Vote for top setter in Greater Cincinnati girls volleyball in 2026

As the month of July rolls on, so does The Enquirer’s high school volleyball previews. It’s time to transition from defense (last week’s list of the top defensive specialists and liberos) to offense.

For the week of July 20, let’s take a look at arguably the deepest position, talent-wise, in the sport.

Here are the top setters in Cincinnati this fall.

St. Xavier’s Dom Ellis got his historic season started by winning GCL-South, regional and OHSAA state cross country championships.

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St. Xavier’s Dom Ellis got his historic season started by winning GCL-South, regional and OHSAA state cross country championships.

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Paul Van Laningham of Cooper won seven of his eight cross country races in the regular season before winning his second Class 3A state championship.

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Joe Mayer of Covington Catholic (949) ran to victory in the boys Class 2A KHSAA State Cross Country Championship.

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Beechwood’s Lily Parke won her fourth-straight regional crown before winning her second-consecutive Class 1A state cross country title.

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Mason’s Adriana Moreno, left, and Saanvi Reddy won the OHSAA Division I doubles crown, beating another pair of Mason Comets (and two-time defending champs) in the state final.

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Addison Cassidy was another member of Mason’s tennis squad that won the OTCA team tournament for the ninth-straight season.

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The Summit Country Day girls soccer team beat Columbus Academy 4-0 in the Division IV state final, winning the team’s third-straight state championship.

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Summit Country Day boys soccer won its second-straight state championship after beating Ottawa Hills 5-1.

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The Madeira girls also won their second-straight state championship, winning the Division V crown 3-0 over Doylestown Chippewa.

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The Seton Saints went 28-0 in 2025, winning their second-straight OHSAA Division I state championship.

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The McNicholas Rockets swept Buckeye Valley in the Division IV state final, capping off a 27-2 season.

Make sure to give them an assist by voting in the poll at the bottom of the story. Readers can vote once per hour and the poll will conclude at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 24.

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Estep set the table at the net for one of the most successful seasons in program history. She racked up 936 assists, good for 17th in the state, while contributing 268 digs, 69 aces, 41 kills and 30 blocks as the Tigers went 33-6, won the All “A” state championship and won a Ninth Region tournament game for the first time since 2017. She was named to the all-state honorable mention team and recently committed to the University of Virginia at Wise.

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She is one of four fantastic juniors for the Lions this season. They have made four state tournaments in the last decade, winning three titles, and have proven themselves as one of the most consistent programs in Southwest Ohio. Green is ranked No. 6 in Ohio in the class of 2029 and had 897 assists, 284 digs, 43 kills, 37 aces and 27 blocks in 2025. She was named to the Girls Greater Catholic League and DIII all-district first teams, and all-state honorable mention.

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A return to her true position allowed Hubbard to truly shine in 2025 as the Cougars returned to the state tournament. She led the GGCL with 909 assists while also putting together 265 digs, 105 kills, 34 aces and 27 blocks. The Miami University commit was named to the all-league and DII all-district first teams.

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The Crusaders aren’t rebuilding after graduating five seniors; they’re reloading. Keipert, ranked 10th in Kentucky in the class of 2028, according to PrepDig, will be one of the centerpieces. As a sophomore, she finished with 879 assists, 274 digs, 34 assists, 147 kills, 45 blocks and 34 aces. St. Henry pushed Notre Dame to five sets in the Ninth Region final and should be just as competitive this season.

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The Falcons figure to be one of the top teams in DIV now that McNicholas is in DIII. They have a deep senior class and will look to advance to their second state tournament in the last three years. Keller led the Greater Catholic League-Coed in 2025 with 558 assists and added 157 digs and 32 aces. She was named to the GCL-Coed and District 15 DIV second teams.

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The junior will take over as the Saints’ primary setter and will step into a true leadership role as they pursue a third straight state championship. The top-ranked player in Ohio in 2028, she had 422 assists, 147 digs and 33 aces in 2025 and recently committed to the University of Cincinnati.

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The Rockets will once again have an arsenal at the net as they chase back-to-back state titles. Schulte will put the ball in the right place all season long. The Duquesne University commit had 537 assists, 176 digs, 54 aces and 14 kills as a junior and was named a GCL-Coed honorable mention.

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Seni enters her third year as the Knights’ starting setter after watching Abby Yoder lead Kings to the 2023 state championship. She already has over 1,600 career assists. As part of the Knights’ 2025 district champion team, she had 827 assists, 146 digs, 96 kills, 57 blocks and 28 aces. She was named to the Eastern Cincinnati Conference second team and all-district second team.

The two-time Cincinnati Hills League player of the year and reigning District 16 DIV player of the year truly does it all for the Yellowjackets. She is committed to the University of Findlay as a setter but led the CHL with 362 kills in 2025 and pitched in 554 assists, 251 assists, 71 blocks and 59 aces. Taylor is 43-4 over the last two seasons, including a perfect 28-0 mark in league play. Stutzman, an All-Ohio second-team member as a junior, will help the Yellowjackets continue that dominance.

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Being a freshman libero in the GGCL isn’t easy, but Waleskowski did the job with aplomb, proving why she is the top-ranked player in Ohio in the class of 2029, according to PrepDig. She was third in the league with 711 assists while also digging 268 attacks, putting away 152 kills, serving up 43 aces and blocking 36 attacks. She had 40 assists on five occasions, including a career-high 51 against Mount Notre Dame. She was also named to the all-league first team and all-district third team.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vote for top setter in Greater Cincinnati girls volleyball in 2026