Houston Area HS Previews: 6A – District 15

<p>The USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship (GJNC) has just ended and new national champions have just been crowned in Indianapolis, but the prep volleyball community is already looking ahead to the start of the high school season.</p> <p>Over the next four months, prospects will store their club team uniforms in their closets and will represent their high schools with the goal of getting to the end of the year as the new state champions.</p> <p>The state of Texas has one of the largest high school seasons in the entire country with the University Interscholastic League (UIL) managing a tournament for public schools that features six divisions, 192 districts and as many as 1,207 high school teams.</p> <p>The start date for the 2022-2023 season is August 8 and between now and then, we're previewing some of the districts located in the Houston area, highlighting their teams and most promising prospects.</p> <p>It's time we take a look at Division 6A – District 15:</p> <p><strong> </strong><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Klein</strong></p> <p>The Bearkats were a powerhouse in district 15 last season, winning all of their 12 matches to finish at the top of the standings and compete in the playoffs, where they eventually fell in the third round. The team will be without three key players in 2022-2023 after middle blocker Kierstyn McFall and right side Lydia Mesusan graduated and outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="122888" first="Ariana" last="Brown"] transferred to Conroe, but there's still a strong core with middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id="87538" first="Mikala" last="Sampson"], setter [player_tooltip player_id="177531" first="Kinslee" last="Smith"], outside hitter Rachel Heilburn and libero Kiersten Hay.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Klein Cain</strong></p> <p>The Hurricanes were fourth in the competitive district 15 in 2021-2022 with their campaign on five losses and seven wins. Challenging the top teams in the division is always a possibility for a team with the talent of setter Kelly Pawelka, outside hitter Courtney Carter, middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id="124147" first="Jaylynn" last="McNeill"] and libero Mikaela Kissinger, but dealing with the graduations of middle blocker Paris Dixon and outside hitter Kharys Grice will be no small task.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Klein Collins</strong></p> <p>The Lady Tigers had more wins than losses in 2021-2022, triumphing in just three of their nine district 15 matches, a record good enough to finish sixth. They will certainly be looking to change that in the upcoming season and they should be able to do so as their roster remained nearly intact. Middle blocker Brooke Box will be a noticeable absence in a team that has exceptional emerging talent in setters [player_tooltip player_id="186231" first="Anna" last="Blaine"] and [player_tooltip player_id="184155" first="Carleigh" last="Schluter"], outside hitter Gracie Comeaux, middle blockers [player_tooltip player_id="178668" first="Ariana" last="Goode"] and Ashlynn Hollis and right side McKenna Ferris.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Klein Forest</strong></p> <p>The Lady Eagles weren't good enough last season, finishing at the bottom of the standings in district 15 after they dropped all their 12 matches. Middle blocker Nadazia Simien, setter Alejah Phillips, defensive specialist London Sam and outside hitter Aleyla Philipps all had important roles with the team last season and could form the core of this year's team.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Klein Oak</strong></p> <p>The Lady Panthers were a mid-table squad in the division last year, ranking fifth in district 15 with their campaign of five wins and seven losses. In such a competitive district, any improvement is welcomed and in order to do so in 2022-2023, Klein Oak will need to get even better production from outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="141246" first="Gracie" last="Campbell"] and middle blockers Hannah Akala and Catherine Singletary, who were already among the team's top players last year.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Tomball</strong></p> <p>The Cougars ended last season with a largely positive campaign, having won eight of their 12 district 15 matches to rank third. Their main challenge in 2022-2023 will be finding ways to challenge Klein and Tomball Memorial and in order to do that, outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id="185990" first="Kaitlyn" last="Davis"] and Teagan Alverson will have to repeat the excellent performances they had last season. The libero position is filled with one of the best in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="176662" first="Lily" last="Hopkins"] while the setting position has two excellent options in Lindy Godwin and Maddy Briggs.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Tomball Memorial</strong></p> <p>The Wildcats' 9-3 campaign was good enough to place them at the second spot in the competitive district 15. Arguably the main responsible for that performance, outside hitter Audrey Cataline has graduated, but Tomball Memorial has enough key players returning to target a repeat or even improved performance. Among them are outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="192650" first="Tanner" last="Charron"], middle blockers Sydney Speer and Paris Justice and libero Astyn Casey. The setter position could be a challenge with the graduations of Kaia Halfmann and Emma Coursey, but Sydney Kyle has done well enough during the club season to indicate she might be up for the task.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Waller</strong></p> <p>The Lady Bulldogs were near the bottom of district 19 last season after they won just two of their 16 division matches to rank ninth. Moving to district 15, they will have a chance to improve from it and a lot of their success will be dependent on outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="176645" first="Makenna" last="Tryon"] remaining an excellent all-around player and freshmen Kenadii Winfrey (middle blocker) and Moriah Johnson (outside hitter) making the next step on their development. Having Essence Williams and Emma DeBruin splitting the setting duties for another season will also be a strength of this team.</p>