2025 Highland County Volleyball Preview
The 2025 Highland County volleyball season is set to start on Saturday, Aug. 16 when the annual Spike and Dig Tournament begins at Hillsboro High School, where four of the five teams from the Highland County schools face each other in the season-opening tournament. The first tournament games will be Hillsboro vs. Whiteoak and McClain vs. Lynchburg-Clay, with the tournament starting at 9 a.m.
Fairfield starts their season the day before on Friday, Aug. 15 at home against Williamsburg in a non-conference game, as this is their season to sit out of the Spike and Dig Tournament.
Highland County also has three new head coaches at the helm of programs, as Cierra Biolender takes over at McClain, Kamryn Daulton was named the new head coach at Fairfield and Marah Call is now the head coach at Whiteoak. Heather Jones enters her second season as Hillsboro’s head coach, and the longest-tenured head coach in volleyball in the county is Janelle Rockey, who enters her third season at Lynchburg-Clay.
Last year, three teams in the county had overall winning records, while it was Fairfield who reached the district finals in Division VI as they also won their third consecutive Southern Hills Athletic Conference volleyball championship, winning the Div. I title in ’22, followed by back-to-back Div. II titles in ’23 and ’24.
Below are previews on all five Highland County volleyball teams.
Hillsboro Indians
Head Coach: Heather Jones (2nd season)
Conference: Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
Division: IV
2024 Overall Record: 16-8
2024 FAC Record: 7-3
Having second-year head coach Heather Jones back leading the program, the Hillsboro Lady Indians return from having a solid season a year ago, as they were 16-8 overall and they finished 7-3 for second place in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
This season, the Lady Indians have to replace four seniors from the ’24 season, as that class was responsible for a total of 372 kills, 43 aces, 89 total blocks, 562 digs and 41 assists in ’24.
The ’25 roster includes seniors Kayla Seeling and Allie Roush.
Last season as a junior, Seeling finished with 19 kills, 36 aces, eight total blocks, 196 digs, 634 assists and 13 receptions.
Roush during her junior season a year ago totaled 44 kills, eight aces, nine total blocks, 79 digs, 20 assists and 32 receptions.
Juniors are Paisley Zink, Ryan Wagoner, Tylee Davis, Josie Rhoades and Marianne Mycroft, while the lone sophomore this season is Riley Pence. Freshmen for HHS this year are Emmalee Young and Macy Fauber.
Wagoner last season totaled 264 kills as a sophomore, along with 19 aces, five total blocks, 239 digs, 13 assists and 298 receptions.
Davis in ’24 finished with 186 kills, 47 aces, six total blocks, 386 digs, 11 assists and 171 receptions.
Hillsboro in non-conference games this season will face Whiteoak (then either McClain or Lynchburg-Clay) on Saturday, Aug. 16, and they follow that with non-conference games against Fayetteville (8-18 home), Eastern (8-20 away), North Adams (8-21 away), Clinton-Massie (8-23 away), Western Brown (9-13 away), Zane Trace (9-13 away), Wilmington (9-17 home), Waverly (9-20 away) and Fairfield (10-6 away).
The Lady Indians’ conference games will be against Miami Trace (8-26 away, 9-18 home), Chillicothe (8-28 away, 9-23 home), Washington (9-9 home, 9-25 away), Jackson (9-11 away, 9-30 home) and McClain (9-16 home and 10-2 away).
Hillsboro opens the 2025 season in the annual Spike and Dig Tournament at Hillsboro High School on Saturday, Aug. 16 with a 9 a.m. start against Whiteoak. Also in the four-team event are McClain and Lynchburg-Clay. The winners of the first two games will play in the championship final in non-conference play.
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McClain Tigers
Head Coach: Cierra Bolender (1st season)
Conference: Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC)
Division: IV
2024 Overall Record: 7-16
2024 FAC Record: 3-7
It is a new era for the McClain Lady Tigers’ volleyball program as they have a new head coach leading the way, that being alumna Cierra Bolender, who enters her first season as a varsity head coach.
Bolender takes over for former coach Taylor Alsop, who was at the helm for eight seasons at McClain, as last season the Lady Tigers finished with an overall record of 7-16, and they were fourth place in the Frontier Athletic Conference at 3-7.
McClain must replace six seniors from last year who have since graduated, as they combined for 548 kills, 134 aces, 104 total blocks, 922 digs, 388 assists and 1,163 receptions.
The seniors for the Lady Tigers are Lillie Saunders, Zoie Everhart and Lydia Beatty. Saunders in ’24 as a junior totaled 74 digs, four assists and 131 receptions. Everhart ended last season with one kill, 37 digs, two assists and 91 receptions. Beatty finished ’24 with 83 kills, 10 total blocks, 15 digs and five assists.
Juniors for McClain are Adalynn Snyder, Anzli Beatty-Shoemaker, Shelby Wise and Molly McCune. MHS has two sophomores, those players being Izzy Clevenger and Alaya Jackson. The lone freshman on the varsity roster is Brynlee Karnes.
Snyder in limited play finished with one dig, one assist and five receptions. Beatty-Shoemaker ended last season with 18 kills, two aces, five total blocks, 26 digs, 11 assists and 13 receptions.
McClain’s non-conference games for the upcoming ’25 season include a season-opening contest against Lynchburg-Clay at the annual Spike and Dig Tournament in Hillsboro (then either Hillsboro or Whiteoak) on Saturday, Aug. 16, followed by contests against East Clinton (8-18 away), Fairfield (8-20 home), Zane Trace (8-23 home), the Unioto Tournament (8-30 away), Western Brown (9-8 away), Wilmington (9-22 home), Paint Valley (10-4 home) and Westfall (10-8 home).
The Lady Tigers open their FAC schedule on Aug. 26 at home against Chillicothe, and later in the season will play the Lady Cavs at CHS on Sept. 18. Other FAC opponents include Washington (8-28 home, 9-23 away), Jackson (9-9 home, 9-25 away), Miami Trace (9-11 away, 9-30 home) and Hillsboro (9-16 away, 10-2 home).
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Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs
Head Coach: Janelle Rockey (3rd year)
Conference: Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
Division: VI
2024 Overall Record: 16-6
2024 SHAC Record: 10-3
The 2025 Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs volleyball season is set to start with a regular-season opener on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Spike and Dig Tournament, but before then LCHS has built a roster that also wants to compete in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference as they had 10 wins in conference play a season ago.
LCHS has a roster that has four seniors and five juniors, as they are coached by Janelle Rockey, who enters her third season at the helm of the volleyball program.
Seniors for the Lady Mustangs in ’25 are Ava McLaughlin, Joslyn Rockey, Matalyn Magee and Avery Shope.
In ’24, McLaughlin as a junior totaled two kills, 38 aces, 142 digs, 251 assists and four receptions. Rockey last season at LCHS finished with 20 kills, 50 aces, 447 digs, 49 assists and 583 receptions.
Also in ’24 during her junior season, Magee totaled 101 kills, two aces, 46 total blocks, 31 digs, eight assists and 12 receptions. Fellow senior Shope during her junior year finished with 45 kills, 55 aces, 235 digs, seven assists and 221 receptions.
The juniors this season are Melany Stephenson, Addy Carraher, Halle Greene, Kylie O’Connor, Jules Vesey and Ashlynn Wilson.
Stephenson is coming off a sophomore season where she finished with 19 kills, 14 aces, 100 digs, six assists and 33 receptions. Also for LCHS, Carraher had a strong sophomore season a year ago with 133 kills, 33 aces, four total blocks, 183 digs, 234 assists and 23 receptions.
Lynchburg-Clay also has Greene returning from her sophomore season a year ago where she had totals that included 143 kills, one ace, 10 total blocks, 88 digs, four assists and 57 receptions. O’Connor in her sophomore season had 161 kills, 46 aces, 37 total blocks, 44 digs, 15 assists and 30 receptions.
Vesey in ’24 ended her sophomore season with one kill, two aces, 26 digs and 36 receptions in limited sets played.
This season’s non-conference schedule for the Lady Mustangs begins in Hillsboro, as they will be playing in the Spike and Dig Tournament against McClain. After two non-conference games at HHS on Aug. 16 (will face either Hillsboro or Whiteoak), games away from the SHAC will be against Huntington (8-21 home), East Clinton (8-25 away), Clermont Northeastern (9-13 home), Paint Valley (9-24 home), Blanchester (9-29 home), Georgetown (10-6 away) and Bethel-Tate (10-8 home).
The SHAC slate of games will be a total of 13 with games against Eastern (8-19 away, 9-12 home), Ripley (8-22 away, 9-18 home), North Adams (8-28 home, 9-23 away), Fayetteville (9-11 away), Manchester (9-16 away), West Union (9-19 away, 10-7 home), Fairfield (9-25 home), Whiteoak (10-1 away) and Peebles (10-2 home).
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Fairfield Lions
Head Coach: Kamryn Daulton (1st season)
Conference: Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
Division: VI
2024 Overall Record: 18-7
2024 SHAC Record: 12-1
The Fairfield Lady Lions will have a new head coach in 2025 with Kamryn Daulton taking over the top spot at Fairfield, as the Lady Lions are replacing a talented senior group from a year ago. The ’24 team finished as Division VI SE District Runners-up, while also winning their third consecutive Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship.
The FHS alumna Daulton replaces the successful Jerrica Stackhouse, who stepped down this past offseason.
On the court, the Lady Lions must replace a talented four-player senior class that was responsible for 709 kills, 143 aces, 954 digs, 736 assists and 658 receptions.
The roster for the Lady Lions to start the 2025 season consists of seniors Kaitlyn Eidenier, Shelby Pelton and Jaeden Drury.
Last season, Drury as a junior collected 24 kills, five digs, four assists and seven receptions in 54 sets played.
Juniors for FHS in ’25 are Emma Ayers, Ally Maynard, Remi Moon, Kinsey Drury and Alyssa Bales. Sophomores for the Lady Lions are Addison Cannon, Jorja May and Paisley Stahlhut. The lone freshman listed is Bailey Jones.
Moon as a sophomore a year ago finished with 169 kills, 58 aces, four total blocks, 266 digs, 36 assists and 270 receptions. Bales last season totaled 65 assists, 271 digs, 11 assists and 325 receptions. May in limited play in ’24 totaled 19 kills, five aces, 40 digs, six assists, seven total blocks and 33 receptions. Stahlhut as a freshman a year ago totaled nine kills, one ace, 24 digs, 57 assists and 11 receptions.
Fairfield for their non-conference schedule in ’25 starts with Williamsburg (8-15 home), followed by Clinton-Massie (8-19 away), McClain (8-20 away), Clermont Northeastern (9-15 home), East Clinton (9-17 home), Huntington (9-22 away), Paint Valley (9-29 away), Portsmouth West (10-1 away) and Hillsboro (10-6 home).
The SHAC schedule for the Lady Lions includes a Division II slate of games where they’ll be facing Fayetteville (8-21 home, 10-7 away), Ripley (8-25 away), Eastern (8-26 home), Whiteoak (8-28 home, 9-18 away), Manchester (9-10 home, 10-2 away), West Union (9-11 home), North Adams (home 9-19), Peebles (9-23 away, 10-9 home) and Lynchburg-Clay (9-25 away).
Fairfield opens their ’25 season on Friday, Aug. 15 at home against Williamsburg in non-conference action.
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Whiteoak Wildcats
Head Coach: Marah Call (1st season)
Conference: Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC)
Division: VII
2024 Overall Record: 2-21
2024 SHAC Record: 1-12
Whiteoak volleyball begins a new season with a new head coach, as Marah Call was hired to lead the program in a new direction starting for the 2025 season.
Call takes over for Kara Moon-Stone as the head coach, as the Lady ’Cats are coming off a ’24 season where they finished 2-21 overall and 1-12 in Division II of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference.
Seniors for Whiteoak are Marley Gobin, Kyra Boyd and Kylie Garry. The junior class is Kylee Ruark and Amiyah Hackle.
Gobin last season totaled 49 kills, two assists, six aces, 37 digs and seven blocks. Ruark in ’24 had 46 kills, two assists, 22 digs, and 35 blocks.
Sophomores this season are Mareah Wyatt and Lucy Wilson. The new additions to the high school level of play are freshmen Ryan Gobin, Kenley Juillerat, Kennedi Storms, Emily Brill, Layla Lear and Makenah Seward.
The non-conference games and regular season for the Lady Wildcats start with the Aug. 16 Spike and Dig Tournament at Hillsboro, where they face Hillsboro in the opening match, then will follow with a game against either McClain or Lynchburg-Clay. From there, the non-conference season includes contests against Paint Valley (8-25 home), East Clinton (9-22 home), Clermont Northeastern (9-29 home), Williamsburg (10-4 away), Felicity (10-6 away) and Clinton-Massie (10-9 away).
Whiteoak’s SHAC Division II schedule for ’25 consists of the following matches Fayetteville (8-19 away, 10-8 home), Manchester (8-21 home, 9-25 away), Fairfield (8-28 away, 9-18 home), Peebles (9-10 away, 10-7 home), North Adams (9-11 away), West Union (9-12 away), Eastern (9-16 away), Ripley (9-19 home), Manchester (9-25 away and Lynchburg-Clay (10-1 home).
WHS begins the ’25 season at the annual Spike and Dig Tournament in Hillsboro, where they are scheduled to face Hillsboro. The tournament starts at 9 a.m. at Hillsboro High School.
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