Erin Bigham, Canton — The senior setter does a bit of everything (659 assists, 232 digs, 62 kills, 43 aces, and 32 blocks last season) for the Bulldogs, keeping the team atop the Hockomock Davenport last year and earning the Globe’s Division 2 Player of the Year honor.
Emilie Ferdinand, Brookline — The senior stepped up last season in the absence of the team’s other key outside Noga Naveh, rocking 282 kills (hitting .203), 208 digs, 88 aces, and 19 blocks. She led the Warriors to the D1 final.
Sofia Halunen, Bourne — Catalyst of a Division 5 championship with team-high numbers in kills (196), assists (384), and blocks (26), the senior will look to do it one more time, now in D4. She added 177 digs and was the Globe’s D5 Player of the Year.
Riley Huml, Weston — As rare as four-year setters are, the senior has already done it with a season to spare. She is a D3 champ and is in the hunt for the state’s all-time assists record of 2,589 (set last season by Dennis-Yarmouth’s Vivian Castano).
Makayla Kuykendall, Franklin — A six-rotation standout, the outside hitter compiled 227 kills, 264 digs, and 71 aces to lead the Panthers to the D1 quarterfinals last season.
Kendall Larkin, Medfield — The leading hitter of the Division 3 champion Warriors and the Tri-Valley League, the senior earned league MVP honors last season.
Hazel Lovins, Winchester — The junior outside hitter put up 299 kills last season, adding more than an ace per set and contributing to a strong back row. She is a major reason the team challenged for a spot in the Division 1 semifinals.
Mia Milani, Bellingham — A two-time D4 finalist in as many high school seasons, the junior racked up 275 kills (at a 42 percent rate), 201 digs, and 87 aces. She leads the Blackhawks into D3 this fall.
Sasha Selivan, Newton North — Entering her junior year, the setter has already won two championships, been the Globe’s D1 Player of the Year twice, and earned Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts. She already has over 1,000 assists and is committed to Colgate.
Lizzie Tam, Needham — A D1 semifinalist as a setter and as a libero, the senior has been everything the Rockets have asked of her. She has over 1,000 assists and last year recorded 3.5 digs per set with 79 aces.
Jessie Wang, Andover — A Globe All-Scholastic selection two years ago, the outside hitter toughed out an injury last season, still putting up 3.8 kills per set. She led the Golden Warriors to the D1 quarterfinals two years ago, and is primed for a strong senior season.
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford — The junior led Division 1 in kills as a freshman, and is already above the 500-mark in kills and digs in two years. She won Merrimack Valley Conference Player of the Year last season.
Other players to watch: Soley Rodriguez Martinez enters her junior season as a two-time All-Scholastic from Canton, forming a terrific passing duo with Bigham . . . Johanna Melhorn (Winchester), Lila Arkinstall (Wakefield), and Sabine Wenzel (Melrose) give the Middlesex League a wealth of elite middle hitters . . . Lizzie Adolfsson stepped up for Lincoln-Sudbury at outside last year and looks to take her skills even further as a junior . . . Senior Sanskriti Nistala is everywhere on the court as Acton-Boxborough’s libero . . . Lyla McDonough led D2 finalist Oliver Ames in assists and aces as a sophomore last season . . . Carly Tarantola set the single-season kills record for Ursuline as a sophomore, and is back as a senior after missing part of her junior season to injury . . . Bella Bacon is back as a Brookline senior after playing libero and hitter for the finalist Warriors, earning an All-Scholastic selection . . . Junior Brooke Barnett and senior Aiya Dottin give Natick a formidable duo of middles
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.