2022 Star Local Media All-Area Volleyball Team Superlatives
Star Local Media 2022 All-Area Volleyball Team
Click through to see which players earned all-area honors from Star Local Media for their work on the court this season. Congrats to the players, coaches and programs represented on this year's team.
In hindsight, Bayless had some pretty big shoes to fill as her varsity career with the Lady Wolves took off as a sophomore in 2020. West was coming off its greatest season ever, having finished as Class 6A state runner-up behind a senior class chalked in Division I powerhouse hitters.
Over the next three seasons, Bayless helped steady the Lady Wolves as a state powerhouse. She was voted as District 6-6A newcomer of the year as a sophomore and all-district first team as a junior. On the heels of a sensational senior campaign, Bayless was the unanimous pick for 6-6A MVP this past season — one that continued the Lady Wolves' run of excellence on the volleyball courts.
It was a season to remember for the Lions as they made history in qualifying for the state tournament and Schroder was one of the big reasons for their success. The senior, who recently signed to continue her playing career at Boston College, was among the top offensive weapons in the area, recording 501 kills, an average of 4.1 per set, as she was selected as the 9-5A offensive player of the year. But Schroder’s versatility was just as important to Reedy’s fortunes. She also led the Lions defensively with 352 digs, an average of 2.9 per game, and she posted 46 blocks and 31 aces. Schroder saved some of her best performances for the biggest matches. After getting swept in the first meeting against Lone Star, Reedy evened the score in the rematch, as Schroder posted team-highs with 22 kills and 20 digs as they rallied for a 13-25, 25-19, 23-25, 29-27, 15-13 victory. There would be a rubber match in the regional quarterfinals, where she had 12 kills and 28 digs as the Lions advanced with a 21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-22 win. In the regional championship, Schroder delivered 14 kills and 16 digs as Reedy avenged a pair of earlier defeats against rival Wakeland to punch its ticket to the state tournament, and in the semifinals against Liberty Hill, Schroder tallied 11 kills, two aces, two blocks and 12 digs as the Lions reached the championship match.
The Wolverines turned in one of the best seasons in program history in the fall and Jones was one of the central figures. Jones used her natural instincts and 6-2 frame to post 178 blocks, an average of 1.6 per set, which put her among the state leaders and earned her 9-5A blocker of the year honors. Jones was also a force offensively, recording 248 kills, an average of 2.2 per game. Wakeland parlayed a strong run through non-district play into a dominant run through 9-5A, where it navigated its way through one of the toughest districts in the state and came out of it with an
undefeated 14-0 record. Even more impressively, the Wolverines dropped only three sets along the way. When they were tested, Jones came up big to keep Wakeland on track, as she recorded eight kills and five blocks in a four-set win over Lone Star, and in the five-set victory against Reedy, she amassed 11 kills and eight blocks. During the first four rounds of the playoffs, Jones tallied 33kills and 16 blocks as the Wolverines reached the regional finals for the fourth time in program history. And though the road came to an end with a hard-fought 31-29, 29-27, 26-24 loss to Reedy, Jones did all she could, tallying 12 kills and five blocks on the afternoon.
The Redhawks found themselves in an unusual position last season after having missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Liberty had redemption on its mind and it got it, with Gildon leading the way. The Redhawks battled their way through a tough 10-5A field and finished the season with a 11-1 record, giving them their first district championship in three years. The senior captain, who recently signed to continue her playing career at Clemson, did a little of everything as she was voted as the 10-5A most valuable player. Gildon is one of the top setters in Texas, where she ranked among the state leaders with 1,206 assists, an average of 10.0 per set. In addition to directing the offense, she was one of the team’s top defenders, where she registered 391 digs, an average of 3.2 per set. Gildon also ranked among the team leaders with 36 blocks and 36 aces, and on top of all of that, she was an offensive threat at the net, where she recorded 168 kills. A good example of Gildon’s versatility came in the bi-district round against Frisco, which saw Liberty rally for a 24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 victory. In that match, Gildon tallied nine kills, nine digs and dished out 41 aces as the Redhawks were the only 10-5A team to advance out of the first round.
When the Lady Leopards began the 2022 season, Brand was one of just two players on Lovejoy's roster who had seen playing time during the program's run to a ninth UIL state championship the previous year.
Brand was one of several capable defensive options for head coach Natalie Puckett to help spell AVCA all-region libero Ava Camacho. And as Brand took the reins of the Lady Leopards' defense for the 2022 season, her impact resonated to the point where she was recognized by the rest of 13-5A as the district's co-MVP.
Frisco ISD has a proud volleyball tradition. Of its now 12 varsity programs, 11 of them have made the playoffs, with the exception being first-year Emerson. Several of those squads have enjoyed postseason success, but none had ever reached the state tournament.
That is, until this season, when Rudd guided the Lions to never-before-reached heights. Reedy had made the playoffs in five of the previous six seasons, and the bar was high after it had reached the Class 5A Region II finals last year before falling to Lovejoy in four games. But the Lions had four all-district performers to replace, and while the talent was there, it was going to take some time. Reedy challenged itself against some good competition early on, but through 15 games, had compiled a 6-9 record. Through two weeks of the 9-5A season, the Lions sat in the middle of the pack at 2-2. But the mark of a good team is how it improves throughout the season and Rudd got Reedy to peak at the right time and the Lions won nine of their next 10 matches to close out the regular season. They kept it going in the playoffs, sweeping their first two rounds before rallying from a set down to defeat Lone Star in four games to return to the regional tournament. Reedy faced a familiar face in the regional finals, but after two earlier setbacks, it was able to edge out a 30-28, 29-27, 26-24 win over No. 1 Wakeland to become the first FISD team to advance to the state tournament. The Lions were not quite done, sweeping Liberty Hill in the semifinals before falling in four sets to Colleyville Heritage in the 5A championship match.
After three years of engineering the Lady Bulldogs' attack at setter, Nicholson's role on the court expanded quite a bit for her senior season. In addition to her usual setting duties, Nicholson took on more responsibility as an opposite hitter — a change she embraced and one that fueled another banner year for North.
The TCU commit's versatility shined in every area for the 13-5A co-champions. She totaled 319 kills as a senior, doing so on a .285 hitting percentage. For comparison's sake, Nicholson's first three seasons on varsity produced a total kill count of 316.
Post a comment as anonymous
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.