Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.
You've already seen the VYPE San Antonio preseason private school volleyball rankings, so it's time to learn about the sleepers. Check out the team breakdowns below, and learn about the dark horses in the coming days!
No. 6 Bracken Christian School Warriors (Reached 2018 TAPPS 2A Regional Final)
Bracken Christian School is coming off a TAPPS 2A regional final appearance, and has the necessary talent to chase the classification's state title. Second-team all-state players Hannah Sanchez and Paige Miller, and first-team all-district nominee Alyssa Day will put the Warriors in a position to achieve such a task, while district honorable mentions Molly Melton and Claire Shannon provide important depth. Sanchez, Miller, Day and Shannon will also have big roles as upperclassmen, while Melton leads the underclassmen.
No. 7 San Antonio Incarnate Word Shamrocks (Reached 2018 TAPPS 6A Regional Final)
San Antonio Incarnate Word advanced to the TAPPS 6A Regional Final in 2018, but has some rebuilding to do in 2019. That's because the Shamrocks lost all-state talents Tatiana Smith and Mika Garza to graduation. Luckily for them, first-team all-district Elora Rodriguez is a good center piece of another playoff run. She'll be joined on the court by second-teamers Emily Esquivel and Yesenia Perez. All three players are seniors, so that will also help the team stay on course.
No. 8 Geneva School of Boerne Eagles (Reached 2018 TAPPS 4A Area Round)
Geneva School of Boerne graduated all-state talent Amy Ambelang after its 2018 run to the TAPPS 4A area round, but is expected to stay competitive for the foreseeable future. That's because the Eagles have a strong core of players. It starts with first-team all-district talents Katherine Lacy and Chloe Higgs, who are back for their junior and sophomore years respectively. Katie Styles is another key member of the Class of 2021, as evident by the fact that she's coming a second-team all-district campaign like 2022 prospects Lily Langenbahn and Avery Myrick.
No. 9 Fredericksburg Heritage School Eagles (Reached 2018 TAPPS 1A Area Round)
Fredericksburg Heritage School lost its only all-state player from the 2018 season, but its returning talent plans to pick up where last year ended. Senior Celia Ashley is expected to lead the pack, after her 2018 first-team all-district honor, but there's also plenty of depth around her. Senior Hannah Bray was a second-team selection like junior Faith Lindner and sophomore Cora Elliott, and juniors Alivia Jons and Olivia Loggie were honorable mentions.
No. 10 Shiner St. Paul Cardinals (Reached 2018 TAPPS 2A State Semifinal)
Shiner St. Paul made one of the area's deepest runs in 2018, but was hit hard by 2019 graduation. It will miss the services of all-state talents Delynn Pesek, Gracey Novosad, Christine Wagner, and Grace Irvin, but plans to stay competitive with notable returns. Senior Mallory Pokluda is one of the three second-team all-district honorees still on the roster, so she steps into the leading role. The others are junior Paige Brown and sophomore Cameron Pesek.
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