Lady Eagles with high hopes once again in 2022
Coming off back-to-back trips to the regional finals, Holliday looks to get over the Bushland hump in 2022 and make its first appearance in the state tournament since 2012. The Falcons have eliminated the Lady Eagles in each of the last two seasons enroute to winning back-to-back state championships.
Head coach Wendy Parker believes this year’s team has what it takes to make it to Garland thanks to a loaded senior class.
“We have 10 seniors, so we have a lot of playoff experience and leadership coming back. We’re very strong defensively and have a lot of hitting weapons. We’re carrying a lot of quality players with great chemistry. It’s been really fun to see early on. We’re still trying to figure a little bit out based on what we graduated last year so I’ve got some rotations I’ve been playing with. They’ve stepped up and surprised themselves and me with how well they’ve come together.”
If the early season has been any indication of what’s in store for the rest of the season, the Lady Eagles can shoot for the stars. Holliday is coming off back-to-back tournament wins at the Bev Ball Classic in Abilene and the Lu Allen Memorial tournament in Graham, riding a 15-2 record into the final week of tournament action.
Of all the wins early on in 2022, however, many have been nail-biters and that’s perfectly fine with Parker.
“It’s super important playing all those close matches. That’s one of the reason’s I’ve tried to load the front-end of our schedule as heavy as I can because I know we need to play the strength of teams we’re seeing right now in our preseason, so the girls are ready when it comes to playoff time.”
Senior Addison Lindemann is the constant on offense for the Lady Eagles. After putting down 387 kills last season and eclipsing 1,000 in her career, Lindemann has a chance to solidify herself among the all-time greats at Holliday.
“Addison is Addison,” Parker said. “She’s always our go-to girl. She can always put the ball down when we need it. She’s our lifeline. She’s the constant every match. She’s our heartbeat. She’s so important for us.”
Senior Belle Welch is coming off a 652-assist campaign last season where she earned the district’s Most Valuable Setter award. She’s expected to continue to orchestrate the high-flying Lady Eagles’ offense.
“She’s been perfection since she got here. Her hands have always been phenomenal. She’s the glue that holds us all together. She keeps everyone from getting frustrated when we lose a point or two. She’s so spot-on at getting the ball to the right place. She does a really good job. From her sophomore year to her senior year, she’s stepped up her leadership. She’s always been really quiet but now everyone looks up to her.”
After hitting on the right-side for her first three seasons on varsity, senior Sydney Linn sees an expanded role this year on the backrow for Holliday.
“Sydney is getting a role on the backrow. One of the lineups we have, she’s playing defense. She’s impressed a lot of people. A lot of teams said they were impressed with her back row as well as her front row play. We beat a lot of teams we beat because of our defense. Our backrow got up a lot of the hits and she was a big part of that.”
Senior Katy Piper saw a breakout 2021 in which she earned first team all-district honors after putting down 301 kills and 66 blocks.
“Katy is stepping up in the M1. She has a nice range of sets she likes to hit. She’s so athletic. She gets things done in tight sets. She makes things happen. She’s impressive. She’s one that could play all the way around. She’s really good on the bench keeping everybody up. She’s a great leader.”
Senior Campbell Jurecek is making the transition from right-side to middle as she joins Piper as the anchor of the Lady Eagles’ defense.
“I moved Campbell to the middle and got her out of her comfort zone but she’s doing a super job. She’s enjoying it. She’s having fun. That’s probably been the hardest move.”
Senior Allie Davis and junior Kelby Jones are both phenomenal defensive specialists that have excelled on the backrow through the early goings.
“Allie and Kelby are both so good. Either one could be the libero. Allie’s got a great serve. She’s one of the reasons we’re so defensively strong on the backrow. She’s really doing a good job. Kelby has been outrageous. She’s getting balls up that have been crazy. Her and Allie both have been amazing on defense.”
Parker has big things in-mind for junior Kenna Wood who makes the move up to varsity this year.
“Kenna has been exciting coming up from the JV. She’s got a super powerful, quick swing. She has a great chance to be Newcomer of the Year. She’s got a little bit of a learning curve coming at her moving from JV to varsity with the game being faster but she’s super smart and is learning fast.”
Newcomers Grayson Castagna and Braylie Womack have both seen time as the second setter in the Lady Eagles’ offense. As Parker explained, Castagna provides a big block on the front row while Womack’s backrow play has the Holliday coach excited.
“Right now, it’s a toss-up between Grayson and Braylie to fill that second setter position. I have them in two completely different lineups. We’re running a 5-2 with Grayson on the front row. She’s doing a good job blocking. We’re running a 6-2 with Braylie since she’s so good defensively. It gives us a different look. It all depends on what the team needs. I’ve been impressed with both of them so far.
Seniors Peyton Fandler, Avery Cates and Hope Davis along with sophomore Bella Timms are all expected to fill important roles for Holliday.
“Peyton’s doing a good job on the right side. She’s a key piece in one of our rotations. Defensively, she’s stronger for us and is a very versatile player. I can move her around anywhere on the court while Avery is a very versatile player, I can play her in the middle or on the right side. Hope sees the floor really well and Bella has adjusted quickly since being pulled up. They’re all going to be role players that I could see coming in off the bench and doing a good job for us when we need them.”
With the depth, talent and experience the Lady Eagles have on the court this fall, there’s every reason to believe Holliday will once again be fighting for a trip to state.
