Godley, Grandview headline All-Johnson County volleyball superlatives
Dec. 24—The Godley Lady Cats and Grandview Lady Zebras account for seven of the 10 total superlative selections on the First Financial Bank 2022 All-Johnson County Volleyball Team.
Grandview, which made a run to the regional tournament, leads the county with four superlative selections followed by Godley's three.
The Lady Zebras finished the 2022 season with a 33-9 record, district championship and an appearance at the Class 3A Region III tournament while the Lady Cats spent several weeks as the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A and finished the season with a 31-7 record and won their first outright district title since 2009.
Four of the six superlative awards given this year are shared decisions, including the most valuable player.
Co-Most Valuable Players
Grandview senior Shelby Martin and Alvarado senior Jaiden Wright are the 2022 All-Johnson County co-MVPs after being driving forces for their respective teams.
Both players also earned MVP accolades on their respective all-district teams.
For Martin, it's her second consecutive season to be named All-Johnson County co-MVP.
"Shelby was a huge part of our success," Grandview Coach Jesilyn Hatch said. "She was such a force these last two years and I'm so proud of the player and leader she has developed into.
"I think [winning all-county MVP back to back] says a lot about her desire to improve and be coachable. She continuously improved each year to better herself on and off the court. To come back as a senior after having such an awesome junior year and find a way to put up the numbers she did is fantastic. That's hard to do when other teams and coaches now know about you and what you'll bring to the table."
Martin had a county-leading 557 kills to go along with 364 digs, 67 aces and 34 blocks in helping lead Grandview to a 33-win season and its first regional tournament appearance since 2008.
Wright's co-MVP nod gives her three All-Johnson County superlative awards in her four-year career. She was the newcomer of the year in 2019 and the defensive MVP in 2021, along with first-team recognition her sophomore year in 2020.
"It's a huge honor for Jaiden to get this award," Alvarado Coach Makayla Good said. "It shows how big of an impact she has on the game and on our team. No matter the opponent, Jaiden is always a standout in every game that she plays. Her confidence and knowledge of the game made our team so much better and her teammates wanted nothing more than to follow her lead."
Wright earned a share of the MVP honor despite missing a month of the season with an injury and then playing part of the season through injury. Alvarado was 13-8 with Wright on the court but when Wright was sidelined with injury, the Lady Indians were under .500 at 9-10 without her.
For the season, Wright finished with 209 kills, 142 digs and 44 blocks but her per-match and per-set averages were among the tops in the county.
Offensive MVP
After getting down an impressive 555 kills, Godley junior Baylee Mobley is the All-Johnson County offensive MVP.
Mobley played an integral role in the Lady Cats capturing their first outright district championship in 13 years.
In addition to her 555 kills, Mobley also had 86 assists, 72 aces, 302 digs and 30 blocks.
"Baylee is incredibly talented and committed to this game," Godley Coach Courtney Hammett said. "She works hard in season, during offseason with her club team, and during the summer, so she is very well-deserving of this award. I have never coached a player to have 555 kills in a single season and reach the 1,000-kill milestone as a junior. She is one of a kind and I am super blessed to be able to coach her."
This makes back-to-back superlative awards on the All-Johnson County team for Mobley, who was the newcomer of the year last year as a sophomore, when she had 406 kills, 291 digs and 79 aces.
Defensive MVP
Joshua senior Peyton Cole is the only player from a non-playoff team to garner an All-Johnson County superlative award. But her standout play for the Lady Owls earned her the All-Johnson County defensive MVP.
Cole was a defensive menace for the Lady Owls, and she never met a ball she didn't think she could get to. For the season, Cole had a county-leading 682 digs to go along with 55 assists.
"She stood out defensively because she would sacrifice her body for any and every ball," Joshua Coach Jordan Whitworth said. "She knew it was her job to take charge in the back row, and she did that every day in practice and in games. She wanted to be the best. She strived to be the best. It is evident that she worked hard to be the best and to stand out.
"Getting All-Johnson County defensive MVP is most fitting for her, and I am beyond proud and excited that she gets that award. She ended her senior year with 682 digs and now holds the new school record for career digs with 1,544 and she was sixth in the DFW area for digs this season. She is going to be great for whatever college she chooses to attend, and I can't wait to see her do big things there."
Co-Setters of the Year
In a county with outstanding setters on several teams, Burleson junior Katie Wong and Grandview junior Kenzi Williamson got the edge for the All-Johnson County co-setter of the year honor.
It is the second consecutive setter of the year honor for Wong, who handed out 952 assists with 428 digs, 80 kills and 40 aces for the Lady Elks this season. Last year, Wong had 733 assists and 287 digs with 29 kills and 26 aces, so she increased her production across the board from a year ago.
"Katie can honestly do it all," Burleson Coach D'Anna Newton said. "She sets, she plays defense, she hits, she blocks and she serves well. She is so important to our team because she is such a force everywhere we put her. Having her be so versatile, it helps her setting because she knows what the hitters need because she's played that spot. I'm so proud of her and how she's become so well-rounded. She's very deserving of co-setter of the year in Johnson County. We look to have an exciting year next year with her. The sky is the limit for her."
Williamson was not only one of the most productive setters in the county but across the state with 1,015 assists to go along with 240 digs, 88 aces, 59 kills and 28 blocks. It's her second consecutive All-Johnson County superlative honor after being co-MVP a year ago.
"Kenzi is a great volleyball player in my opinion and I'm so happy people see that and recognize her as such," Hatch said. "She's smart, competitive, humble, she wants her team and school to do well, and she doesn't put focus on individual recognition. Those are all traits that make her an outstanding setter. Throughout the season and playoffs, I had multiple referees tell me she's the best they'd seen all year."
Co-Newcomers of the Year
With several freshmen and sophomores stepping up on numerous teams in the county, newcomer of the year was another competitive award. In the end, Godley sophomore Bree Hubbard and Grandview freshman London Helm are the All-Johnson County co-newcomers of the year after putting up solid numbers on the two most successful teams this season.
Interestingly enough, it's Hubbard's second All-Johnson County newcomer of the year accolade. She also earned that honor for basketball as a freshman last year.
Hubbard played a key role as a secondary attacker behind Mobley for the Lady Cats, and she finished with 171 kills and 75 blocks.
"Bree is an all-around skilled athlete in every sport she plays," Hammett said. "Her attitude is fierce and competitive, she never lacks energy in practice and in games, and she works hard every second she is on the court. She definitely worked for and earned this title. I could not be more proud of her."
As a freshman, Helm stood out almost immediately for the Lady Zebras with her impressive leaping ability that enabled her to get down thunderous kills as well as provide key defense in the middle. Helm finished the season with 164 kills, 60 blocks and 52 digs.
"London was such a fun surprise this year," Hatch said. "We lost Faith Goodgion in the middle from last season and that was going to be a huge hole for us. Right away the coaching staff recognized that London had the physical attributes to contribute at the varsity level, it just took a little time working her in with the rest of the squad. Her ceiling is pretty high and she is motivated to keep pushing up towards it."
Co-Coaches of the Year
After being the only two coaches to lead their teams to at least 30 wins along with district championships, Grandview's Hatch and Godley's Hammett are the All-Johnson County co-coaches of the year.
Hatch guided her Lady Zebras to the District 17-3A title and their first trip to the regional tournament in 14 seasons. She also recorded the 300th win of her head coaching career this season.
"I'm super flattered to be named coach of the year again," Hatch said. "I know it sounds cliché, but I could not do the job I do without Angie Jarrell, my assistant. She has been my right hand for seven of the nine years I've been at Grandview and I definitely share a lot of our success with her."
Hammett has led the Lady Cats to the playoffs in each of her three seasons at the helm, but the 2022 season was the best of those three as Godley won its first outright district title since 2009. Not only were the Lady Cats champions of District 10-4A, but they were undefeated district champs and didn't lose a single set in league play.
Under Hammett's guidance, Godley also achieved a N. 2 ranking in Class 4A for a couple of weeks this season, and the Lady Cats had a 22-match winning streak at one point of the season before a loss in a playoff warm-up game.
"I am very honored to be co-coach of the year," Hammett said. "I know Coach Hatch and the program she runs so to be recognized alongside her after the incredible season they had is very exciting and I am immensely appreciative of this recognition."
The All-Johnson County volleyball team and superlative selections are chosen by the Times-Review based on all-district selections, team success, statistics and coach nominations.