Mackenzie Pool (top, centre) elected to stay in Canada to play her university volleyball. The Alberta Pandas couldn't be happier. (Photo by Ken Pool for Varsity Letters 2022. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Volleyball University Women's Volleyball

Our 13th annual edition: Who are B.C.’s Top 15 Grade 12 girls volleyball players? Check out our 2021-22 Dream Team!

LANGLEY — Pandemic or not, Varsity Letters has never failed to deliver what has become one of our most eagerly-anticipated features, and that’s why we’re happy to bring you our 13th straight edition of B.C.’s Top 15 high school volleyball players.

Last year, even with the entire season cancelled due to COVID, our unflappable panel of coaches still got together and produced their list.

This year, as flooding complicated matters and the provincial championships got pushed into December, we were delayed in our efforts. Yet once again, B.C.’s university coaches, from SFU, UBC, UBC Okanagan, UFV, Trinity Western and Thompson Rivers, have come through.

Today we present the girls Top 15 list.

And the best news? Thanks to dedicated high school coaches and athletic directors around the province, as well as the players themselves, we’ve been able to secure photographs for each and every one of our honoured athletes.

COMING FRIDAY: Varsity Letter’s 2021-22 Top 15 Boys Volleyball Players!

Notre Dame Jugglers’ Mackenzie Pool. (Photo by Angela Rivera property of Notre Dame athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

1 MACKENZIE POOL

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FEATURE STORY ON MACKENZIE!

School — Notre Dame (Vancouver)

Height — 6-foot

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 90

Freshman’s Future — Alberta

Olivia Boulding is an outside hitter from Victoria’s Claremont Secondary. (Photo property of CB Photography 2022. All Rights Reserved)

2 OLIVIA BOULDING

School — Claremont (Victoria)

Height — 6-foot-2

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 78

Freshman’s Future — Montana

Duchess Park’s versatile Macyn Unger begins collegiate life this fall playing volleyball at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. (Photo by Chris Zimmerman for Varsity Letters 2022. All Rights Reserved)

3 MACYN UNGER

School — Duchess Park (Prince George)

Height — 5-foot-9

Position — Libero/OH/Setter

Poll points — 73

Freshman’s Future — Simon Fraser

Riverside Rapids’ libero Jaimie Hewlett. (Photo for Varsity Letters courtesy of Riverside athletics athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

4 JAIME HEWLETT

School — Riverside (Port Coquitlam)

Height — 5-foot-11

Position — Libero

Poll points — 65

Freshman’s Future — TBD

Little Flower Academy’s Liz Lee (second from left) celebrates with her Angels’ teammates. Next season she joins the tradition-laden UBC Thunderbirds. (Photo by Tony Lee courtesy Little Flower Academy Athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

5 ELIZABETH LEE

School — Little Flower Academy (Vancouver)

Height — 5-foot-10

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 64

Freshman’s Future — UBC

West Vancouver’s Libby Meldrum will set her university career in motion this fall when she suits up for the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in Kamloops. (Photo by Blair Shier property of Blair.photo 2022. All Rights Reserved)

6-tie LIBBY MELDRUM

School — West Vancouver

Height — 5-foot-10

Position — Setter

Poll points — 63

Freshman’s Future — Thompson Rivers

Chloe Ng of the York House Tigers of Vancouver has worked hard to set her future in place as a Big 10 setter next season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. (Photo for Varsity Letters courtesy of York House athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

6-tie CHLOE NG

School — York House (Vancouver)

Height — 5-foot-9

Position — Setter

Poll points — 63

Freshman’s Future — Minnesota

Heather Benko of Sechelt’s Chatelech Secondary is an outside hitter set to play in the AUS next season with the UNB Reds. (Graphic property of UNB Athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

8 HEATHER BENKO

School — Chatlelech (Sechelt)

Height — 6-foot

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 45

Freshman’s Future — New Brunswick

Lucy Millam, an outside hitter with Victoria’s Mount Douglas Rams, will play in Kamloops next season for the TRU WolfPack. (Photo courtesy of Mt. Douglas athletics 2021. All Rights Reserved)

9 LUCY MILLAM

School — Mount Douglas (Victoria)

Height — 5-foot-11

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 35

Freshman’s Future — Thompson Rivers

Kelowna Owls’ hitter Abby Hettinga stays home next season to begin her university career with the UBC Okanagan Heat. (Photo for Varsity Letters courtesy of KSS athletics athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

10-tie ABBY HETTINGA

School — Kelowna

Height — 6-foot

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 33

Freshman’s Future — UBC Okanagan

Mt. Boucherie outside hitter Kirsten Hill is head to play at SFU next season. (Photo for Varsity Letters courtesy Mt. Boucherie athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

10-tie KIRSTEN HILL

School — Mount Boucherie (Kelowna)

Height — 6-foot

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 33

Freshman’s Future — Simon Fraser

Shadae Black of Prince George’s D.P. Todd Trojans. (Photo courtesy D.P. Todd athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

12 SHADAE BLACK

School — D.P. Todd (Prince George)

Height — 6-foot-1

Position — Outside hitter

Poll points — 29

Freshman’s Future — TBD

Abbotsford Christian’s Megan Vaags will take her talents to the University of New Brunswick next season. (Photo courtesy Abbotsford Christian athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

13-tie MEGHAN VAAGS

School — Abbotsford Christian

Height — 6-foot

Position — Outside hitter/Middle blocker

Poll points — 17

Freshman’s Future — New Brunswick

Riverside Rapids’ Lauren Way is a middle blocker set to suit up in Abbotsford next season when she begins her U SPORTS career with the UFV Cascades. (Photo for Varsity Letters courtesy of Riverside athletics athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

13-tie LAUREN WAY

School — Riverside (Port Coquitlam)

Height — 6-foot-1

Position — Middle blocker

Poll points — 17

Freshman’s Future — UFV

Kelowna Chrsitian’s Amy Bennett is a setter who play next season for the UFV Cascades. (Photo by Liz Tremblay for Aviva Studios property of KCS Athletics 2022. All Rights Reserved)

15 AMY BENNETT

School — Kelowna Christian

Height — 5-foot-9

Position — Setter

Poll points — 11

Freshman’s Future — UFV

If you’re reading this story or viewing these photos on any website other than one belonging to a university athletic department, it has been taken without appropriate permission. In these challenging times, true journalism will survive only through your dedicated support and loyalty. VarsityLetters.ca and all of its exclusive content has been created to serve B.C.’s high school and university sports community with hard work, integrity and respect. Feel free to drop us a line any time at howardtsumura@gmail.com.

2 thoughts on “Our 13th annual edition: Who are B.C.’s Top 15 Grade 12 girls volleyball players? Check out our 2021-22 Dream Team!

  1. I love the idea of the list every year, but it is not the top grade 12 volleyball players, it is the most physically gifted volleyball players that university coaches want. The AAAA final was a skills clinic put on by SDSS and Riverside, but only 1 player from the 1st all star team made the list. MVP Annika Trask, and fellow grade 12s Emily Wezeman, and SDSS twins Jane and Kate McDonald are some of the best all around players in the province. Yes some of the listed players are not at AAAA schools. SDSS beat the smaller schools at UBC and the Red Serge. They have a strong grade 11 cohort but would not have had the success without the McDonald twin’s all around play.

  2. So if you don’t have interest of playing post secondary, or are deemed too small by post secondary coaches you can’t make the list? 4 of grade 12’s from the AAAA provincial finalists and 3 from the 1st all star team Emily Wezeman, Annika Trask, Jane and Kate McDonald don’t make the list? It would seem that high school coaches could make a viable list based on a season of competition as opposed to post secondary coaches listing who they want based on their size and recruiting interest.

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