Cardinal Mooney's Byrd named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year again

For the second straight year, Jordyn Byrd of Cardinal Mooney Catholic High is the Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year.

After not having a winner in the first 36 years of the award, Byrd became the Cougars’ first and a back-to-back winner.

“Very rare,” Cardinal Mooney coach Chad Davis said.

According to the press release, the award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Byrd as Florida’s best high school volleyball player.

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“Obviously, besides her incredible ability, the all-around play, the leadership, setting a great example for our future players to strive after," Davis said. "Besides the recognition, how she approached it and how hard she worked to become the player she is.

"A lot of times people don’t see all the hard work that kids have to put in.”

Byrd now becomes a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award to be announced later in January.

“She was blessed with some God-given abilities, but she’s had to put in an incredibly amount of work to become who she is,” Davis said. “Just super proud and excited for her to get that honor again.”

She joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Lexi Sun (2016-17, Santa Fe Christian School, Calif.), Jordan Larson (2004-05, Logan View High School, Neb.), Foluke Akinradewo (2004-05, St. Thomas High School, Fla.) and April Ross (1999-00, Newport Harbor High School, Calif.).

The 6-foot-5 senior outside hitter recorded 571 kills and 206 digs this past season, leading the Cougars (18-10) to the Class 3A state final. Byrd also notched 52 service aces and 48 blocks while posting a .571 kill percentage and a .439 hitting percentage.

During her four years with the Cougars, Byrd developed into a solid all-around player, excelling on the back row this past season.

“She made that a goal that she wanted to improve and get better in her back-row play,” Davis said. “Coming into this summer and fall, we put a tremendous amount of work into that, extra time after practice, developing that jump serve that was so dominant this year. It just speaks to her ability to wanting to focus on becoming an all-around, six-rotation player like she has. That was the first big step in achieving that goal.”

Byrd is ranked as the nation’s No. 16 recruit in the Class of 2023 by PrepDig.com, Byrd finished her prep volleyball career with 1,640 kills. She also came up big in the biggest moments, having the winning kill against Fort Myers Canterbury in the regional quarterfinals and against Clearwater Calvary Christian in the regional semis.

“Not only an outstanding player, but an outstanding player in the biggest moments,” Davis said. “That’s one of the qualities that makes her so special.”

Byrd, who also played basketball for the Cougars, has volunteered locally as a Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School student ambassador, and she has donated her time with Stuff the Bus, which collects school supplies and toiletries for underserved children. “Jordyn is better than any hitter I’ve seen in the state,” said Calvary Christian coach Kim Whitney. “She attacks the ball at a very high point, which is very difficult to defend. She’s able to put a ball away wherever she is on the court.”

Maintaining a 3.69 GPA in the classroom, Byrd signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of Texas this fall. Byrd already is in Austin.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Two-time winner Byrd joins recent Gatorade Florida Volleyball Players of the Year Paris Thompson (2020-21, Fort Myers High School), Annie Cate Fitzpatrick (2019-20, Trinity Catholic High School), and Savannah Vach (2018-19, Oviedo High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

To find past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Cardinal Mooney's Byrd named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year again