In some ways, the 2024 NCAA volleyball season felt like a farewell party. Due in part to the extra year granted to athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, there seemed to be a larger-than-normal number of top-tier athletes saying goodbye to their college volleyball teams. Many of these players were outside hitters who had come to represent their respective programs, and now are no longer running the show. Names like Sarah Franklin, Melanie Parra, Madisen Skinner, Anna DeBeer, and Jess Mruzik come to mind.

Despite these prolific players moving onto pro careers, there is no shortage of talent returning to the NCAA for the 2025 season. The outside hitter position is exceptionally competitive, with many players having already established themselves as stars, while others are ready to step up and fill the gap left behind by former teammates.

Here is my list of the top 10 returning outside hitters, presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Caylen Alexander, Missouri (previously Hawaii)

After three years with the Rainbow Wahine, star hitter Caylen Alexander is joining Missouri for her final year of eligibility. With a humble 5.64 points per set and 15 double-doubles last season, Alexander is one hell of a pick-up for any team and should cleanly fill in the hole left behind by Mychael Vernon. While it remains to be seen how she’ll adapt to the more competitive SEC schedule, Alexander is likely going to help an up-and-coming Mizzou team be even more of a threat this year.

Mimi Colyer, Wisconsin (previously Oregon)

Among the litany of shocking retirements and transfers this off-season was coach Matt Ulmer’s decision to leave his post at Oregon to head up the Kansas program. While a few Ducks joined him, star hitter and 2022 National Freshman of the Year Mimi Colyer opted to stay in the Big Ten Conference and join Kelly Sheffield’s Wisconsin team. With 3.97 kills per set last year, Colyer is poised to maintain the offensive power that Wisconsin lost in Sarah Franklin. The biggest hurdle to overcome will be passing, as serve receive has not proven to be one of Colyer’s many strengths.

Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky

Though she’s only a rising junior, Brooklyn DeLeye has made a name for herself as one of the leading offensive threats in the NCAA. She’s the reigning SEC Player of the Year after tearing up the conference last year with an average 5.59 kills per set—the highest for that stat of the returning outside hitters from Power Four conferences. She’s also a threat from the service line, with just over half an ace per set last year. 

Flormarie Heredia Colon, Miami

After what turned out to be only a temporary transfer to Florida, Flormarie Heredia Colon is back at Miami for her senior year. A member of the Dominican Republic’s national team, Heredia Colon spent the summer training with the senior team and playing at the Volleyball Nations League. Not that she needed that experience to make a name for herself collegiately—she averaged 5 points per set in her junior season and was second in the ACC for overall kills with 525. Heredia Colon is likely to take on an even heavier offensive load for Miami now that opposite Grace Lopez has transferred out, but she’ll doubtlessly be as fun to watch as she was last year.

Eva Hudson, Kentucky (previously Purdue)

After three seasons with Purdue, Big Ten kills leader Eva Hudson is finishing up her collegiate career at Kentucky. It is frankly insane that Hudson, who posted 5.24 points per set last season and has reached double-digit kills in all but two of her matches, will be playing alongside DeLeye. The offensive power between these two is unlikely to be anything short of absolutely staggering.

Ava Martin, Creighton

Last season was Creighton’s best showing yet, as the Big East team were at one point ranked 5th nationally and nearly took down eventual champions Penn State in the quarterfinals. Losing top-scoring Norah Sis and star setter Kendra Wait isn’t ideal, but Ava Martin is an exceptional hitter to command Creighton’s offense this upcoming season. Not only does she boast over 500 points and a hitting efficiency of .312 from last year, but she’s also one of the best returning outside passers to the NCAA.

Harper Murray, Nebraska

The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year is now approaching her junior season with the Huskers. With 3.4 kills last season, she led Nebraska’s highly balanced offense, and in certain situations proved her ability to will the team across the finish line when others were struggling. Her defensive prowess and reception are also simply exceptional, and the jump serve she debuted in the Spring match against Kansas shows her potential to be devastating from the service line. It’s said just about every year, but this upcoming season really looks to be Nebraska’s to lose.

Jurnee Robinson, LSU

Apparently, averaging 5.5 points per set in one of the most competitive conferences in the NCAA doesn’t warrant even an Honorable Mention from the AVCA. While I will never understand how Jurnee Robinson was overlooked last year, what I do understand is that she’s an offensive powerhouse with a solid all-around game. Entering her junior season, Robinson will have plenty of help in attacking from incoming transfer Nia Washington, which should hopefully help her be even more efficient.

Elia Rubin, Stanford

The rising senior and AVCA First-Team All-American will play one last year with Stanford after leading the team in kills and points. With excellent defense and reception skills as well, Elia Rubin’s all-around game has been critical to Stanford’s success. Question marks loom now that star setter Kami Miner has graduated, but as long as Rubin can stay consistent in her offensive production—something that she struggled with during matches late last season—we should see yet another tournament run from the Cardinal.

Torrey Stafford, Texas (formerly Pitt)

It’s not every day that a First-Team All-American enters the transfer portal after reaching back-to-back national semifinals appearances, but Torrey Stafford shocked fans by doing just that this off-season. In her sophomore season, Stafford had 3.7 kills per set with a stellar .358 hitting efficiency. If not for the presence of National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock as her teammate, Stafford’s kills per set would likely be higher (though it’s also true that her hitting efficiency would likely be lower without the threat of Babcock drawing the block). Now, she’s bringing her game to Texas, who will benefit immensely from her all-around game.