Hockaday burst onto the scene last season with impeccable playing on the court. The squad showed that hard work, determination, and focus can help accomplish any and all of your goals. Their determination earned the Daisies their first SPC Championship in over a decade- this season, Hockaday is looking to repeat their excellence.
To continue reading this volleyball preview, become a VYPE Insider today!
A Look Back
Hockaday posted an incredible season leading to their SPC title. Opening up with big wins over the likes of Haltom City, Nolan Catholic, Victoria's St. Joseph, Richardson Pearce, and more during preseason, the Daisies were set up to do great things from the start. Through district play, the Daisies fought hard and continued to show their strengths day in and day out on the court. The team took down the likes of Greenhill, Episocpal School of Dallas, Arlington Oakridge, and more to finish district play with an undefeated 6-0 record.
During playoffs, the Daisies never took a single moment to hesitate. With a task at hand and a winning heart, Hockaday ended the seasons of John Cooper, Greenhill, and Oakridge before earning their SPC title.
Looking Ahead
VYPE DFW caught up with coaches Andy Gass and Allison Camp in regards to the upcoming season. "We are so excited to head into the Fall 2022 season and kick off where we left off," Camp said. "Though we will miss a few key pieces that graduated and will be off playing collegiate volleyball, we have important pieces returning and an amazing team as a whole that we can't wait to see back in Hockaday jerseys.
Camp went on to highlight some big returners to the Daisies squad starting off with Avery Jackson. "[Jackson] was recently named the No. 3 player in the country for the Class of 2024 and has already broken five Hockaday volleyball school records in only two seasons."
More key returners include Lauren Ingram who was sidelined with a knee injury a majority of the season last year, but made key plays to help secure the SPC title, Payton Arbaugh who earned All-SPC honors last year and has proven to be an integral part of Hockaday volleyball leadership, and Olivia Wayne who earned All-Zone honors last season as a freshman and led the team in hitting percentage with .358. "[Hockaday has] many other valuable contributors as well as some new faces who will step into larger roles this season," Camp added.
Head coach Andy Gass highlighted his own goals for the team as summer workouts quickly approach: "Our goal is to repeat as SPC North Zone Champions and SPC Conference Champions," he started. "This is not an easy thing to do, and no one has won back-to-back SPC Championships since Greenhill did it in 2015 and 2016. Working in some new players into big roles will be important to us and we will focus on peaking at the right times."
The team was invited to play in the Durango Classic Tournament in mid-September and has a tournament schedule that will do everything to prepare the team for SPC North Zone play.
What To Expect
With so many key returners, there is no doubt that the team will return ready to get things going. Look for the athletes who were on last year's squad to make a true impact on the court while being a great source of knowledge and experience to the newcomers. Hockaday volleyball is not short on the IQ of the game and can be expected to go far this season with a deep playoff push. The team has what it takes skills-wise to repeat and fans can expect them to show the same amount of determination in completing the task!