High School Pre-Season Spotlight: Vandegrift Lady Vipers

<p>The Vandegrift volleyball program had the best season in school history in 2021. Vandegrift has worked to put itself on the map when it comes to premier volleyball teams in the state. Minus the COVID year, the Lady Vipers have had 30+ win seasons since 2015. They are also the first 6A central Texas team to make it to the Regional Finals since the inception of the Regional Tournament. They finished the 2021 season as district champions with a 13-1 record, playing in a very competitive district that included opponents like Round Rock Westwood and Cedar Ridge. They would ultimately lose to State Champions Brandeis in the Regional Final Round. Finishing the season as Region IV runner-up, the Lady Vipers are aiming to get back there and more in 2022. Below we will talk about 3 seniors who are stepping up to the plate to make these dreams a reality. </p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="122899" first="Ellie" last="Mattox"] - Setter - Dartmouth</strong></span></p> <p>First on our senior feature is setter [player_tooltip player_id="122899" first="Ellie" last="Mattox"]. Ellie, who just recently committed to Dartmouth, posted a whopping 1428 assists her junior year, bringing her high school total to 1780. Not only does she set, but she is also very aggressive at the net, and will attack the ball. Her 5'11 frame allows her to contest tight balls and run an efficient 5-1 offense. During the off-season, she played for Austin Juniors and ran a very fast offense, often setting really tough balls and converting them to points for her team. The success of the 2021 season has spilled over into excitement for the 2022 season, and coach Southall says that these seniors will not accept anything short of a productive season.</p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="176638" first="Ava" last="Salo"] - Outside Hitter - Austin Skyline</strong></span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="176638" first="Ava" last="Salo"] had a great Junior year for Vandegrift and posted 297 kills in her first season as a varsity player. She was able to gain playtime even with a senior-laden team in 2021. Coach Southall is excited to be able to count on her as an integral part of the offense this fall. She has been preparing in the off-season by playing for Austin Skyline. She was also nominated to the AVCA Phenom Watch List for 2021. Ava has worked on her offensive and defensive game, hitting the ball hard and placing the ball on the court with a high volleyball IQ. It will be fun to watch her in her senior season.</p> <p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong> [player_tooltip player_id="203054" first="Mackenzie" last="Boyer"] - Middle - Austin Juniors</strong></span></p> <p>Mackenzie was another break-out star for the Lady Vipers in 2021. She was nominated for 2nd team All-District and posted 117 kills from the middle position. Her 6'3 frame makes it hard to play against her because of her huge block. Not only is she tall, but she is athletic, moving pin to pin very fast. She has also worked in the off-season to improve her offensive game, getting faster and reaching higher, improving her approach jump to 10'1. She had 132 total blocks for the season in 2021, and coach Southall is excited to bring that back this fall.</p> <p>Coach Southall is excited for her senior leaders. She says that they are seasoned in the playoff run, and are excited to get back to the Regional Tournament. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Not only will seniors play a huge part, but be on the lookout for some young talent to come in and make a difference as well. </span></p>