Payton Avilez Payton Avilez 5'11" | OH Lexington Catholic | 2026 State KY once again shows us what an incredible athlete she is! She puts out a solid performance every opportunity we see her! She has fast reactions on the court, makes plays happen, and hold her team together! She has a consistently amazing strong swing, that she can place hits deep or down the line accurately, can play tight to the net or attack from mid court delivering points. She will self sacrifice for a dig and keep that ball in play, she serves up a storm and is confident and composed! An enthusiastic player showing leadership qualities on the court. Payton brings her A game every set, a must have player!

Avilez laid everything on the line for the Knights trying to help them take one more step. She made crisp passes and took powerful swings, mixing in hard and soft touches trying to keep the sound Assumption defenders guessing. Avilez also made great serves keeping the Rockets out of system at times.

Avilez does a great job attacking balls from the outside. She has a great approach then rips through balls sending them screaming to the ground. Avilez also makes the simple passes defensively before making smooth transitions to offense. Avilez benefits from a lot of one-on-ones at the net with the balance Lexington Catholic has.

Payton is monster pin hitter! She is called upon frequently and she delivers! She has a textbook perfect swing with a huge release that sends balls downwards and fast. She can hit the ten foot line, send a ball deep to the corner or down the line with power coming from perfect contact and a huge vertical from the pin or back row! She is consistent in her play and racks up kills with a 4.2% avg to date in 2025. She digs extremely well and will chase balls down to keep them in play, she passes up accurately and can get up a hard shot equally well. She shows a good rapport with her setter and delivers when needed. She will serve up aces and can put the ball where needed tipping smartly creating campfires and points. We love her cool play and support for her teammates. She is a weapon that any coach would love to have use of!

Payton is a cool, collected player on the court with a wealth of talent. She puts on her game face and brings her play every play of every set. She can dig tough balls in the back row and get them up smoothly and accurately. She works well with the front line to make beautiful kills from the pin with a strong swing and beautiful mechanics. She is a pillar in any position and the glue that holds the team together. She supports her teammates well and is a player you want on your team, not to play against. Worth the price of admission!

Avilez had a great all-around tournament for the Knights. Avilez back up on balls then made strong passes then ran to her secondary position whether it was covering the net or setting up for a swing. Avilez said sound all-around player is all about trust in each other. Avilez said she likes to send quick, low passes to setter Charlotte Hall Charlotte Hall 5'11" | S Lexington Catholic | 2027 State KY to let her set up the offense. Avilez had 12 kills and eight digs in the championship game.

Avilez (pictured) brings a lot of versatility to the Knights. She constantly shuffles her feet on defense anticipating where balls are going then transitions to offense quickly. Balls carom off her arms to the setters with ease. Avilez has a great approach to the net putting a lot of power into her spikes. Avilez has 159 digs, 36 aces, 103 kills and 17 solo blocks on the season.

Junior outside hitter Payton Avilez Payton Avilez 5'11" | OH Lexington Catholic | 2026 State KY demonstrated her versatility throughout all five sets, contributing 6 kills, 2 blocks, 17 digs, and 2 aces. Her tenacity on defense and her ability to maintain the team’s morale showcased her pivotal role in keeping the momentum alive.