Local girls volleyball teams ready to dig in on the court

2025 has been a bumpy season for Class 3A NorthWood, as the Panthers secured the IHSAA Class 3A Wawasee Sectional and NorthWood Regional titles, but lost in the Huntington North Semistate championship. Returning to the court in 2026 are seven varsity players, including senior Ella Branham and senior Krystal Hershberger. Head coach Hilary Laidig remains confident in the team's potential to achieve goals previously set by prior Final Four appearances.

In Class 4A, Northridge has a dozen letterwinners returning from their 22-10 squad, led by seniors Alli Steele and Myah Miller, and junior Sami Kantz. Head coach Jodie Steele expresses excitement about this year's schedule, as they challenged themselves early to prepare for the upcoming Northern Lakes Conference. Concord, with a 21-10 record, brings back 11 players including sophomore Carly Clauss and senior Elveera Astakhov.

Head coach Kelly Chupp looks forward to Ella Bloss taking on a leadership role in the setter position as Claire Campanello graduates.

Class 4A Goshen, with a 21-10 record, has six varsity players back from last season. Head coach Philip Habecker is impressed with the growth he's seen from athletes, noting their high ceilings. Class 4A Fairfield welcomes back 10 varsity players, including seniors Lacy Stoltzfus and Elli Yoder, and junior Paige Park. First-year head coach Riley Anderson highlights the hard work the girls have put in over the summer, despite the new coaching staff and expectations.

Class 3A Wawasee, a 4-27 team last year, welcomes seniors Sarah Cheng and Addie Delagrange, and juniors Jadyn Klenke and Zaiyla Shortill. Head coach Ryan Edgar expresses optimism about the team's energy and excitement, aiming to improve enough to compete in a majority of matches. Lastly, Class 2A Westview, with a 18-14 record, returns eight players like seniors Kloie Yoder and Addy Kauffman, and junior Alayah Hostetler.

Coach Whitney Rahn anticipates the loss of their middle block due to Maddie Grossman's graduation, but maintains that the team's athleticism will compensate.