A special team was on the horizon when Alpharetta upset Pope in the 2023 Class 6A state championship volleyball match. The Raiders had previously fallen to Pope at the end of the regular season, but were able to cruise to victory in the finals and win their second all-time state title and first since 2020.
Alpharetta returned nearly its entire roster for the 2024 season and it was bumped up to the new largest classification (Class 6A), while Pope went to Class 5A. Both teams ended up capturing titles in 2024 (Alpharetta’s third all-time and Pope’s sixth) and Alpharetta’s successful bid for consecutive crowns included a perfect 36-0 record with only six dropped sets the whole year.
After witnessing Alpharetta’s championship victory in 2023, the player I was most impressed with on Alpharetta’s roster was setter Abigail Li. The towering setter gave Alpharetta a unique playmaker at the net that could fulfill multiple roles. I would often describe her as the equivalent of having three players in one position. Li had the 6-foot-1 height to be a defensive presence, she had the skill to bail out points and convert kills if she needed to and she was one of the state’s best setters as she fed assists to Alpharetta’s rotation of outside hitters.
Li was originally committed to SMU, but was able to land a scholarship with Georgia Tech during this past season. Not only that, but Li became the first-ever Alpharetta player to win Gatorade Player of the Year. After concluding her successful volleyball career at Alpharetta High School, newly signed Yellow Jacket Abigail Li has earned the honor of 2024-25 Gatorade Georgia Volleyball Player of the Year.
She is the first Gatorade Georgia Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Alpharetta High School. The senior setter led the undefeated Raiders (36-0) to the Class 6A state championship and a No. 6 national ranking in the MaxPreps Top 100 this past season. Li accumulated 937 assists, averaging 10 per set, along with 195 digs, 80 kills, 53 aces and 46 blocks. She finished her senior season as the 6A-Region 7 Player of the Year and earned 6A All-State honors.
Li has volunteered locally for the New Prospects Elementary School Mentoring Program, an organization she co-founded, which works with elementary school students who need extra help. In addition, she’s served as a coach with the Junior Alpharetta Raiders middle school volleyball program.
“Li has this intimidating factor about her game, and she’s either going to put a ball down your throat, serve a huge ball at you so you shank it or make you guess where she’s setting the ball,” said Allatoona High School head coach Joseph Soley. “She has a very high IQ on the court and controls the offense at a high-level pace.”
Below is a list at the other A5 volleyball prospects that have signed to play at the next level.
Statewide Class of 2025 Volleyball Signees that participated with the A5 Club
Maddy McLin- Alpharetta, Tulane MB/OPP (A5)
Alexa Flowers- Buford, Duquesne University Libero/DS (A5)
Francesca Popescu- Lambert, UC Berkley Libero/DS (A5)
Abigail Li- Alpharetta, Georgia Tech Setter(A5)
Sofia Dawson- Marist, University of North Florida Setter (A5)
Kendall Newbold- Westlake, University of North Florida OPP (A5)
Valiree Schmus- Chestatee, University of West Georgia OH (A5)
Kaia Easterbrook- Cherokee, Providence College MB (A5)
Kendall White- Norcross, St. John’s University OPP (A5)
Haedyn Crumbley- Morgan County, Gardner Webb OH (A5)
Morgan Powell- Lumpkin County, University of South Carolina Upstate OH (A5)
Makenzie Mallow- Mill Creek, Winthrop University OH (A5)
Ellis Crawford- Pope, University of Maryland MB (A5)
Imani Howell- Archer, Rutgers MB (A5)
Sophia Van Name- Mount Vernon College of William & Mary OPP (A5)
Laney Daniell- Allatoona, Liberty University MB (A5)
Sophia Jo- Westminster, Harvard Libero/DS (A5)
Nathalie Tsai- Chamblee, Penn Setter (A5)
Mikayla Middleton- Roswell, Norfolk State University MB (A5)
Tatiana Robinson- Roswell, San Jose State OPP (A5)
Brooke Boyles- Alpharetta, Long Island University OH (A5)
Lauren Marshcke- Norcross, Wofford College OH (A5)
Carys Sanabria- North Cobb, Alabama A&M MB (A5)
Mackenzie Moore- Marietta, Jackson State OH/OPP (A5)
Ava Casey- Peachtree Ridge, Georgia State Setter (A5 Gwinnett)
Genesis Smith- Norcross, University of Louisiana at LaFayette MB (A5 Gwinnett)
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