PREP VOLLEYBALL | Area's top players, teams

Five players to watch
Maggie Case, Fitch, senior -- First team all-state in Division I last season; also first team all-Steel Valley Conference, all-district and all-county. Three year starter for the Falcons, helping to lead them to a state berth in 2001.
Lauren Teal, Salem, senior -- First-team all-district, all-county and all-Metro Athletic Conference; honorable mention all-state as a junior.
Carrie Davis, Springfield, senior -- First team all-Inter-County League and all-district as a junior.
Megan Taylor, Lakeview, senior -- Third team all-Ohio and the only underclassman to make the first team in the Trumbull Athletic Conference last season.
Rachel Terzak, Fitch, senior -- Three-year starter for the Falcons; earned second-team All-SVC honors as a junior.
Five teams to watch
Fitch -- Returns four starters from last year's district championship team. Should benefit from playing in Federal League and have extra motivation to play well in Tom Case's last year as coach.
Salem -- Returns top player (Teal) from last year's MAC title team. Must replace longtime coach Don Conser, who retired after last season.
Poland -- Finished second in the MAC last year. Always tough.
Lakeview -- The Taylor-led Bulldogs are talented, but will it be enough to finally knock off Hubbard?
Hubbard -- Hit hard by graduation, but senior Traci Hassel leads an Eagle team that has won 150 straight league games. Still the TAC-8 team to beat.
-- Joe Scalzo