Texas High School Spotlight – Lovejoy Leopards
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Now that the high school season is well underway, we are starting our series of articles on those teams who have been lighting up the stat sheets and scoreboards. We will be highlighting a few teams that have a chance…
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Continue ReadingNow that the high school season is well underway, we are starting our series of articles on those teams who have been lighting up the stat sheets and scoreboards. We will be highlighting a few teams that have a chance to do something very special this year if it all works out. Today we bring our attention to the Lovejoy Leopards out of District 13-5A.
The Lady Leopards are currently 14-12 after attending some grueling competitive tournaments and We have written about some of these players before and here is a little from our recent articles about them if you need to remember who they are:
McKenna Brand McKenna Brand 5'6" | DS/L Lovejoy | 2024 State TX [2024] 5-6 Libero (HS: Lovejoy/Club: Dallas Skyline/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Mckenna is currently ranked as the 52nd best overall prospect in the 2024 class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She stars in the back row for Lovejoy high school and also for the amazing Dallas Skyline program. I was front row for quite a bit of her club team’s tourney season and she was super impressive as a libero. Her amazing play has not skipped a beat now that her high school season is in full swing. I love how much command she has in the back row whether it is in serve receive or the defensive end. She can split the court in serve receive and take up a lot of real estate in the formation and take some pressure off of other players. I love how much ground she covers in pursuit of the ball. She is quick and always balanced with impeccable footwork. She leads the team in digs and digs per set. Miss Brand is definitely one to watch and she has what it takes to move up the rankings when we update them soon.
Bethanie Wu Bethanie Wu 5'10" | S Lovejoy | 2024 State TX [2024] 5-10 Setter (HS: Lovejoy/Club: Drive Nation/Verbal: Yale University)
Bethanie is currently ranked as the 39th best overall prospect overall in the 2024 Class according to our Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. She plays high school volleyball at the three-time State Champion Lovejoy High School and will play club this coming season with Drive Nation. Miss Wu is someone who I have been following very closely for the past couple of years and she has proven to be super consistent as a distributor. She is as accurate with the ball in her hands as they come. I love how she never seems to get rattled in big moments and her teammates know that they can trust in her delivery of the ball. She runs a fabulous tempo with her middles and paints the target like a sniper on the pins. Even though she has big shoes to fill with the departure of Gatorade National Player of the Year Averi Carlson, the Leopards are in “great hands” with Bethanie. They will always have a fighting chance in every match because of her elite level of play.
Hannah Gonzalez Hannah Gonzalez 6'3" | MB Lovejoy | 2023 State #170 Nation TX [2023] 6-3 Middle (HS: Lovejoy/Club: Madfrog ‘ last=”]/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Hannah is currently ranked as the 14th best overall player in the 2023 class according to the Prep Dig Texas State Rankings. Miss Gonzalez plays at Lovejoy HS and also club for national powerhouse Madfrog ‘ last=”]. We have written about this juggernaut many times over the course of her career and she is still just as dominant as ever. She has the experience of winning a few state titles already and brings that to this team who is filled with young talent. They will rely heavily on her leadership to keep them in prominence. She is filling up the stat book with blocks and kills for this squad and will be looked at to stay consistent as the district schedule begins. If we know anything, nothing will stop Hannah from dominating at the net. Watch out for a great end to a phenomenal career during this final high school season for her.
There are some other studs on this roster that deserve some accolades also. Two of their kill leaders are stud sophomore pins Morgan Vanvoorhis and Anna Barr Anna Barr 6'2" | OH Lovejoy | 2025 State TX . Like your average horror movie, these two are on a killing spree and filling the stat book up. Super soph middle Shellby Burriss has been a great wall at the net blocking everything that comes her way. She is also one of the leaders in hitting efficiency. Isa Camacho Isa Camacho 5'7" | DS/L Lovejoy | 2024 State TX is another ball control stud in waiting for this awesome defense. This team has their young stars battling against older opponents and that should bode well for them at the end of the year and beyond. They have been ranked super high on many publications team lists all year long. They will definitely have another run in the UIL State Playoffs. I, for one, will not ever bet against this team or its wonderful community that supports this program.
Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Texas Family!