Stewart Johnson
Under its third coach in three years and with a roster consisting of just four seniors, the Carroll volleyball team entered the new season with its share of unknowns. Despite changes in leadership and a lack of veteran players, the Lady Dragons exceeded expectations on their way to regaining their first district championship since 2016.
The Lady Dragons had a strong 9-2 start thanks to the three-headed offensive attack of sophomores Layla Austin and Kinsely Young and senior Taryn Barnes. The trio provided balanced scoring of 372, 370 and 368 kills respectively for a 31-13 team that had a perfect 12-0 run through districts. The Dragons extended the season into the regional round of the playoffs for first-year coach Leslie Jackson.
“Sometimes teenagers aren’t super resilient when it comes to having somebody new to have to listen to, but they bought in super quick,” says Jackson, who left her spot at Denton Guyer to replace Jason Tanaka after a one-year stint. “I just think that as a whole, these girls were really able to use each other's strengths and come together to make a good team.”
Under Tanaka, who in 2022 replaced four-year Carroll coach Teresa Dunn, the Lady Dragons struggled early before finding their groove late in the season to clinch the playoffs as a fourth seed, ultimately finishing with a 21-21 record for the year.
This year proved to be smoother sailing under Jackson. However, Carroll did hit a snag just prior to district. The Lady Dragons went 5-10, facing tough competition early at quality tournaments like the Northwest Tournament and Volleypalooza in Leander. They also fell in pre-district matchups with Plano West (28-5) and No. 2 ranked McKinney Boyd (31-2) according to Texas Volleyball Insiders (TVI).
“Scheduling a tough preseason is a gamble,” says Jackson, whose team was sixth in the state according to TVI. “I just think it's a long season, and you get into some ups and downs, especially when you play some of the top teams in the state.”
Carroll then went on a tear, winning its final 13 regular-season games, including all 12 matches in District 4-6A. During that span, they were 39-7 in total sets, handling the next two closest district foes Byron Nelson (32-5, No. 13) and Keller (26-14, No. 16 in MaxPreps poll) to secure the title.
Along the way, Barnes and her fellow seniors Cat Millsap, Taylor Starr and Abbey Pace provided stability in various areas. Barnes led the team in digs (627) and receptions (705), while Millsap led in aces (47) and was second in assists (677) to junior Parker Tuttle’s 831. Not to be left out, Starr was second in blocks (72) to team-leader Young (123) and Pace was near the top in digs (276) and serves received (282).
“They were our glue kids that kind of kept everybody together,” Jackson says of her seniors. “They were some of the hardest workers day in and day out.”
In the postseason, the Lady Dragons eliminated L.D. Bell, San Angelo Central and El Paso Eastlake — all in straight sets — to face Prosper (37-10, No. 7 by TVI) in the fourth round. Having lost to the Eagles in a regular season meeting, Prosper won again to end Carroll’s season on Nov. 10.
As reported on Feb. 15, 2024.