Striking their way through the season, the Varsity and JV volleyball team have gained the title of undefeated district champions for the first time in school history. The Lady Eagles have won every home game they have played and after winning the second round of playoffs gained the title of area champions.
“With having our fans, being at home and being in front of their families I think they do really well,” head coach Madeline Odom said. “We’ve had a pretty good student section which I think the girls really thrive off of so we love the support.”
This season the varsity team includes members from all four grade levels. There’s a mix of girls growing into their spots and then seniors who take on that leadership role and help out the underclassmen. There are eight seniors on the team, which has helped out tremendously.
“We do have our babies on the team so we have to hold them accountable because they are really good,” Odom said. “Just having this big senior class has been really helpful.”
One of the rising new faces, freshman outside hitter Jordon Morrow (#10) is ranked third in the district for both digs and kills. A freshman outside hitter on varsity may come as a surprise, however Morrow has been noticed as a top performer this season.
Adding recognition to the team, senior middle-blocker Rheanna Deen-Jackson (#9) has been selected for the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American watchlist. The AVCA All-America watchlist is an opportunity for senior athletes to be awarded for outstanding on court performance. Athletes chosen for the watchlist have the chance to be recognized for being the top rising secondary school and collegiate level. Jackson was also nominated for the Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Association watchlist and the VYPE Houston preseason watchlist.
This is Rheanna’s third year on varsity and her sixth year playing volleyball. She has broken the school’s single season block record with a number of 187 total blocks. Jackson is ranked #19 nationally for total blocks, #7 in Texas and #1 in the district. Her hitting percentage, which measures how successful her hits have been, is .500 which puts her at #7 in Texas and #1 in the district.
“It’s a lot more positive this season,” Jackson said. “I think that’s really helped us all do good.”
Continuing to make the charts, senior setter Madisen Bailey (#7) recently celebrated her 1,000th career assist and is ranked at #1 in the district for assists this season. Earlier this season Bailey was nominated for VYPE preseason setter of the year.
As the season comes to an end the team has reached nearly 700 kills over the national average and have been a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. Their secret to success has been the bond they’ve made along the way.
“We have a very strong and family oriented team this season,” Odom said. “We’re really close this year and everything has been pretty positive even during our hard games.”
