2023 Houston Area HS Previews: 6A - District 15

The club volleyball season has come to an end in great style, with the best teams in the country battling at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, in Chicago, between the end of June and the start of July.   The top talent in the state of Texas won't have much time off the court, however, as they are now gearing up to represent their high schools in the upcoming season, with the first non-district matches set to happen on August 4 and district play starting from August 22.   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.   Prep Dig will be following all the action, as usual, but until it starts, let's take some time to preview some of the districts located in the Houston area.   Division 6A - District 15   Klein   Klein missed the playoffs last season after they finished fifth in the district with six wins and eight losses. The Bearkats will return in 2023 without their two main scorers from last season, outside hitter Rachel Heilbrun and middle/outside hitter Mikala Sampson, who graduated alongside starting libero Kiersten Hay. Klein will enter with some interesting pieces in their squads, most notably senior setters Kenzie Frazier and [player_tooltip player_id='177531' first='Kinslee' last='Smith'], senior middle Faith Williams and senior outside hitter Alexis Waddy.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KleinVolleyball/status/1597600765354426369?s=20 </div></figure>   Klein Cain   Houston's Klein Cain finished district play in seventh place last season with their campaign of four wins and ten losses. Looking for a better outcome this time, they will have two significant seniors from last year to replace in leading scorer and outside hitter Courtney Carter and starting libero Mikaela Kissinger. Senior setter Kelly Pawelka will run the Lady Hurricanes' offense while senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='124147' first='Jaylynn' last='McNeill'] and junior outside hitter Carson Roye split the team's scoring duties. Incoming freshman outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='438284' first='Kelly' last='Wright'] can also help in that department.   Klein Collins   Spring's Klein Collins were second in the district in 2022 after they won ten of their 14 matches in the season - they couldn't get past Langham Creek in the bi-district round though. The Lady Tigers will need to find solutions for the absences of the graduated Ariana Goode (middle), McKenna Ferris (right side) and Keely-Ann Shelnutt (libero), as well as for setter [player_tooltip player_id='186231' first='Anna' last='Blaine'], who transferred to Concordia Lutheran. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='192639' first='Olivia' last='Murillo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='184155' first='Carleigh' last='Schluter'] are the obvious choice at libero and will form the core of the team with senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='246323' first='Kristina' last='Cote'] and junior middle Ashlynn Hollis.   Klein Forest   Houston's Klein Forest had a hard time competing in the district and finished in last place with 14 losses and no sets won. The Lady Eagles will look like a very different team this season after middle Nadazia Simien, setter Alejah Phillips and outside hitters Kiearra Haynes and Aniah Jones all graduated. Returning to lead the team in 2023 will be junior setter Aliza Chirinos and senior outside hitter Aaliyah Gonzalez.   Klein Oak   Spring's Klein Oak were the third-best team in the district in 2022 thanks to their 10-4 win record. The Panthers were stopped in the first round of the playoffs, falling to Bridgeland in the bi-district round. The core of the team is gone after setter Maggie Ellender, libero Tatum Lockhardt, middle Catherine Singletary and outside hitters Gracie Campbell and Hannah Akala all graduated. In 2023, Klein Oak will need a lot from middles Lauren Dale (senior) and Tori Leggiero (sophomore) on offense and that junior Bella Dimiceli steps up in the starting setter role.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/KleinOakVB/status/1673744688401072154?s=20 </div></figure>   Tomball   Tomball were the undefeated district winners last season with a perfect campaign of 14 victories. The Cougars even won a pair of playoff matches before falling to The Woodlands in the regional quarterfinals. Some important pieces from that team graduated, most notably setter Lindy Goodwin, outside hitter Teagan Alverson, libero Lily Hopkins and middle Amelie Grostabussiat. The Cougars will have another season of arguably the best player in the district, senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='185990' first='Kaitlyn' last='Davis'], and an interesting group of players to support her that includes senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='192620' first='Madalyn' last='Hoot'], senior outside hitter Brooke Parker and senior right side Lexi Klenzing - junior setter/defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='254166' first='Jaxon' last='Doty'] could also make an impact and incoming freshman libero [player_tooltip player_id='269795' first='Gemma' last='Hopkins'] is also ready to go in the starting lineup.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/THSCougarsVB/status/1590179065864282112?s=20 </div></figure>   Tomball Memorial   Tomball Memorial secured the last spot in the playoffs with a campaign of seven wins and seven losses that placed them in fourth place in the district last year. Their playoff run ended in the bi-district round, against Cy Ranch. The Wildcats lost three starters to graduation in middle Madison Ingram, middle/right side Sydney Speer and libero Astyn Casey, as well as backup setter Sydney Kyle. Despite that, the team continues to have talent everywhere with seniors Avery Craig (outside hitter), Skylar Christopher (middle) and [player_tooltip player_id='192623' first='Anahi' last='Alvarado'] (libero) and junior Sydni Halfmann (setter).   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/tmhsvolleyball/status/1590346336880439297?s=20 </div></figure>   Waller   Waller were sixth in the district last season as they won five and lost nine matches. Hard-hitting outside hitter Makenna Tryon is one of last year's seniors that won't return, as well as setter Emma Debruin and libero Britney Gilhcrest. Between sophomore outside hitter Dakota Hieber and junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='269809' first='Kenadii' last='Winfrey'], the Lady Bulldogs have two interesting offensive pieces to start with. Juniors Madisyn Byars (middle) and [player_tooltip player_id='443330' first='Moriah' last='Johnson'] (outside hitter) will be tasked with larger roles this season.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/WallerHSVball/status/1592210878078005249?s=20 </div></figure>

The club volleyball season has come to an end in great style, with the best teams in the country battling at the 2023 USAV Girls Junior National Championship, in Chicago, between the end of June and the start of July.