2023 Houston Area HS Previews: 6A – District 19
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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.…
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Continue ReadingThe 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 19
Cinco Ranch
Katy’s Cinco Ranch were one of the top teams in the district last season, winning 13 out of 16 matches to finish second. The Cougars had a solid playoff run too, beating four teams before they fell to district foes Tompkins in the regional final. High-scoring outside hitter Courtney O’Brien and starting libero Kayla Atkinson are gone after they graduated, but Cinco will remain competitive led by star junior setter Kassidy O’Brien Kassidy O’Brien 5'10" | S Cinco Ranch | 2025 State #19 Nation TX , who will have senior outside hitter Makenna Loo Makenna Loo 6'0" | OH Cinco Ranch | 2024 State TX and junior right side Gabriela Martinez at the pins and seniors Shea Rainosek Shea Rainosek 5'10" | MB Cinco Ranch | 2024 TX and Emily Killam in the middle.
Jordan
Fulshear’s Jordan fought for a playoff spot until the end during the last season, but ended up looking from the outside after they finished fifth with eight wins and eight losses. The Warriors had their first graduating class last year and it included outside hitter Ella Folse and libero Abby Hoss, two big parts of the team. Jordan will try to go one step further this season and they have a solid core with seniors Leah Hoss Leah Hoss 5'8" | S Jordan | 2024 TX (setter), Ella Koch (outside hitter) and Addison Oglesby (middle), junior (middle/right side) and sophomore Ava Ribakovs (setter/right side) to make it happen.
Katy
Katy were the sixth-best team in the competitive district last season, when they won seven of their 16 matches. Looking to move up a few spots, the Lady Tigers will need to do it with new starters at outside hitter after Madeleine Chaapel and Addison Chapman, their two main scorers last season, both graduated. Seniors Gabi Young Gabi Young 5'7" | S Katy | 2024 TX and Cameron Steger Cameron Steger 5'4" | DS/L Katy | 2024 TX continue to provide stability at setter and libero respectively, but senior right side Nyla Wold and junior middle Kennedy Pike will be asked to step up offensively.
Katy Taylor
Katy Taylor won the battle against Jordan and secured the last spot in the playoffs, ranking fourth with ten wins and six losses. The Lady Mustangs were unlucky to face powerhouse Ridge Point in the bi-district round and couldn’t advance any further. The team will remain nearly untouched in 2023 as starting libero Tessa Woods was the only senior to graduate after their last campaign. Seniors Allyson Campbel and Hanna Fan should continue at outside hitter, with junior Ella Randall playing setter, junior Julia Porath Julia Porath 6'1" Taylor | 2025 TX developing at right side and senior Vanessa Eregie and sophomore Madison Barrera Madison Barrera 6'2" | MB Katy Taylor | 2026 State TX playing in the middle.
Mayde Creek
Houston’s Mayde Creek had a hard time dealing with the tough competition in district play and ended in ninth place, with just two sets won during last season. The Rams will have situations to sort out in the upcoming season with the graduations of outside hitter Jada Mckey, libero Claire Garcia and defensive specialist Alondra Guardado, but also have good potential for growth as juniors Melanie Gasca Melanie Gasca 5'7" | S Mayde Creek | 2025 TX (setter), Jasmine Thomas Jasmine Thomas 5'11" | MB Mayde Creek | 2025 TX (middle) and outside hitter Rachel Cortez (outside hitter) continue to develop.
Morton Ranch
Katy’s Morton Ranch won the two district matches against Mayde Creek to rank right above them in eighth place last season. The Mavericks had a strong senior class graduating after their last campaign, which included leading scorer outside hitter Neveah Donahoe, setter Hadley Hyle and libero Kyler Maple. Seniors Alexis Scott (middle) and Kirsten Williamson (outside hitter) will be among their few returning players this season.
Paetow
A fairly new program in the region, Katy’s Paetow showed progress last season and finished seventh with six wins and ten losses. The Panthers graduated some important players, such as outside hitter Abigail Hardison, middle Amaya Thompson and libero Charrish McLemore and will also have to deal with the departure of their best player in the last two seasons, junior setter/right side Caelyn Dumas Caelyn Dumas 5'10" | S Tompkins | 2025 State TX , who transferred to Tompkins. Senior setter Ilana Rosario and senior outside hitter Devan Adams will be of big importance to Paetow in the 2023 season – junior outside hitter Carsyn Jefferson can help offensively too.
Seven Lakes
Katy’s Seven Lakes were third in the district last season – they had the same ten wins and six losses as Katy Taylor, but won the seeding match between the teams. The Spartans won their first playoff match, but fell to Stratford in the area round. Seven Lakes will return without two starters in 2023 after libero Grace Lanier and middle Isabella Deuel graduated, but still have a strong squad, led by seniors Sameena Burns Sameena Burns 6'2" | MB Seven Lakes | 2024 State TX (outside hitter/middle), Temi Sam-Olibale (outside hitter), Simone Romriell Simone Romriell 5'9" | S Seven Lakes | 2024 State TX (setter), LeAnna Beaty (middle), Katie Cieslewicz Katie Cieslewicz 6'0" | RS Seven Lakes | 2024 TX (right side) and Clara Belcher Clara Belcher 5'6" | DS/L Seven Lakes | 2024 TX (libero).
Tompkins
Katy’s Tompkins were one of the best teams in the entire state last season and it all started with their perfect district record of 16 wins. The Lady Falcons then went on to win six playoff matches to make it the State Championship match, where they were topped by eventual champions Dripping Springs. Their success was in part due to a strong senior core, which contained right side Cindy Tchouangwa, outside hitter Tendai Titley and setter Presley Powell. They won’t be back in 2023 – as well as senior outside hitter Skylar Skrabanek Skylar Skrabanek 6'1" | OH Randle | 2024 State TX , who transferred to Randle, but won’t play this season – and Tompkins will need to find new pieces to pair with senior setter Erica Dellesky Erica Dellesky 5'10" | S Tompkins | 2024 State TX , junior libero Brooklynn Merrell Brooklynn Merrell 5'6" | S Tompkins | 2025 State TX and middles Simi Elliott Simi Elliott 6'1" | MB Tompkins | 2025 State TX (junior), Christin Cowart (junior) and Callie Funk Callie Funk 6'3" | MB Tompkins | 2026 State TX (sophomore). The arrival of junior setter/right Caelyn Dumas Caelyn Dumas 5'10" | S Tompkins | 2025 State TX from Paetow will also strengthen the team.