Performance of the Week: Ann Arbor Skyline’s Harper Murray
November 16, 2021
Harper Murray ♦ Junior
Ann Arbor Skyline ♦ Volleyball
The 6-foot-2 outside hitter has led her high school program to its best postseason finishes all-time over the last three seasons and helped her country to fame on the international court as well this fall. Murray’s first three seasons on Skyline’s varsity have coincided with the program’s first three Regional titles in volleyball, including the Eagles’ championship triumph Thursday as she had 26 kills and 20 digs in her team’s five-set win over Brighton. Skyline (53-3-2) advanced to play Northville in one of tonight’s Division 1 Quarterfinals. Murray also was among her team’s leading hitters as a freshman in 2019 as Skyline reached the Division 1 Semifinals – her older sister Kendall, now playing at Michigan, was a Miss Volleyball Award candidate that fall – and the Eagles just missed returning to the Semifinals last season with a five-set Quarterfinal loss.
An all-state first-team selection last season and third-teamer as a freshman, Murray is widely-regarded as one of the nation’s top juniors. Despite spending two weeks this season playing with USA Volleyball’s under-18 national team – she helped it to bronze at the FIVB World Championships in Mexico – Murray has totaled 583 kills over 108 games this fall with a .560 kill percentage and .451 hitting percentage, and she also has 77 aces. She has committed to sign with national power Nebraska, which is ranked No. 11 this week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and won the most recent of its five Division I championships in 2017.
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2021-22 Honorees
Nov. 11: Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian - Report
Nov. 4: Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Oct. 28: Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21: Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14: Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7: Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30: Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23: Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16: Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of Terry Jacoby/We Love Ann Arbor (top) and the Skyline volleyball program.
Leland's Glass Childress Inducted into National High School Hall of Fame
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 3, 2026
Alisha Glass Childress’ excellence on the volleyball court led to national championships at the college level, and Olympic medal and both playing and currently a coaching career in the professional ranks.
But even after achieving all of that greatness over the last two decades following her career at Leland High School, her experiences starring for the Comets in multiple sports continue to carry significant weight.
On June 29 in Salt Lake City, Childress became Michigan’s 11th inductee into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The video above was shown as an introduction before Childress was awarded her Hall of Fame plaque and medal during the induction ceremony.
She graduated from Leland in 2006 with national high school career records of 3,584 kills, 680 blocks and 937 aces, and 296 aces for one season as a junior. Her aces records still stand, her career kills record stood until broken in 2024 by Shelby’s Navea Gauthier, and she remains third on the career blocks list. Glass continues to hold MHSAA records for single-season and career aces and also for her 48 kills in Leland’s 2005-06 Class D Final win over Battle Creek St. Philip. Childress also led Leland to a Class D runner-up finish in 2004-05 and the Semifinals in 2003-04. (All three tournament runs took place while girls volleyball was still played during the winter season before moving to the fall to begin the 2007-08 school year).
Childress earned the Miss Volleyball Award and Gatorade Player of the Year Award for Michigan as a senior, and her name is listed 19 times throughout the MHSAA girls volleyball record book. She also made Michigan's Class D all-state first team on the basketball court as both a junior and senior, averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior and 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots per game as a senior while leading her basketball team to Class D Quarterfinals both of those seasons.
After high school, she started all four seasons at national power Penn State and set the Nittany Lions to three straight NCAA championships, being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America first team twice and second team once.
Childress continued her career professionally and internationally, playing professionally in the United States and Puerto Rico, Italy, Turkey, Poland and Brazil and being named USA Volleyball Indoor Female Athlete of the Year for both 2013 and 2014. She led the U.S. national team to bronze at 2016 Olympics and was named Best Setter of the tournament, after being selected as an alternate for the 2012 Olympic team.
Childress currently is serving as head coach of the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball after previously playing for the Pro Volleyball Federation's Vegas Thrill in 2024 and 2025 and in that league's first All-Star Match.
She previously served as a coach with Athletes Unlimited, as an assistant coach with the Stanford University women’s volleyball program from 2019-21 – including during the team’s run to the Division I national title in 2019 – and as an assistant for the gold medal-winning U.S. national team during the 2018 Pan American Cup.
Previous Michigan inductees to the National High School Hall of Fame
2024: Tyrone Wheatley, Dearborn Heights Robichaud - Watch
2022: John E. "Jack" Roberts, MHSAA - Watch
2016: Ken Beardslee, Vermontville Maple Valley - Watch
2011: Brad Van Pelt, Owosso
2007: Jim Johnson, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook
2005: Bob Wood, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
2001: Richie Jordan, Fennville
2000: Diane Laffey, Warren Regina
1986: Lofton Greene, River Rouge
1983: Charles E. Forsythe, MHSAA
PHOTO Alisha Glass Childress stands for a photo with MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl during her NFHS Hall of Fame induction June 29. (Photo courtesy of the NFHS.)