Houston Area 2025 HS Previews: District 13

After almost eight months of intense action around the country, the club volleyball season came to an end last week, with the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship taking place in Dallas.   The prospects from Texas won't, however, have a lot of time to breathe and relax after defending their club teams, as, in just over a month, on August 11, the high school volleyball season is about to begin in the Lone Star State, with the first matches of the University Interscholastic Legue (UIL) being held.   As in the past years, Prep Dig Texas will continue to follow the action closely in the Houston area, attending multiple matches every week and providing comprehensive coverage, with analysis, photos and social media posts from each of them.   It should be another exciting season, filled with highly-contested matches and strong individual performances, and, before August 11 arrives, we'll preview each district in the Houston area so you know exactly what to expect from each team competing:   District 13   Caney Creek   Caney Creek ranked seventh in the district last year, with a campaign of five wins and 11 losses - their season record had 18 victories and 21 defeats. The Panthers will have a new look coming into 2025 after many of their starters graduated, most notably outside hitter Brooklyn Davis, middle blocker Isabell Peters, libero Monica Garcia and setter Hailey Caballero. Seniors Jordan Paine (middle), Marissa Solorzano (setter) and Marci Villegas (outside hitter) will be key pieces in the team in their next campaign - junior middle Kaelin Berset also has the potential to make an impact.   Cleveland   Cleveland struggled in the highly competitive district and ended at the bottom of the standings with 16 losses, without winning a single set - considering the entire season, they had four victories and 26 defeats. The Indians' graduating class featured middles Emori Edwards and Aaliyah Jackson. Among their returning players in 2025 will be senior libero Francine Saplala, senior middle Kimori Smith, junior right side Chidera Amah and sophomore Ebony Simpson.   College Park   College Park had the third-best campaign in the district, collecting 12 wins and four losses - their season record has 32 victories and 12 defeats. They made it to the Division 2 Playoffs and were only taken down by eventual champions Byron Nelson in the State Semifinals. The Lady Cavaliers saw some important players graduate, such as libero Morgan Madison, middle blocker Sarah Arroyo and right side Sarah Kath, but continue to have a strong roster, having senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='209539' first='Lacy' last='Tinnell'], senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='225147' first='Caroline' last='Prihoda'] and senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='230851' first='Reese' last='Ellen'] as their pillars. In their second year with the team, sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='572594' first='Hailey' last='Tinnell'] (middle) and Skylan Johnson (outside hitter) are both expected to have bigger roles.   Conroe   Conroe finished sixth in district play in 2024, getting five wins and 11 losses against their regional opponents - the team kept about the same ratio in the entire season, getting 13 wins and 24 losses. The Lady Tigers will return in 2025 without their three main scorers - middle Kendall Glover and outside hitters Prestyn Parish and Natalia Johnson -, who graduated. Junior setter/right side Bella Murray will have a key role in the team in the upcoming season and should split the setting duties with sophomore Brayla Bradley. Senior middle Anastacha McGowen and sophomore outside hitter Talia Padilla should be the focal points in the team's offense.   Grand Oaks   Grand Oaks went to win the State Tournament for the second time in two years in 2024. The team went undefeated in district play, winning all 16 matches, and ended another successful season with a 42-7 win record after triumphing in the Division 1 Playoffs. The Lady Grizzlies lost two key contributors from last year to graduation in outside hitter Samara Coleman and middle blocker Emma Ferreira, but continue to have an extremely strong squad led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson'] (outside hitter), [player_tooltip player_id='452249' first='Samantha' last='Sampson'] (setter), [player_tooltip player_id='235997' first='Cali' last='Reece'] (libero), [player_tooltip player_id='235512' first='Hailey' last='Lotspeich'] (outside hitter/right side) and [player_tooltip player_id='270008' first='Julia' last='Flessas'] (libero), junior [player_tooltip player_id='534414' first='Mia' last='Owens'] (outside hitter) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='731292' first='Kate' last='Bull'] (outside hitter).   Oak Ridge   Oak Ridge were the fourth-best team in the district last season, getting ten victories and six losses - they ended the season with 35 wins and 12 defeats. The War Eagles played in the Division 2 Playoffs and won a pair of matches before falling to Royse City in the Regional Semifinals. Setter Bradi Rhodes and right side Layla Porter will be the most felt absences from last year's squad. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='318566' first='Gabriela' last='Santiago'] is the team's top player, and she should get great help from fellow senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='254239' first='Karli' last='Glover'], junior right side [player_tooltip player_id='720751' first='Allison' last='Luke'], senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='727373' first='Taylor' last='Whitehead'] and junior middle Micah Rusher.   New Caney   New Caney took eighth in the district with a campaign of two wins and 14 losses. They got four victories and had 27 defeats in the entire season. The Lady Eagles had a significantly strong graduating class, which featured libero Emilee McKee, middle Zoey Swiger and outside hitter Mackenzie Kelley. In 2025, the core of the team should have junior setter/right side Ashlan Thompson, senior middles Alex Ruiz and Kassidy Hammond and junior setter Amari White.   The Woodlands   The Woodlands had the second-best campaign in the district in 2024, getting 14 victories and just two losses - their season record showed 37 wins and ten defeats. The Lady Highlanders represented the district in the Division 1 Playoffs and were only stopped by district foes Grand Oaks in the Regional Finals. The Woodlands will be a very different team this season after outside hitters Ella Lewis and Abby Lewis, libero Cameron McDaniel and setter/right side Payton Stroud graduated. The new team will have three solid options in the middle in senior Sasha Bespaly, junior [player_tooltip player_id='443019' first='Elizabeth' last='Kath'] and sophomore Sophie Hollingsworth, while seniors [player_tooltip player_id='396771' first='Ava' last='Gibbs'] (libero) and Claide Tidwell (outside hitter) step into bigger roles.   Willis   Willis were the first team below the playoff line last season, ending up in fifth place with eight wins and eight losses. Considering the entire season, they had a positive record of 25 victories and 20 defeats. A pillar for the team during her entire high school career, middle blocker/outside hitter Carly Paugh led their graduating class, which also featured setters Summer Clark and Brianna Hendrickson. Outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='745470' first='Tori' last='Greeney'] (senior) and [player_tooltip player_id='580688' first='Kennadie' last='Gibson'] (sophomore) and senior middle Rylee Foerster will be instrumental for the Lady Wildkats at the net, while senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='575828' first='Avery' last='Wood'] leads the backcourt.

After almost eight months of intense action around the country, the club volleyball season came to an end last week, with the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship taking place in Dallas.