The NorthWood volleyball team has been on the cusp of playing for a state title for the past five seasons.
Will 2026 be the year the Panthers kick in the door?
Head coach Hillary Laidig has led the Panthers to four straight semistate title matches, with NorthWood coming up just short each time.
The last four years making semistate runs has been incredible,’’ Laidig said. “The girls and people involved in making that possible are truly special. This group has the experience of how special that is and have a desire to train hard to give them a chance.’’
The key returnee for this Panther team is senior outside hitter Ella Branham, who led the Panthers in kills last season with 467, while ranking second in both aces and digs.
“We will look for a lot of leadership from Ella,’’ Laidig said. “She is a smart player who will have a significant impact during games in all areas.’’
Middle hitter Krystal Hershberger is also back after recording 128 kills and 49 blocks a year ago. Addie Davis returns as a right side hitter, while junior libero Nola Nephew returns to the lineup after finishing with a team-high 439 digs last season
Senior defensive specialists Kenzie Miller, Abby Schmucker and Allie Yoder also bring game experience back for NorthWood, with Schmucker and Yoder in the running to replace All-State setter Emily Uhlmann.
Newcomers includes senior Elsa Jessup, juniors Emily DeFrietas, Denae Goshert, Vivi Andrews and Audrey Cramer, sophomores Ja’Mya Nelson, Grace Thompson and Lily Thompson and freshman Audrina Wilson.
“Our returners will play a huge role in bringing our young players along,’’ Laidig added. “We will have lots of new faces on the court this year and their leadership will be important for sure.’’
“I have no doubt this team can grow throughout the season and give themselves a chance to experience a special postseason by the end of the year.’’
Warsaw has won the local Class 4A sectional title in each of the past four seasons, which is something several Elkhart County team are hoping to put a stop to.
Among those is what should be a very strong Elkhart team, which returns Northern Indiana Conference MVP Rylee Drummond for veteran coach Jacquie Rost.
Drummond led the Lions in kills last season, while ranking second in aces and digs. Classmates Serenity Rodriguez and Ava Walker are also back after earning NIC honors a year ago.
Bayle Mitchell, Bela Sassaman and Teagan Scott are also returning seniors with varsity experience.
“Having six seniors can be tough, but we’ve been pleased with how they’ve come together and communicated as a group to lead the program thus far,’’ Rost said. “The leadership we’ve seen from our seniors has been impressive.
The Lions also feature five new juniors on the roster in Mya Curry, Kylee Floyd, Kayley Gates, Rylyn Pennington and Cat Tyrakowski.
“We feel like we’re ahead of where were were last year in terms of overall skill level, so our preseason has been a lot of install of concepts, expectations and philosophy,’’ Rost said. “With the skill level of Rylee and Cat as setters, our goal is to run a fast, purposeful offense.’’
Jimtown has won two straight sectional titles and first-year coach Colleen Herrity returns a solid group of letterwinners.
“We’re excited about the direction of our program,’’ Herrity said. “This group has embraced the standards we’ve set and we’ve challenged them to raise the bar every day. Our goal is to continue building a culture where hard work, accountability and competitiveness are the expectation.
The Jimmies have two leaders back in sophomore Kaelyn Dutton, who led the team in assists and aces as a freshman, along with senior outside hitter Jayla Armstrong, who was third on the team in both kills and digs.
Other returnees are senors Emma Young. Jordin Webb and Olivia Campbell. Sophomores Isla Griffee and Lyric Zartman are expected to join the rotation for the Jimmies.
“We have a great mix of experienced seniors and talented underclassmen,’’ Herrity said. “Our leaders have done an outstanding job setting the tone and our younger players have embraced the challenge of competing at a high level.’’
The Jimmies’ sectional will be at Bremen this season.
Edwardsburg has a new coach in Rachel Orue, who takes over for Sarah Strefling. She will be working with a very experienced roster.
Leading the way for the Eddies is senior setter Rylie Rosenkranz, who helped lead Edwardsburg to a 29-10 mark, until an upset loss to Niles in the district finals.
“With a new coaching staff, some people might assume this is a rebuilding year,’’ Orue said. “But I see it differently. This is a veteran team with seven returning seniors and 10 returning varsity pleyars, who have spent a lot of time competing together.
“They have built a strong chemistry, they understand what it takes to compete and they enjoy playing alongside each other.
The other returnees are Ella Laskowski, Courtney Zache, Erin Solarek, Sophia Kuntz, Shelby Laubach, Olive Ealks, Kathryn Coleman, Arden Sponsky and Sienna Kaylor.
Concord coach Kelly Chupp returns six letterwinners, including sophomore Carly Clauss, who led the Minutemen in kills last season as a freshman outside hitter.
“We enter the season with a strong foundation,’’ Chupp said. “Seniors Elveera Ashtakhov, Ingrid Medina and Addyson Coleman are all back, along with juniors Kaylen Troup and Ella Bloss and Clauss.’’
Clauss is expected to be the top outside hitter for the Minutemen, while juniors Elishianna Njoroge, Mallorey Burkus and Emma Wilson will also be keys. Astakhov, Medina and Colemen bring experience and flexibility across the middle. Culp said sophomore Dariana Miller is expected to move into the starting middle hitter role.
With four-year starting setter Claire Campanello having graduated, senior Briana Koontz and junior Ella Bloss are expected to help direct the Concord offense. Troup returns to anchor the back row at libero, along with defensive specialists Salma Latif and junior Angie Ruiz-Urbina.
A team to watch out for this season is Northridge, as coach Jodie Steele returns a number of key parts from last season’s 22-10 Raider team.
The top returnee should be senior Alli Steele, who led Northridge in kills last season with 244. Classmate Myah Miller was third in kills with 238 and she is also back.
“We have a lot of experience coming back at all the positions this season,’’ Jodie Steele said. “We have really begun to click offensively in practice and we have players that can terminate from all over the court.’’
“Defensively, we have a strong and quick back row and our blocking is much improved from a season ago.’’
The other returnees for the Raiders include seniors Leighton Brown, Augist Wood, Sami Kantz and Brooklyn Harris, along with juniors Addison Mohamed and Kendall Hall.
Kantz was second on the team in assists last season, but was far behind the graduated Izzy Melvin.
“This season’s schedule has been built to challenge us early in the season to be better prepared for the rigorous NLC matchups,’’ Jodi Steele added. “The NLC is one of the toughest volleyball conferences and with the rising popularity of the sport and opportunities for young girls to play in our area, teams are able to rebuild each year.’’
Northridge will host a 4A sectional this season which will feature Elkhart, Concord, Goshen, Warsaw and the host Raiders.
Penn will play its 4A sectional at Mishawaka and Kingsmen coach Kaitlyn Hickey should have a very strong team to try and defend their title.
The Kingsmen have plenty of size up front in 5-foot-11 senior Anna McCullough and 6-2 classmate Avery Olsen. McCullough led Penn in kills last season with 300, while Olsen’s 82 blocks also led the team.
Also returning for the Kingsmen are junior Kyla Hurley, who will be the team’s libero in 2026 after ranking second last season in digs, along with senior Carson Petty, who will be the team’s setter. Senior outside hitter Kam Burns, sophomore middle Harper Chuzicki and sophomore hitter Emily Noto are also back this season.
“We will be a quick, scrappy team and our goal is to make it past the first game of the semistate, which we’ve reached the past two years,’’ Hickey said. “We have some great athletes who are challenging each other day in and day out during practices, while staying supportive of one another on the court.
Fairfield has a new coach in alumnus Riley Anderson, who was an assistant coach at Anderson College.
The Falcons were 14-16 last season, but return several key players, including senior Lacy Stoltzfus and junior Paige Park, who were the team’s top two leaders in kills last season. Stoltzfus also led the team in blocks.
Other returning letterwinners for Fairfield are Savannah Buss, Shelby Cripe, Monica Slabaugh, Elli Yoder, Aubrey Ross, Maylin Maust and Natalie Lenker.
“We have a group of returnees that saw a lot of court time last year, but there will also be some new faces out there,’’ Anderson said. “We have six seniors that will provide great leadership and we also have eight incoming freshman.
“With an almost entirely new coaching staff, we have spent a lot of time setting expectations for what we want our culture to be as a program. We’ve already seen so much improvement throughout our preseason and we can’t wait to start our games.’’
Elkhart Christian has a new coach in Morgan McKee and a pair of outside hitters in sophomore Mia Hibbard and senior Evelyn Ingle returning after an 11-20 season a year ago.
The Eagles did lose four-year letterwinner Ryleigh Viront, who led the team in nearly every category in 2025.
“With a strong mix of returning experience, new talent and depth across the court and bench, we are excited about what this group can accomplish,’’ McKee said. “We play four of our sectional opponents during the regular season, which will give us valuable experience against familiar competition, while allowing us to identify strengths, make adjustments and build confidence.’’
In addition to Hibbard and Ingle, sophomore Cambri Knafel is back after finishing second on the team in assists last season. Another sophomore, Adalyn Trovatore, will help anchor the back row after playing some as a freshman last season.
Hannah Kaehr and Hanna Spivey will be new middle hitters for the Eagles, while Avery Viront should move into the lineup as an opposite hitter.
Goshen coach Phillip Habecker takes over a RedHawk team that was 0-22 last season, but the first-year mentor likes the experience he has returning, along with some talented newcomers.
“We are still working through some positions and rotations, but I’m happy with the progress we made through the summer and the girls who decided to come out and play,’’ Habecker said. “The NLC is a gauntlet ... thee are no easy games and nothing is a given. We’re excited to be competing with them this year.’’
Leading the way for Goshen are a pair of two-year letterwinners in senior Claire Shrock and junior Ruby Shoemaker. Other letterwinners returning are seniors Penelope Jimenez and Jazlyn Nafziger and juniors Cora Shreiner Landes and Faith Elrod.
Habecker is also high on junior Amari Lind, sophomore Camila Villarroel and freshman setter Carly Sensenig.