Recruit of the Week presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors: Hockaday Volleyball's Audrey Gass
A Look Back
Photo provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp
There's no arguing against the fact that the last few seasons of high school sports have been different than all those that came before. With so many distractions, it would have been easy (and understandable) for any student-athlete to get a little off track. However, Gass was able to take every challenge head-on and stay focused- especially throughout the offseason. "I focused on getting better every chance I had and every time I went into the gym for lessons," Gass told VYPE. She also participates in club volleyball.
To have the kind of focus that helps you lead your team to success, you have to have the right mindset. There's no doubt that Gass had a great mindset from the start of the season all the way through to the SPC State Championships. Gass explained her mindest to VYPE as always working to stay focused on getting better. "It's not about being good at the beginning of the season, it's about growing the chemistry of the team and just continuing to get better." After working all season on continuing to get better, her mindset going into the state finals was about putting the "we" before the "me" and focusing on technique without getting ahead of herself. She wanted to work on whatever she could do "to help the team through the match."
On Success and Accomplishing Goals
Photo provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp
With the ability to remain focused, Gass was able to put her personal and team goals on a high-priority list. Gass opened up as to what exactly those goals were this season: "Technique wise, [my goals were] to jump set as much as possible and finish my hands, but other than that, it was to focus from the service line and consistently give my hitters a hittable ball," Gass said. "I feel like I accomplished my personal goals, but really, winning SPC is what mattered and the team reached our team goals."
Winning a championship is certainly an exciting thing. Out of all of the athletes in the state, only a small percentage get to walk away at the end of a season- at the end of a career- with the ability to call themselves a state champion. "It feels AMAZING," Gass said. "Like I did my job and I know how much work I put in and it feels nice knowing I helped do something so great with the program," she added.
Photo provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp
The secret to all of the success this season? "Getting past mistakes quickly and just focusing on my technique rather than past mistakes," is what Gass says helped power her personal success. "I chose to focus on bringing the team together and moving forward rather than just my personal touches." As far as the team goes, Gass believes moving through challenges helped the team succeed. "The team is so good about moving past mistakes quickly and going hard no matter what without worrying about the mistakes. We choose to focus on ourselves and being positive as well as bringing the energy rather than ever focusing on a single mistake or point."
Through all of the success, it's easy to make great memories. When asked what her favorite memory with Hockaday volleyball had been, Gass replied "Winning SPC and the teamwork that went into it - not losing a single set in the Championship tournament weekend." Those memories are certainly something that Gass will carry with her through college and beyond.
A Bright Future
Photo provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp
As a senior, Gass will soon be graduating and moving on to the next level. Gass is committed to Transylvania University in Lexington Kentucky where she plans to take a pre-law track to study environmental law. "Likely, I will major in Environmental Sciences/Studies or Biology which will eventually lead me to law school."
Choosing Transylvania wasn't a difficult choice for Gass. "They have what I wanted both academically and volleyball whise. When I visited campus, I felt like it was the perfect fit for me. Everything felt so personal and like home to me as soon as I got there."
Fun Questions
Who is your favorite professional sports team?
"I don't really watch professional sports, I just watch as much volleyball as possible. My favorite college volleyball team to watch is Wisconsin."
Who do you look up to as an athlete?
"Courtney Thompson. She is such a clean setter who is focused on technique and made the Olympic team even though she is shorter like I am."
If you could go to dinner with one person (dead or alive) who would it be? What would you want to talk about?
"The admissions process at Hockaday is so tough and rigid and I am so grateful that I ended up here. I would love to find and talk to the person who interviewed me and decided I was a good fit for Hockaday and to know what they saw in me."
Photo provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp
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STATE CHAMPS: Hockaday wins first SPC Title in 13 years
State Title Weekend
Photo provided by Hockaday volleyball coach Allison Camp
The Daisies posted a perfect 6-0 regular-season record en route to their 2021 State Title. Going 9-0 in SPC play, Hockaday posted a 17-1 record in sets against SPC opponents. The team finished with an overall 34-7 final record on the season. Sophomore outside hitter, Avery Jackson, led the charge on Saturday against a tough Oakridge squad as the Daisies posted a 3-0 sweep over the Owls. Jackson posted 59 kills, 42 digs, and nine blocks during the championship victory.
Co-team-captain Audrey Gass also had a big game on Saturday. Gass recorded 112 assists to finish the season with a school-record of 1,019 assists. Coming off of an ACL injury, junior outside hitter Lauren Ingram made her return to the court in the title match. Ingram, a usual strong force on the team, made it apparent that she came to play and wasn't going to leave the biggest stage in SPC volleyball with anything less than a first-place finish. Ingram tallied 26 kills, 38 digs, and nine aces during the championship tournament. Another big-time athlete on the court for Hockaday on Saturday was junior libero Payton Arbaugh. Arbaugh recorded 38 digs and a team-high of 49 total serves.
A team full of strength
Photo provided by Hockaday volleyball coach Allison Camp
There's no doubt that it takes a full team of dedicated athletes led by motivated and inspiring coaches to make the dream of a championship season come to full fruition. Hockaday spent all season showing their strengths on and off the court with incredible leadership and talent from start to finish every single match. The team hosts athletes who are among Dallas Morning News' top 10 in kills, digs, aces, and assists this season as well as seven players on the AVCA Phenom list that includes Sydney Eyestone, Audrey Gass, Payton Arbaugh, Lauren Ingram, Avery Jackson, Katherine Shoup, and Olivia Wayne.
Jackson, Wayne, and Gass have been phenomenal on the season as they have set the school record for aces in a match at eight. During a match with Bishop Lynch, Jackson posted 40 kills to set the match record this season. Jackson also set this season's match record in digs with 28 against Oakridge. Gass was able to set a match record of 59 assists this season more than once in matches against Bishop Lynch and Parish Episcopal.
Strong Season Numbers
Photo provided by Hockaday volleyball coach Allison Camp
Multiple athletes for Hockaday turned out great numbers on the season. With great stats, strong playing, and good leadership, the team was able to perform to the best of their ability in each match. Stat leaders on the season include:
Junior Libero - Payton Arbaugh 381 digs, 519 service receptions with 2.1 rating
Sophomore outside hitter - Avery Jackson 545 service receptions with a 2.4 rating, second-highest aces with 61, a school record of 583 kills, a school record of 525 digs, a school record of 683 earned points, and second on the team in total points with 328
Senior setter - Audrey Gass a school record of 1,019 assists, 61 aces
Junior outside hitter - Lauren Ingram 48 kills, 25 aces, 9 digs, eight blocks
Freshman middle hitter- Olivia Wayne 57 blocks, 210 kills, a team-high .358 hitting percentage on the season
Sophomore middle hitter - Bennett Trubey 59 blocks
Senior outside hitter - Sydney Eyestone a team-high of 67 aces
*stats and records provided by Hockaday coach Allison Camp.
More To Come
Hockaday has two seniors who will be leaving the squad with a legacy to protect. As the team looks towards the offseason, fans and opponents alike shouldn't doubt the resiliency and dedication that the Daisies have shown. Hockaday will be returning incredibly strong athletes in the 2022 season and can be expected to post a similar record, if not another state title.