- On June 17, Buchholz junior middle blocker Aaliyah Ray pledged to the University of Georgia.
- Buchholz High is currently ranked No. 29 in Florida and No. 6 in 6A by MaxPreps after winning 20 games and a district title last year.
On June 17, Buchholz junior middle blocker Aaliyah Ray pledged to the University of Georgia.
“During my club season, they came to watch me during a tournament and then they showed interest in me,” Ray said. “Then they started talking to my recruiter, and then my recruiter got back to me, so I was like, okay, Georgia, so I looked them up, and I was like, yeah, this is a nice school.”
Over the summer, Ray attended UGA’s camp and she loved it.
“I loved the campus and the environment, so that was an A-plus for me,” she said. “They’ve got food on the campus, so I was like, A-plus plus. And then they ended up calling me on June 15th with the offer, scholarship. I waited it out a bit to see my other options, but Georgia was my main pick.”
If she signs, Ray will become the first volleyball player from the area to sign with the Bulldogs since Oak Hall’s Lauren Bullard in 2006.
Bullard, who led the Eagles (25-6) to a Class 2A state runner-up finish as a senior, finished with 282 digs, 59 kills and 97 service points. She could have walked on at UF, but she was offered a scholarship to UGA and picked the ‘Dogs instead.
The 6-foot-1 Ray earned second team All Area honors as a sophomore after leading the Bobcats with 41 aces and 43 blocks while tallying 141 kills.
She still has two more seasons of high school ball.
“She’s a monster,” said first-year Buchholz coach Amanda Falck. “I mean, the way she moves on the court is great. So, it’s great to have her.”
Buchholz (3-1), which won 20 games, a district title, and a first-round playoff game last year under former coach Andre Medina, is currently ranked No. 29 overall in Florida and No. 6 in 6A by MaxPreps. The Bobcats will host Class 2A region finalist Trinity Catholic (Ocala) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
“This year should be a really good season,” Ray said. “We’re kind of an undersized team from the look of it, but we’re all dogs. That’s the thing: looks are deceiving. We might be small, but we’re all dogs over here. So, this season’s going to be pretty good. I can’t wait to see what we have for this season and what we’re going to bring.”
Ray joins an elite group of high school volleyball players in this area over the last 25-plus years who have gone on to play at the Division-I level.
In 2000, libero/defensive specialist Taylor Williams of Gainesville High School was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Volleyball after leading the Hurricanes to the Class 5A state title. She finished her prep career with 1,345 kills and 654 blocks.
Two years later, outside hitter Marcie Hampton of P.K. Yonge became the second player in the area to be named Florida Miss Volleyball. Hampton, who was rated the No. 4 player in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com in the class of 2004, led the Blue Wave to Class 2A state titles in 2000 and 2002.
Williams became the first Gainesville native to earn a volleyball scholarship at the University of Florida, while Hampton set UF freshman records for digs (354) and attempts (1,056). In January of 2025, Hampton was recognized by Mainstreet as one of Alachua County’s top 10 athletes of all time.
In 2003, outside hitter Michelle Staulbaum of Gainesville High was named Florida Miss Volleyball. That year, she helped lead the Hurricanes to a perfect season (32-0) and the 4A state title.
Stalbaum, who signed with the University of South Florida, also won a pair of state titles.
More recently, Jalyn Stout of Santa Fe (Alachua) was named Florida Miss Volleyball in 2022.
Stout won the prestigious award in 2021 as a junior after leading the Raiders (29-3) to their first state title in program history. She finished with 392 kills and a team-best .558 hitting percentage, while ranking second on the team with 393 assists and adding 236 digs.
She was even better in 2022, leading the Raiders to a second straight Class 4A state title and finishing with 563 kills, 368 assists, 245 digs, and 55 aces.
There have been several others who have signed with Division-I schools since Stout.
Among those Division-I signees are Gainesville High’s Brooklyn Tealer (University of Southern California), Charlotte Gravlee (Columbia) and Meme Davis (Mercer University), who signed in 2023. Santa Fe’s Delaney Wingenbach (Georgia Southern) also signed in 2023, followed by Santa Fe’s Mia McGrew, who signed with the University of Iowa, in 2024.