Volleyball Recruiting Blog: Defensive specialists bolster Class of 2026 talent

West Forsyth returns its top defensive standout next season with Adeline Wieler. Last season, the 5-foot-9 defensive specialist racked up a career-high 580 digs in 114 sets played. This was a significant jump from the 436 digs Wieler accounted for as a sophomore and the 330 digs during her freshman campaign. West Forsyth finished runner-up to two-time state champion Alpharetta in Area 6 and posted a 27-14 overall record. Wieler has 1,346 career digs as a three-year starter for the Wolverines and will be one of the top prospects in all of Class 6A this season that has benefitted from facing Alpharetta annually in region competition.

In terms of Alpharetta, the Raiders had five D1 players on last year’s team, but still have a wealth of talent returning. Among these names is Kailey Leonard—who recently committed to play for Tulane. Leonard has won state titles in each of the last two seasons. In 2023-24, she posted 308 digs in 85 sets played and she added 368 digs last year in 91 sets—improving to a 4.0 dig per set average from her 3.6 mark as a sophomore.

Alpharetta has been the best team in the state for the last two years, but for years it has been Walton at the top of the volleyball world. The Raiders program has won 15 state titles since 1998 and won 10 championships in a 12-year span from 2010-21. Additionally, Walton has enjoyed deep playoff runs in the years that they haven’t been crowned champs. This upcoming season, Class of 2026 returning starter Ella Cobb will be a major player to watch. The junior defensive specialist accounted for 397 digs this past season in her first full season starting for the Raiders.

For Collins Hill, which is a team that struggled last season as a sub-.500 team, Abby Kim is a three-year starter that lines up as a libero/defensive specialist. Standing 5-foot-5, Kim has tallied 856 career digs for the Eagles. Harrison’s Addison Cooley is a versatile libero and defensive specialist for the Hoyas. Cooley is 5-foot-9 and is coming off a breakout junior season. After playing in 30 sets as a freshman and 60 as a sophomore, the Class of 2026 prospect tallied 100 sets played and a career-best 373 digs.