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high school sportsVolleyball

2023 all-area volleyball: See individual awards, full first, second and third teams

The Dallas Morning News’ superlative winners are from five different local schools.

SportsDayHS writer Greg Riddle names his individual award winners and breaks down the all-area teams for the 2023 Texas high school volleyball season. We have more awards as well, including The Dallas Morning News’ Player of the Year and all-district lists that can be found at the bottom of this story.

Hitter of the year

Macaria Spears, Plano Prestonwood Christian, junior

Spears, who is committed to defending NCAA champion Texas, was named a first-team All-American and the national junior of the year by MaxPreps after leading Prestonwood to its second straight TAPPS 6A state championship. Spears was away from her high school team at the beginning of the season while training with the U.S. under-19 national team, and she only played 84 sets for the season, but she had 334 kills for a 36-4 team that finished No. 4 in the MaxPreps national rankings. She was the 2022 Gatorade state player of the year and has won a state title every year in high school — twice at Prestonwood and as a freshman at Flint Hill in Virginia. Spears is rated the third-best junior in the nation by PrepVolleyball, and she is the daughter of two former professional athletes — former Cowboys defensive lineman Marcus Spears and former WNBA player Aiysha Spears (formerly Smith).

Lovejoy volleyball player Bethanie Wu
Lovejoy volleyball player Bethanie Wu(Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo)

Setter of the year

Bethanie Wu, Lovejoy, senior

The Yale signee had 1,323 assists, 320 digs and 47 aces to lead Lovejoy to the Class 5A state title — its 10th state championship in 17 years of varsity volleyball. The District 13-5A co-MVP had 40 assists and 10 digs in a three-set sweep of Liberty Hill in the state championship match as Lovejoy became the fifth school in UIL history to win at least 10 state titles. Wu, rated the 111th-best player in the nation in the Class of 2024, had 2,453 assists and 549 digs in her two full seasons on Lovejoy’s varsity.

Sachse volleyball player Favor Anyanwu
Sachse volleyball player Favor Anyanwu(Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo)

Blocker of the year

Favor Anyanwu, Sachse, senior

The USC signee was the District 9-6A MVP and had 645 kills for a Sachse team that reached the Class 6A Region II semifinals before losing in four sets to state champion Conroe Grand Oaks. Anyanwu had played middle blocker her entire career, in high school and in club, but the nation’s 11th-ranked player in the Class of 2024 had to learn how to also play outside hitter this season and averaged a remarkable 6.3 kills per set. She played for the U.S. under-19 national team that won the FIVB Girls U19 World Championships, and she finished her career with 1,554 kills and 382 blocks. The two-time Under Armour All-American set school records for most blocks in a career and in a season (167) and for best hitting percentage in a season (.507) and most kills in a match (37).

Frisco Wakeland volleyball player Jessica Jones
Frisco Wakeland volleyball player Jessica Jones(Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo)

Defensive player of the year

Jessica Jones, Frisco Wakeland, senior

The LSU signee was a third-team AVCA All-American and the District 9-5A MVP. She ranked among the area leaders in blocks, finishing with 118, and she also had 343 kills and 353 digs for a Wakeland team that lost in five sets to 5A state champion Lovejoy in the regional semifinals. Jones had 37 kills, nine blocks and 33 digs in regular-season wins over Lovejoy and 6A state semifinalist Prosper, and she had 15 kills, six blocks and 10 digs in a five-set loss to Plano Prestonwood Christian, which finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Colleyville Heritage volleyball player Suli Davis
Colleyville Heritage volleyball player Suli Davis(Cedarbrook MEDIA / Courtesy photo)

Utility player of the year

Suli Davis, Colleyville Heritage, junior

The BYU pledge had 793 kills, 528 assists, 484 digs, 93 blocks and a .455 hitting percentage playing setter and outside hitter for a 40-11 team that reached the Class 5A state semifinals. The first-team MaxPreps All-American had 16 triple-doubles, including three in the playoffs. The District 7-5A MVP just missed a triple-double in a four-set loss to Liberty Hill in the state semifinals, finishing with 22 kills, 14 assists and nine digs. Davis is rated the sixth-best junior in the nation.

Lovejoy volleyball player Gentry Barker
Lovejoy volleyball player Gentry Barker(Courtesy photo / Courtesy photo)
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Newcomer of the year

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Gentry Barker, Lovejoy, freshman

The freshman outside hitter had a team-high 424 kills for Class 5A state champion Lovejoy and added 366 digs and 44 aces for a 34-10 team that won 23 of its last 24 matches. Barker had 84 kills in Lovejoy’s seven playoff wins, and she was named the MVP of the state final after recording a match-high 17 kills to go with 11 digs as Lovejoy won its fourth state title in five years. Barker was on the Texas Advantage Volleyball club’s 14 Black team that won an open division title at the USA Volleyball junior national championships this past summer.

Lucas Lovejoy head coach Natalie Puckett beams as she hoists the Class 5A state championship...
Lucas Lovejoy head coach Natalie Puckett beams as she hoists the Class 5A state championship trophy after her team swept Liberty Hill in straight sets. The two teams played their Class 5A state final volleyball match at Curtis Culwell Center in Garland on November 18, 2023. (Steve Hamm/SpecialContributor)(Steve Hamm)

Coach of the year

Natalie Puckett, Lovejoy

In her third year as the head coach at Lovejoy, Puckett won her second Class 5A state title, leading her team to three-set sweeps of Lamar Fulshear and Liberty Hill at the state tournament. Puckett is 103-31 as Lovejoy’s head coach, and this year her team finished 34-10 and had eight wins over teams that were in The Dallas Morning News’ final area rankings. Puckett was a four-time all-state outside hitter and played on Lovejoy’s teams that won state titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and she was an assistant coach on Lovejoy’s 2020 state championship team that was the first Dallas-area UIL volleyball team to ever go undefeated. Puckett has also worked as an assistant coach at Southlake Carroll and Highland Park. The 30-year-old Puckett is getting married May 4. In her free time, she likes trying new restaurants, and the sushi restaurant Oishii in Plano is one of her favorites.

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First team

McKenna Brand, Lovejoy, senior, libero: The Connecticut signee was the District 13-5A co-MVP and had 688 digs and 40 aces for 5A state champion Lovejoy. She had 12 matches with 20 or more digs, including a season-high 35 against Frisco Reedy in the regional final.

Carson Eickenloff, McKinney Boyd, senior, setter, right side, outside hitter: The Ole Miss signee was a second-team AVCA and MaxPreps All-American and the District 5-6A co-MVP. She had 310 kills, 481 digs and 685 assists for a team that finished the regular season 30-1 and ranked No. 7 in the nation.

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Avery Jackson, Hockaday, senior, outside hitter: The Stanford beach volleyball signee was a first-team AVCA All-American and had 747 kills, 521 digs and 62 blocks for the SPC 4A champion.

Lauryn Lambert, Plano East, senior, outside hitter: The Arkansas signee was the District 6-6A MVP and had 724 kills, 60 blocks and 508 digs for 6A Region I quarterfinalist Plano East.

Jadyn Livings, Plano Prestonwood, senior, outside hitter: The USC signee was a first-team AVCA All-American and first-team all-state, and she had 301 kills and 60 blocks for the nationally ranked TAPPS 6A state champion.

MJ McCurdy, Frisco Liberty, senior, outside hitter: The Texas State signee was the District 10-5A MVP and an AVCA honorable mention All-American. She had 784 kills (6.3 per set), 477 digs and 53 aces for 5A Region II quarterfinalist Liberty.

Lainee Pyles, Keller Fossil Ridge, senior, outside hitter: The LSU signee was the District 4-6A MVP and had a school-record 701 kills to go with 445 digs and 52 aces for a team that earned its first playoff win in 26 years.

Alex Richter, Highland Park, junior, outside hitter: The Georgia pledge had 716 kills playing a schedule that included nine area-ranked teams, three state tournament qualifiers and three teams that were nationally ranked at some point.

Sydney Thornton, Prosper, senior, middle blocker: The Angelo State signee was the District 5-6A blocker of the year and had 163 blocks and 292 kills for 6A state semifinalist Prosper.

Second team

Hannah Beauford, Prosper, junior, setter: The California pledge averaged 29 assists per match in the playoffs and had 51 assists in a Class 6A state semifinal against the No. 2 team in the nation.

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Anna Boatner, Keller, senior, middle blocker: The UC Santa Barbara signee is rated the 12th-best senior in the nation and had 163 blocks and 272 kills for 6A Region I semifinalist Keller.

Shelby Burriss, Lovejoy, junior, middle blocker: The Princeton pledge was the District 13-5A offensive MVP and had 395 kills and 128 blocks for 5A state champion Lovejoy.

Camille Edwards, Plano Prestonwood, senior, setter: The Michigan signee was a second-team AVCA and MaxPreps All-American and had 602 assists and 50 aces for a back-to-back TAPPS 6A state champion that beat three of the top 25 teams in the nation.

Sydnee Peterson, Trophy Club Byron Nelson, junior, outside hitter: The Rice pledge was the District 4-6A offensive player of the year and had 446 kills, 57 blocks and 480 digs for a 32-win 6A Region I quarterfinalist.

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Gillian Pitts, Plano Prestonwood, junior, libero: The Houston pledge was first-team all-state and is rated the 40th-best junior in the nation. She had 396 digs for the nation’s fourth-ranked team.

Kali Vanderhoof, McKinney Boyd, senior, libero: The AVCA honorable mention All-American was the District 5-6A defensive player of the year and had 721 digs for a team that was No. 1 in the Dallas area at the end of the regular season.

Catherine Young, Flower Mound, senior, outside hitter/defensive specialist: The Villanova signee was an AVCA honorable mention All-American and led 6A Region I finalist Flower Mound in kills (381) and digs (330).

Kinsley Young, Southlake Carroll, sophomore, middle blocker: The nation’s 80th-ranked sophomore had 364 kills, 122 blocks and a .408 hitting percentage for a 31-win 6A Region I semifinalist that had eight wins against area-ranked teams.

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Third team

Gabi Ashcraft, Rockwall, senior, setter: The District 10-6A MVP had 1,325 assists, 346 digs and 50 aces for 6A Region II quarterfinalist Rockwall.

Taryn Barnes, Southlake Carroll, senior, outside hitter: The Angelo State signee had 377 kills and 623 digs for a team that finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the area and reached the regional semifinals.

Katherine Holtman, Argyle, senior, middle hitter/right side: The Stephen F. Austin signee had a team-high 392 kills to go with 140 blocks for a 40-win 5A Region I finalist.

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Kate Mansfield, Plano West, senior, middle blocker/right side: The California signee had 428 kills and 127 blocks and was the District 6-6A hitter of the year.

Ryan McCoy, Celina, senior, outside hitter: Had 464 kills for a 35-8 team that reached the 4A state semifinals.

Sarah Mendoza, Colleyville Heritage, junior, libero: Had 687 digs as Colleyville Heritage reached the state tournament for the second straight year.

Brennan Ramirez, Waxahachie, senior, libero: The Texas signee had 652 digs and 65 aces and was the District 11-6A libero of the year.

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Grace Sweeney, Midlothian Heritage, senior, outside hitter: The Missouri signee was the District 8-5A MVP and had 648 kills, 429 digs and 56 aces

Caroline Tredwell, Flower Mound, senior, middle blocker: The UT-San Antonio signee was an AVCA honorable mention All-American and the District 6-6A blocker of the year. She had 129 blocks (97 solo) for 6A Region I finalist Flower Mound.

The News’ 2023 volleyball awards

Player of the Year: Prosper’s Ayden Ames

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Individual award and list of all-area teams

All-district teams: A list of MVPs, first teams and Coaches of the Year

On Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle

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