KPs 2025 High School Boys’ Volleyball Preview (Part 2 of 3)
The 2025 boys’ high school season should be exciting. Many states are sanctioned and have a rich history of boys’ volleyball. Some states like Minnesota are just becoming sanctioned, while states like Texas offer the sport and are working diligently on getting boys’ volleyball sanctioned. First Point continues to push for high school boys’ volleyball to grow. They are raising funds, awareness and even hosting a tournament in Texas.
We reached out to all the volleyball leaders in each state to make this article possible. This preview would not be possible without all the leaders submitting information. The leaders’ names are included with the state. Some states did not have the time to submit a write-up. Towards the end of May Volleyball Magazine will do recap of the 2025 season. Make sure to reach out to kevinpratte6@gmail.com to have your state or region be highlighted. In the recap article we will make sure to highlight New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin that offers boys’ volleyball in the fall.
Over the next couple of days, we will be releasing our three part article. Good luck to all the teams this season and we look forward to covering the sport this spring.
Illinois
(Kristopher Fiore & Gordan Redzic)
Illinois has over 250 high school teams, with most located in the Chicagoland area. Annually Illinois has 8 teams that qualify for the state tournament. Last year’s qualifiers included Marist, Glenbard West, York, Loyola, Lyons, Wheaton St. Francis, and Lincoln-Way West. Marist won the state championship in straight sets over York and should be favorites this year as they return a majority of their starting line-up.
Top programs
1 – Marist
2 – Glenbard West
3 – Oak Park River Forest
4 – Downers Grove North
5 – Lincoln-Way West
Players to watch:
S- Christian Teresi (Marist, Ohio State)
OH- Vince Spadoni (West Chicago, IPFW)
OPP- Jeremiah Aro (Sandburg, Princeton)
OH- Nathan Toth (Marist, MIT)
OH- Matt Muehlnickel (Lincoln-Way East, Lindenwood)
OH – Leo Trespeces-Winck (Maine South, Northern Kentucky)
Noteworthy: The Lincoln-Way East tournament in early May hosts 24 of the top Illinois and Indiana teams. The tournament has featured the last 6 Indiana state champions and 10 of the past 11 Illinois state champions.
If you want to learn more about Illinois prep volleyball visit our friends at Illinois Prep Volleyball
Indiana
(Ronda Low)
Indiana starts 2025 with the most boys’ volleyball teams in Indiana history. The Hoosier state is set to compete in its first ever state sanctioned post season; with over 140 schools participating this spring in a single-class, winner takes all State Championship. While there is a wide mix of veteran and first year programs across the state, talent in Indiana is not lacking! Roncalli looks to claim it’s fourth consecutive state title with Cathedral, Fishers, and Westfield vying to defeat the Royals. The number of elite players throughout the state should make for an exciting and competitive 2025.
Top programs
1 – Roncalli
2 – Cathedral
3 – Fishers
4 – Westfield
5 – Franklin Community
6 – HSE
Players to watch:
S — Nick Whitley (Cathedral)
OH — Eli Berger (Roncalli)
MB — Ryan Peterson (Cathedral)
OH — Carlo Huidsen (Westfield)
S – Matthew Dial (Roncalli)
DS – Mikey Millikan (Brebeuf)
MB – Chase Alyea (Franklin Community)
OH – Nate Fitzwater (Fishers)
Noteworthy:
The season starts with a loaded Irish Invite tournament on March 22 – featuring three top 5 teams; among these will be several previous state champion programs. This tournament is always a good way to see some of the top teams in the state start their season. The 2025 season ends with the Midwest Battle of Fishers High School featuring top teams from Indiana, Louisville, Chicago, and Cincinnati. In the first official IHSAA postseason, the winner of sectional 8 will be battle-tested with three top 5 teams in the nine-team sectional.
Quoteworthy: “In our inaugural year as a sanctioned sport in Indiana, I’m excited to watch this season unfold. The growth of the sport for the past 31 years has led to this moment and seeing so many schools across the state join in has been incredible! I have no doubt, with the talent in our state, this will be another top-notch, competitive season for Indiana volleyball,” – Ronda Low.
Maryland:
(JJ Rathnam)
Montgomery County Maryland’s 35th Boys Varsity Volleyball season is getting ready to start on March 1st. Montgomery County has grown into a hotbed of national level talent sending top players to the National Team Development Programs for Beach and Indoor as well as NCAA Division 1 programs like Ohio State, Penn State, UC Irvine, Long Beach, Loyola, USC, and Ball State to name a few. This year, we have already learned of commitments in the class of ’26 to USC, Cian Tenney – Winston Churchill HS, and Penn State, Isaiah Powell – Springbrook HS. Notable commitments in the class of ’25 include Andrew Lam (Winston Churchill HS) to Roberts Wesleyan University, Timothy OuYang (Thomas Wootton HS) to Belmont Abbey College, and George Idowu (Paint Branch HS) to Vassar College. The list of commitments from Montgomery County is destined to grow with the advent of several new boys volleyball clubs in the area and with the county itself potentially adding Boys JV volleyball for the 2026 Spring season. Several schools will be consolidating the best boys from their coed programs onto their boys’ team this season, including Northwest HS, who won the coed championship last season
Top Players:
Isaiah Powell – Springbrook
Cian Tenney – Winston Churchill
Andrew Lam – Winston Churchill
George Idowu – Paint Branch
Titus Lee – Northwest
Noteworthy:
Regular Season match schedules can be found on https://www.countysports.zone/
Projected Top 5 Regular Season Matchups
Date
Day of week
Time
Home
Away
2025-03-31
Monday
17:30:00
Whitman HS
Churchill HS
2025-04-08
Tuesday
19:00:00
Churchill HS
Walter Johnson HS
2025-04-08
Tuesday
19:00:00
Whitman HS
Northwest HS
2025-04-10
Thursday
19:00:00
Walter Johnson HS
Whitman HS
2025-04-23
Wednesday
19:00:00
Northwest HS
Wootton HS
2025-04-25
Friday
19:00:00
Whitman HS
Wootton HS
2025-04-28
Monday
19:00:00
Wootton HS
Churchill HS
The MCPS Boys’ Playoffs will take place on the following dates:
1st Round – Thursday, 5/1/25 (site of the higher seed)
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, 5/6/25 (site of higher seed)
Semifinals: Thursday, 5/8/25 (Site of higher seed)
Championship: Tuesday, 5/13/25 at Quince Orchard HS at 7pm
Massachusetts:
(Michael Scammon)
While high school boys’ volleyball in Massachusetts (MA) is not as robust compared to other parts of the country, it has seen steady growth over the past 10 years. With 144 high school boys’ programs across the Commonwealth and an increase in club volleyball organizations, we are starting to see teams that have been consistently dominant for the past half decade continue to exert themselves as premier programs in the state.
Top programs
1 – Newton North
2 – Needham
3 – Natick
4 – Brookline
5 – Agawam
Players to watch:
OH — Simon Vardeh (Newton North)
S — Branch Barnes (Natick)
S — Alec Smagula (Brookline)
OH — Finnian Bell (Wayland)
OH — Justin Tejada (Greater Lowell Tech)
Noteworthy: In the Division 1 landscape, the Bay State Conference will continue to be the home of the most elite programs in Massachusetts. Arguably four of the best teams in the state (Newton North, Needham, Natick, Brookline) will battle it out in the same conference. Returning champion Newton North looks to be the favorite behind sensational outside hitter Simon Vardeh. Needham, who won three straight state titles (’21, ’22, ’23), before losing to Newton North in the finals last year will be looking for some sweet revenge. Outside of the Bay State Conference, look for teams such as Lexington, Acton-Boxborough, St. John’s Prep and BC High to make some noise. The Merrimack Valley Conference, always good for half a dozen play-off teams, should have some strong programs in the tournament such as Chelmsford and Lowell.
In Division 2, for years Westfield and Agawam have been battling it out for supremacy. That changed last year with the emergence of Wayland, who knocked off Agawam in the semifinals. Wayland then fought a great match before losing to Westfield in a 5-set thriller in the D2 state finals. Don’t be surprised seeing Wayland back there with junior outside hitter Finnian Bell leading the charge. While he does not graduate until next spring, Bell may be the best pure hitter in Massachusetts. Keep an eye on dark horse Greater Lowell Tech and their 6’4 senior outside hitter Justin Tejada. While not the biggest team in the state, Tejada is one of the few that can go swing for swing with Bell and Vardeh.
Quoteworthy: “It should be a fun season here in Massachusetts. There are a few consistently strong programs that have found themselves in a bit of a rebuild, so the interesting part will be what programs rise up to take their place. There have also been some strong D2 teams moving to D1 over the past few years, so that has created some new playoff dynamics for both divisions. In terms of where to find the top programs, the strength of the state definitely lives closer to Boston but you will find impressive pockets out in western Massachusetts, near Cape Cod, and up in the Merrimack Valley.” – Mike Scammon, North Andover
Minnesota:
(Jenny Kilkelly)
Top programs inaugural Minnesota Boys High School Volleyball Spring Season will have over 85 schools supporting Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. Member schools are mostly located in Minneapolis – St. Paul Metro Area. After eight challenging years advocating for sanction the Minnesota State High School League approved boys volleyball to be added to the High School sport offerings in Spring 2025. For playoffs the 85+ schools are divided into 8 sections. Season ending section playoffs will determine the eight section champions that will compete for the MN State HS Boys Volleyball Championship Title at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul MN.
2024 Emerging Sport MN State High School Champion, Shakopee HS, will be one of the contending programs again in 2025. Eastview, Eden Prairie, St. Michael-Albertville, Rochester Mayo are at the top of the “watch list” to win a MN State High School League State Championship. The St. Paul District schools & South Suburban Conference are loaded with talent and will have some of the strongest competitions this spring.
Some other top schools in the state to watch:
Andover
Bemidji
Eagan
St.Paul Central, Harding, & Johnson
Spring Lake Park
Top Players:
S/Pin – Clayton Shonka (St.Michael – Albertville – 2025)
OH – Reed Johnson (Bemidji – 2025)
OH – Jackson Smith (Rochester – Mayo 2025)
RS/MB – Colin Nathan (Eastview – 2026)
MB – Tate Sorenson (Mounds View 2026)
OH/L – Soe Reh (Como Park – 2025)
L/DS – Max Yang (North St.Paul – 2025)
Quoteworthy: “The MN Boys High School Volleyball Association Founders, Directors, and Committee members, all the MN coaches/parents/player advocates, MN High School Athletic Directors & Administrators fought for seven years for sanction approval from the MN State High School League. During that time participation grew from 200 students & 22 schools to over 2300 students & 81 schools. Minnesota High School Volleyball Sanctioning would not have come to fruition without the vision and guidance from MN Boys HS Association founders – Walt Weaver and Hugh McCutcheon. Special noteworthy highlight and thanks to the supporters in the MN State High School League that bravely voted, multiple times, to add this much needed sport to the sanctioned offerings in our Minnesota high schools. The Minnesota Volleyball Community is incredibly grateful,” – Jenny Kilkelly – (President & Co-Director of MN Boys High School Volleyball Association)
“I am so excited about the first official sanctioned season. We have some great returning players who were huge contributors to the State Championship Match against Rogers High School. We have some very athletic new rising stars to fill in the large senior class that we graduated from this 2024 State Championship Team. There are many talented school programs and it should be a fantastic high level official first season here in Minnesota,” – Krista Flemming (MN Boys Volleyball Coaches Association President & Head Coach of Shakopee HS)
Missouri:
(Dr. Ken Corum)
High school boys’ volleyball in Missouri started in St. Louis in the 1980s. In 1987, the Missouri Boys’ Volleyball Committee established the first high school boys’ state volleyball tournament composed entirely of schools from St. Louis. The number of participating schools grew over time where MSHSAA first recognized boys’ volleyball as an “emerging sport” in 1996.
In 2019, boys’ high school club teams in Kansas City began to form with the assistance of the local Heart of America region of USA Volleyball sponsoring the Kansas City High School Boys’ Volleyball League (KCHSBVL).
By 2023, eight schools on the Missouri side chose to elevate their status and join MSHSAA. That brought boys’ volleyball over the previously mentioned 50-school threshold in three geographic regions of the state to “provisionally interscholastic” status, meaning that a vote amongst those schools would lead to placing boys’ volleyball “fully interscholastic” status, complete with an official MSHSAA district and state tournament, for the 2023-24 school year. In April 2023, the vote passed with a 95.6% approval, so 2024 was the first year for fully interscholastic sanctioned boys’ volleyball in Missouri.
In 2025, there are now 103 schools statewide and 30 (up from 19 last year) in the Kansas City area that have registered with MSHSAA to play boys’ volleyball for the 2025 season. There are about several other schools in the metro currently playing at club status, and the hope is that they will choose to join MSHSAA soon. Columbia schools have joined this year and several schools in the Springfield area are also showing interest in initiating programs.
Top programs in Kansas City:
St. Michael the Archangel
Rockhurst
Oak Park
Lee’s Summit North
Staley
Players to watch:
Will Campbell – Rockhurst
Quentin Huhman – Lee’s Summit North
Jonathan Koob – St. Michael
Henry Olson – Rockhurst
Sam Morgan – Lee’s Summit West
Ben Salanski – St. Michael
Will Strub – Oak Park
Aiden Cuellar – Staley
Maddox Dresslaer – Grain Valley
Noteworthy: With the increase in numbers of teams statewide, MSHSAA will have 16 district champions this year instead of 8. The plan is to expand to two classes in spring 2026.
Quoteworthy: “Boys’ volleyball is the fastest growing boys’ sport in the country, and I’ll proud to say that Missouri is on board with sanctioning the sport last year. Now we’re focused on growing the number of teams statewide and giving male student-athletes another option to represent their schools, learn lessons, and gain characteristics that interscholastic activities can provide for them.” Dr. Ken Corum – Head Coach, Staley High School, Kansas City, MO
Nebraska
(Matthew Tweedy)
The boys’ volleyball community in Nebraska and surrounding areas has been growing with incredible dedication and excitement as we enter our inaugural season! With four teams throughout the Lincoln and Omaha area, we are ready to showcase the men’s side of the sport the state of Nebraska has grown to love! We can’t wait to contribute to the growth of boys’ volleyball talent in the Midwest!
Top programs:
1 – Lincoln
2 — Millard
3 – Omaha North
4 – Omaha South
Players to watch:
OH — Josh Morgan
S — Mitch Meeske
DS — Brett Bousquet
MB — Jacob Hunter
L — Blake Burbach
Noteworthy: The boys’ teams will get to play at Nebraska’s largest convention center during the season as part of the first-ever Nebraska Men’s Volleyball Showcase which will be a collaboration of boys’ high school and men’s college club games. This showcase will be open to the public for volleyball fans to have the chance to watch high-level men’s volleyball on display!
Quoteworthy: “Governing club volleyball programs in a state deemed as ‘The Volleyball State’, we are long overdue to see boys’ volleyball representation in our Region. We have a couple of club programs in our Region who offer boys’ teams and do fantastic at the national level: High Flyers and River City. Building off that, this League is an effort to get boys’ volleyball sanctioned as a high school sport in Nebraska. Our League is open to all skill levels, providing opportunity for beginner athletes to learn and find passion for the sport, and giving experienced athletes the opportunity to develop their skill under our top-notch coaches and develop leadership skills. We are excited to participate in the nationwide growth of this amazing sport!” – Lindsey Smith, Great Plains Region Office.
“I’m excited to be part of the first season in Nebraska. It’s going to be fun because it’s a fun yet competitive volleyball that I can play with my friends and classmates. I’m excited to have volleyball that is a short travel away. “ – Levi Tweedy, Millard
New Mexico:
(Jenny Ross)
New Mexico is embracing the Boy’s Volleyball movement with more schools joining every season! Although not yet sanctioned, we are up to 20 teams in the state. Sanctioning is right around the corner! For a state in the beginning stages, the amount of talent is something to brag about! Our New Mexico boys have about 12 scholarship offers in total as of right now. Volcano Vista is expected to win state this year with all returning players and finishing top 3 since the beginning of their program in (and a team full of club players.) You can catch Volcano Vista this March competing in the First Point National High School Invitational in Austin. Although not listed, East Mountain is a 3A school competing with the big 5A schools, they always hold their own and are very capable of making it into the top 5! Cibola High School is also expected to have a team this year (with club players), forcing our teams to be pushed to the limits for the state title this spring.
Top programs
1 – Volcano Vista
2 — Eldorado
3 – Hobbs
4 – La Cueva
5 – Sandia
Players to watch:
Lib/OH/S – Tyler Lund (Volcano Vista)
OH/Setter – Jake Pier (Eldorado)
OH/MB – Estevan Perez (Volcano Vista)
OH/Setter – Soren Fritz (Cibola)
Setter/OPP – Joaquin Corrales (Cibola)
Noteworthy: Tyler Lund from Volcano Vista is a rising star. As an 8th grader last season, he was voted 1st Team All-State (only 8th grader to ever make All-State), Captain and MVP of his team. New Mexico is very excited to watch this athlete for four more years! Jake Pier is another incredible athlete to keep your eye on this season. Although a Setter, Jake can has a very heavy hand and can hit as well as he sets! Estevan Perez joins the party as power hitter and top blocker bringing swag to the court unlike anyone else. All three of these players, who also made 1st Team All-State, come from E3VB’s club program playing on the national level team. They all hold at least one scholarship offer at this time.
Quoteworthy: “As we grow the game in New Mexico, we continue to see a ton of growth, not just in numbers but in skill and talent. The traditional juggernauts like Volcano Vista, Hobbs, Sandia and El Dorado all look to be primed to compete for a title, but there are new programs coming out that could really open some eyes. We will continue to push for sanctioning and creating more playing opportunities and exposure for our athletes. We are eager to start this 2025 season and can’t wait to play!” -Head Coach Rikki Garma, East Mountain.
“We have dedicated coaches, athletes, families and organizations like First Point Foundation that help us get through all the sanctioning obstacles as a community. It’s comforting to know we aren’t fighting this fight alone! Now time to fight for the state title!” –Head Coach Jenny Ross, Volcano Vista.
“In the land of Enchantment, Boys volleyball is finally getting the recognition and exposure that it deserves, whether at the high school or Club level. Since the exposure to boys volleyball in Hobbs and throughout NM, we have been able to unlock a love, passion and dedication for the game with many different players. A love that not even the players would have thought of. With every Serve, set and spike, we rise together to continue to grow the sport in NM!” –Head Coach Vicente Galindo, Hobbs.
Ohio:
(Sean Tierney)
Over 120 teams will be competing for a state title in two divisions in Ohio. Both defending state champions from 2024; St. Xaiver (Division I) and Archbishop McNicholas (Division II) return as heavy favorites. Ohio continues to see major growth in boys’ volleyball after becoming sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association in 2023.
Top programs
1 – St. Xavier
2 – Archbishop McNicholas
3 – St. Ignatius
4 – Hilliard Darby
5 – Thomas Worthington
Players to watch:
Joe Taggart, OH, St. Xavier (OSU commit)
Finn Rubin, MB, Thomas Worthington (Loyola Commit)
Jack Ragon, OH, St. Ignatius (OSU commit)
Grant Simer, OPP, Lakota East (NKU Commit)
Gavin Gerhard, OH, Archbishop McNicholas
Oklahoma:
(Brooke Halleran)
Top Programs in Oklahoma:
1 — Casady School (Oklahoma City)
2 – – Storm (Oklahoma City)
3 – – Jenks High School (Tulsa)
4 – – Southwest Oklahoma City Trident (Oklahoma City)
5 — Edmond-North High School / Mustang (Oklahoma City)
6 — Broken Arrow High School (Broken Arrow)
Players to watch:
S – Jonah Landis ‘26 (Casady School)
OH – Evan Halleran ‘26 (Casady School)
S – Hudson Headrick ‘26 (Jenks High School)
OH – Darrell Kosechequetah ‘25 (SWOKC Trident)
L – Christian Cordero ‘25 (Edmond-North /
Mustang)
Noteworthy: Boys high school volleyball has been rewarded for moving its season to the Spring in Oklahoma. With the support of the Oklahoma Boys Volleyball Association (OKBVA) there has been exponential growth that should eventually lead to boys volleyball becoming a sanctioned sport by the Oklahoma Secondary schools Activities Association (OSSAA). The sport has grown from two high school teams in 2020 to sixteen teams in 2024 and now at least twenty-seven teams participating in the 2025 OKBVA league. The Oklahoma State tournament on May 9-10 will be a showcase of the high level of talent in the Sooner State and Oklahoma’s own Jenks High School will be competing in the First Point National High School Invitational. Of note, five programs played inaugural seasons in 2024: Dove Science Academy, Enid, Owasso, Southwest OKC-Trident and Wolfpack while 2025 will see notable newcomers including Tulsa McClain, Moore High School, Sante Fe – South, OK School for the Deaf and Shawnee High School.
Quoteworthy: “In four short years, the state has seen expansion from just a few teams in 2020 to nearly 30 teams from all over the State in two divisions – varsity and junior varsity. OKBVA anticipates a continued increase in participation as it seeks sanctioning by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association (OSSAA).” –Jay Gallegly, Vice President of Oklahoma Boys Volleyball Association
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