Experienced team has big goals

The Aledo Ladycats volleyball team has seen quite a bit of success in the past 10 years. The Ladycats made it all the way to the state tournament in 2014 before falling to eventual state champion Lucas Lovejoy. Then in head coach Claire Gay’s first year at the helm, 2017, Aledo once again made it to Garland for the state tournament, but again fell short to Leander Rouse.

Since then, the Ladycats have consistently made the playoffs. However ,the past two years saw Aledo end up in a first round bout with teams from arguably the toughest district in the state. Both years resulted in first round exits, something that Gay hopes to avoid in 2022.

“They just happen to just grind it out every Tuesday and Friday,” Gay mentioned. “At the end of the day, we’re matching up against really quality teams no matter which team we were going to play out of that district. It was an unfortunate exit, it happened the year before and it’s kind of eaten away at us so we’re very hungry to prove ourselves.”

The road will not be any easier in the new campaign, but with the majority of the 2022 squad returning the Ladycats are prepped for what could be a deep run well into November. Seniors Maddie Frank, Payton Hilmer, and Mia Little headline the returners who are looking for a state title in their final year at Aledo.

Joining them as returners are juniors Vivian Parker, Rylee Metts, and Skylar Lambert who are all expected to make a significant impact on the season for the Ladycats.

Big Differences

From year to year, changes happen throughout the offseason. Whether students move out of the district, into the district, or it is a change of coaching, the changes are usually significant in the landscape of Texas high school volleyball.

The biggest differences from 2021 are not so much involving the Ladycats, but with everyone else around them. The biggest difference is the addition of Justin Northwest to the district. The Lady Texans move into Aledo’s district after spending the past two years in the same district that eliminated the Ladycats in 2020 and 2021.

“That adds another dynamic,” Gay exclaimed. “That was a district that was so equal that any one of them would have competed very well. They ended up having a play-in round last year for the last two spots in the playoffs. They ended up second last year and lost to Grapevine, who made it to state. So that is just going to add to the competitiveness.”

Aside from the addition of Northwest, many schools in the district saw changes in head coaches, most notably at Wichita Falls Rider, where the Lady Raiders have consistently been a thorn in Aledo’s side.

With Wichita Falls ISD condensing their three existing high schools into just two in the coming years, coaches from the high schools have been “jumping ship” to schools where there may be more job security. That could prove to be an issue down the stretch for Rider when the district schedule rolls around.

Long time rival Brewer is also among the schools in the district with a new head coach, and the Lady Bears are expected to look much different than they have in the past.

“It’s going to look very different than what we expected the last couple of years,” Gay commented. “They may look really different or they may not. Until we get around them we won’t really know a lot unless we can follow their schedule.”

The University Interscholastic League also did the Ladycats a favor when they separated the team from the schools that had knocked them out of the playoffs in the past. For the next two years, the Ladycats will most likely see a team from Fort Worth ISD in the first round of the playoffs before facing the more prestigious district in the second round.

New Faces

One addition that the Ladycats made in the offseason is senior Alyssa Gonzales who moved in from California and brings a new kind of spirit to the game that should benefit Aledo.

“She brings a whole different dynamic to the place,” Gay said. “She brings a very beach style feel to our game, so she played a different style and she’s learning our style and trying to mesh the two. It will take some time but she’s very dynamic and blocks very well.”

Sophomore Lauryn Mack, who spent the past few years at Fort Worth All Saints, also joins the squad and will fill in the role of outside hitter. One thing that stands out about Mack is her calmness and composure throughout the matches, especially whenever things get tough.

“She has looked very calm and smooth,” Gay commented. “She has looked really consistent; she doesn’t waiver very much emotionally and physically. Nothing seems to rattle her. I’m sure things may rattle her a few times but she never shows it and that says a lot.”

Positions

Middle Attackers - Maddie Frank, Skylar Lambert, Haley Lowe

“Skylar was on the team last year,” Gay pointed out. “She’s stepping into more of a playing role, and Haley is pushing, just keeps getting better every day. And then of course Maddie returns from last year.”

Outside - Vivian Parker, Lauryn Mack, Alyssa Gonzales, Payton Hilmer, Kinley Elms

“Vivian and Lauryn are more of our ball handlers,” Gay explained. “Then you’ve got Alyssa who can also ball-handle, Payton is playing more on the outside, especially on the right more frequently. All of them can really be outside or right side and that’s nice to have. Kinley is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the right side. She plays very hard and practices well.”

Setters - Rylee Metts, Ava Reding, Catie Messer

“They’re all kind of new to this level,” Gay mentioned. “Rylee played last year, learned a lot and continues to get better. Ava is a sophomore and Catie is a junior and so we’re working hard to get them up to where we need them at this pace.”

Defensive Specialists - Natalie Anderson, Morgan Estevez, Maddy Jarvis, Logyn Denbow, Kenrie Pruitt, Madison Widemayer, Parker Dwinell

“We’ve got a lot of defensive specialists,” Gay said. “Natalie does a good job competing and we definitely need to get her rep count up. All of them are kind of new to varsity and they’re just battling it out every day.”

Libero - Mia Little

“I’m definitely glad to have Mia returning at libero,” Gay said. “She’s worked a lot and gotten much better at her serve-receive. She worked really hard in the offseason on that.”