2017 VB Preview: Outside Hitters
8/21/2017 11:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The 2017 Sam Houston State Bearkat volleyball season is nearly upon us, with Coach Brenda Gray's group set to open up the year August 25 at the Texas A&M Invitational.
This is the fourth of a four-part preview, position-by-position of this year's squad. The Kats boast three preseason first team all-league choices and were picked to finish third in the Southland in the league's annual preseason poll.
OUTSIDE HITTER NOTABLES
Returning: Jordyn Vaughn, Brooke White, Madison Wallace
Newcomers: Jordan Kiley, Ashley Lewis, Caroline Sheaff
HUNTSVILLE – There's not many teams that boast the weapons the Sam Houston State Bearkats return for 2017, and the outside hitting tandem of Jordyn Vaughn and Brooke White is one of the primary reasons why.
No duo in the Southland Conference totaled more kills than did Vaughn and White, who combined for 821 scores as juniors and ranked in the top 10 in the league in kills per set. The pair enters its senior season in 2017 leading a dynamic offensive attack for the Bearkats on the heels of a 2016 season that saw each player earn first team all-SLC honors.
White averaged 3.39 kills per set and scored at least 10 kills in each of her last 18 matches of the year, while setting a new career high earlier in the season with a 28-kill outing in a win at Rice. She closed out the season on fire, hitting .312 and averaging 4.45 kills per set at the Southland Conference Tournament in propelling the Kats to the championship match.
Meanwhile, Vaughn held up her preseason all-league selection by averaging 3.28 kills and 2.41 digs herself. She ranked fifth in the SLC in kills per set and had four matches with at least 20 kills to go with a dozen double-doubles. She earned a league player of the week nod after wins over Nicholls and McNeese and was also named to the all-tournament team at the AllState Sugar Bowl Tournament.
“They balance the team and can even flip sides without hesitation,” Gray said. “Barring injury those two should be among the top three hitters in the conference. We can get a little heavy with one or the other sometimes, but either one can spark us in an instant. Both have learned to be a presence for us on the defensive side too.”
Each need less than 100 kills to reach 1,000 for their careers, and if their career trends continue, both could push for a spot in the all-time top 10 in kills at Sam Houston before the year is done.
The Kats also return junior Madison Wallace, who should provide a strong presence on the right side this season. She was fifth on the team in kills as a freshman and possesses a strong offensive game that should compliment the rest of the Bearkat offense in her role.
“We moved Madison to the right side and we feel like she can do a lot of good over there,” Gray said. “She has a very good verbal communication on the court and is really good at reading the court. Madison brings a lot of fire to the court and we can use all of that we can get.”
The Kats also have a trio of freshman hitters who all could play significant roles this year in Caroline Sheaff, Ashley Lewis and Jordan Kiley. Sheaff is the biggest of the three, checking in at 6-2, and Gray sees her as someone who brings an immediate offensive spark to the team with a high point of contact on her shots.
A native of Willis, she is one of two homeschoolers in this year's freshman class, playing her prep ball as a teammate with middle blocker Courtney Littlefield where she earned all-America honors each of the past three seasons and helped lead SATCH to three national titles.
“Caroline came in with Courtney as an outside, but I see her shifting over to the right side,” Gray said. “She is a gamer. When you put her in she rises to a new level.”
Lewis and Kiley also bring plenty of size to the roster and, according to Gray, have bright futures as Bearkats. Lewis is a 6-0 hitter from Langham Creek High School and Gray feels as though she could turn into a six-rotation player for the Kats after a stellar prep career.
She totaled nearly 1,000 kills and added over 1,100 blocks and 162 blocks for her career and was named the District 17-6A Attacker of the Year as a senior on her way to leading LCHS to the regional quarterfinals of the state playoffs.
Meanwhile, Kiley is another 6-0 hitter from McKinney Boyd High School who fits the profile of the bigger signing class the Bearkats brought in this season. She brings a strong offensive game and was named MVP of her club team – Dallas Skyline – in both 2014 and 2015 while also turning in a high school career that saw her earn all-district selections in each of her final two seasons.
