)
- 26 aces
- 171 digs (2.8/set, 8.6/match)
- Kentucky recruit
- HSOT 1st team all-state at Northwood in 2021
Josie Zynczak, Middle Creek (senior)
- 250 kills (2.7/set, 44.0 kill%)
- 49 blocks
- 94 digs (1.0/set, 3.5/match)
