Stewart Johnson
Leading the Lady Dragons with 639 digs, junior libero Caleigh King made it hard for opponents to register kills this past season. The 4-6A Co-Defensive Player of the Year embodied one of the main focal points Carroll volleyball coach Jason Tanaka wanted to establish as he took over the Lady Dragons’ program this past season.
“A lot of things that I tried to emphasize this fall was with our defense, and we did a really great job,” Tanaka says, whose team went 21-21 and advanced to the third round of the playoffs. “Offensively, things came a little bit more naturally for a lot of the players.”
Freshman outside hitter Layla Austin led the attack for Carroll, registering 244 kills despite missing nearly four weeks with an ankle injury. Senior captain Kaylee Young (206) and junior Taryn Barnes (218) weren’t far behind, as the two were the Lady Dragons’ only other first-team All-District selections. Junior setter and second-team All-District player Cat Millsap also maintained a key role as she led the team with 679 assists and 57 aces.
Losing six seniors to graduation, Tanaka expects his returning players to build off of what they accomplished this season.
SEASON RECAP
With a new head coach, new players and a key injury for part of the season, the Lady Dragons volleyball team struggled to find consistency at times this past fall. A 0-4 start and an 11-14 record entering challenging district competition made Carroll’s postseason chances appear shaky.
However, things began to click in the second half of district play as the Lady Dragons went 5-2 to clinch the final playoff spot and enter the postseason.
“I don’t think we really got it rolling until the last third of our season,” Jason Tanaka says, who took over as head volleyball coach last summer. “They really did a great job of understanding my system a little bit more.”
Carroll (21-21 overall, 8-6 in district) used a strong serve game and improved defense to compete with the likes of Keller (33-12, ranked No. 3 in 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association) and Byron Nelson (38-6, No. 17).
The Lady Dragons lost freshman star Layla Austin to an ankle injury for four weeks, including much of the first half of district. But her return in the final games, as well as the team’s clutch district win against Fossil Ridge, allowed Carroll to make the playoffs. Carroll defeated Weatherford and Odessa Permian in the first two postseason rounds before ultimately losing to district foe Keller in a five-set match in the regional quarterfinal.