Ayden Ames was lured to Prosper High School on Tuesday under the guise that there was a surprise for the entire volleyball program.
It turns out, the Texas signee was the one who was being surprised with the most prestigious award in her sport.
Ames was named the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year after a spectacular senior season that saw her lead Prosper to its first state tournament appearance since 2017. When Ames walked into the gym, she had confetti dumped on her and was presented a trophy by Nebraska’s Harper Murray and former Lovejoy four-time All-American setter Averi Carlson, the last two winners of the award.
“I’m in shock, I’m in disbelief. I never thought I would be in the same conversation as these two,” Ames said. “But getting the award was something that I will cherish forever.”
Ames wasn’t caught completely off guard.
“This has been going on for like 24 hours, this whole shebang. I kind of had suspicions,” Ames said. “They just kind of said that they had a thing prepared for the entire program. Nobody had any idea what it was. We thought it was going to be like a picture of us from state on the wall. I kind of suspected it would be national player of the year based on surprises in past years, but I couldn’t be sure. I wouldn’t get my hopes up, so I kept telling myself don’t think too much about it.”
Ames broke down in tears after receiving an honor that has gone to superstars such as beach volleyball Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross and Alix Klineman. It came a day after Ames’ mother, Laura, had a birthday.
“We’re all calling this her birthday present,” Ames said.
Ames is the second Dallas-area player to win the award, joining Carlson, who earned the honor for the 2021 season. Ames and Carlson will be teammates at Texas next season after Carlson transferred from Baylor this offseason.
“We go to orientation on Friday,” Ames said. “It’s going to be so fun joining this amazing group of girls and getting an amazing setter right here. She just makes it look so easy.”
Carlson added: “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get into the gym, not only with Ayden, and be in the gym with all of these amazing athletes. I just needed a fresh start, and I think Texas is a really great fit for me. I’m just really excited for this next chapter of my life.”
Ames, a 6-4 outside hitter/middle blocker, had 575 kills, 165 blocks and 481 digs as a senior for a 37-10 team as Prosper reached the Class 6A state semifinals, where it was one point away from beating a Conroe Grand Oaks team that won the state title and finished No. 2 in the MaxPreps national rankings. Ames has also done impressive work off the court, compiling a 3.86 grade-point average and volunteering locally by collecting and donating clothing, blankets and towels for women’s shelters and pet shelters in addition to participating in the Heal The Bay coastal clean-up in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
A member of her school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, Ames has donated her time as a tutor and mentor for a young boy with brittle bone disease. She has also served her community as a first aid assistant at road races, as part of a literacy outreach program at an elementary school and as a youth volleyball coach at camps and clinics.
Ames is the 11th athlete from D-FW to win a Gatorade national player of the year award in any sport over the last decade. She joins Carlson, Allen’s Kyler Murray (football) in 2014, Jesuit’s Kyle Muller (baseball) in 2016, Colleyville Heritage’s Bobby Witt Jr. (baseball) in 2019, Mansfield Lake Ridge’s Jasmine Moore (girls track and field) in 2019, The Colony’s Jayda Coleman (softball) in 2020, Flower Mound’s Natalie Cook (girls cross country) in 2021, Keller’s Bryce Boneau (boys soccer) in 2021, Denton Guyer’s Jackson Arnold (football) in 2022 and Southlake Carroll’s Kennedy Fuller (girls soccer) in 2023.
Ames signed with Texas in November, graduated early so she could enroll at UT this month and is joining a program that just won its second straight national championship and its fourth NCAA title in all. UT will return Final Four Most Outstanding Player Madisen Skinner, along with Final Four all-tournament selections Emma Halter and Ella Swindle.
Ames said she hopes to play some beach volleyball at UT this semester.
“I played some beach in California before I moved to Texas,” she said. “I’m going to try to get back into it and see how it goes.”
Ames was named an Under Armour All-American and a first-team MaxPreps All-American. She was named The Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year after finishing with 1,590 kills in three seasons at Prosper after moving to Texas from California before her sophomore year.
Ames’ senior year began with her helping the U.S. under-19 national team win the FIVB Girls U19 World Championships in Croatia and Hungary. Rated the No. 1 recruit in the Dallas area and the 10th-best player in the nation in the Class of 2024 by PrepVolleyball, Ames had 84 kills, 31 blocks and 67 digs in Prosper’s five playoff wins.
Ames had eight or more blocks seven times this season — with a season high of 11 against Denton Braswell — and she had seven matches with 20 or more kills. She finished her high school career by recording a season-high 27 kills to go with 15 digs and four block assists in the season-ending five-set loss to Grand Oaks.
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