Meet the GHT All-area Volleyball team, led by JoBurg’s Mady Peppin

• JoBurg junior Mady Peppin was named the Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
• Peppin also earned All-State third-team honors after leading the area with 445 kills and 49 blocks.
• Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston volleyball teams both secured district championships in 2025.

GAYLORD ― Fall can sometimes be seen as “football season” to high school sports fans. However, volleyball teams across Otsego County have been consistently more successful at bringing home championships, and 2025 was no exception.

Both Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston brought home district titles this year, GSM’s first since 2022 and JoBurg’s first since 2020. Meanwhile, a tumultuous season for GHS somewhat overshadowed the end of the careers for a group of influential seniors in Gaylord’s program.

Before we move on to the winter sports season for good, let’s take a look back at the individuals who made this past high school volleyball season so fun to watch. Here is the 2025 all-area team:

Gaylord Herald Times All Area volleyball

Player of the Year- Mady Peppin, JoBurg

The best volleyball player in the Gaylord area has been a JoBurg Cardinal for at least the last five seasons. It was JL legend Jayden Marlatt taking home the Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year crown multiple times in her record-breaking career from 2020-23, and now it’s junior Mady Peppin who has won back-to-back GHT POY honors after another dominant year for the Cardinals in 2025.

Peppin’s height and athleticism make her a tough matchup for most Ski Valley Conference teams and she has used that to her advantage in her career, racking up 943 kills and 132 blocks over her three years. This year, she expanded her game to become one of JL’s most consistent servers as well, finishing second on the JL team with 263 total service points.

Peppin received both all-State third-team and all-region first-team honors from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association, leading the Gaylord area with 445 kills and 49 blocks.

Here is a look at who joins her on the all-area first team.

First Team

Payton Glasby, St. Mary

The kill and block leader for Gaylord St. Mary set a school record with 34 kills in a five-set victory over Bellaire. She helped GSM go from a two-win team in 2023 to a district champion in 2025.

Addison McDonald, Gaylord

Through an up-and-down year, Addison McDonald was GHS volleyball’s constant, reaching 500 career kills early in the season while helping a young team transition through two different coaching changes.

Lexi Hogle, JoBurg

Hogle finished as JL’s all-time assist leader, capping her four-year career with 2,596 total assists. She led JoBurg with 840 assists, 296 service points and 107 aces.

Kaylee Jeffers, St. Mary

Much like she does for the highly-touted GSM girls basketball team, senior Kaylee Jeffers did it all for a GSM team that nearly won the Ski Valley Conference (finished tied for second) and won a Division 4 district title.

Lily Crane, JoBurg

Junior Lily Crane also earned MIVCA All-Region honors after totaling 198 kills, 248 digs, 7 blocks, 230 service points and 64 aces in 2025.

Second Team

Hailey Bober, JoBurg

Emery Lawes, JoBurg

Emery Blust, St. Mary

Laney Perdue, St. Mary

Karlee Pretzlaff, Gaylord

Nora Bethuy, Gaylord

Honorable mentions

Bindi Samalik, Gaylord

Olivia Jones, Gaylord

Lily Lauer, Gaylord

Maiya McDonald, Gaylord

Lily Keister, St. Mary

Sahara Wells, St. Mary

Savannah Collazo, St. Mary

Jaeden Briley, JoBurg

Neela Lawes, JoBurg

Ashlynn Burke, JoBurg

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen