The Houston High School volleyball team has established itself as a consistent winner in recent years. A veteran group will take the court in 2025 with the opportunity to continue that success.
Led by a lineup featuring six seniors, the Lady Tigers are hunting for the program’s fifth straight 20-win season and third consecutive under head coach Julia Sloan.
It won’t be easy, said Sloan, who is 47-20-4 overall at HHS. But she believes she has a “scrappy and gritty” team that has the potential to compete for championships and continue its winning ways.
“We have a mantra that we don’t let anyone outwork us. The other team might be better than us, but they’re not going to outwork us. We will throw our bodies around and do whatever it takes.”
HHS volleyball coach Julia Sloan
FOUR-YEAR STARTER WAGNER LEADS THE WAY
Houston’s experienced lineup – with five players who played in 99 or more of last year’s 103 sets – is led by four-year starter Kayla Wagner.
The versatile senior had a team-best 394 kills last year while ranking second in assists (275) and aces (37) and third in digs (312). Wagner contributed to 74 percent of the team’s kills as a hitter or setter en route to first team all-conference and all-district honors.
“She has such a high volleyball IQ,” said Sloan, who expects Wagner to be in the running for all-state honors. “She can put the ball away but she also knows when she needs to dump. And I don’t have to tell her.”
Wagner was the starting setter for the program’s last district championship in 2023. She said her goal is to play for another one in her final year.
“I really do think that this year we could do something great,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work and determination.”
MCNIELL RETURNS AS TEAM CAPTAIN
Senior Gracyn McNiell joins Wagner as a team captain and returning starter in 2025.
In her junior campaign at libero, McNiell had a team-best 386 digs. She was also the team’s most consistent server with just four errors in 424 attempts – a 99.1 percent rating. Her 26 aces were among the team leaders as well.
McNiell earned honorable mention all-district honors in 2024.
“She’s going to battle,” Sloan said. “She’s going to throw her body out there. She’s the true definition of a libero.”
MORE SENIOR EXPERIENCE IN LINEUP
Three more seniors – Kynlee Weaver, Annabelle Westbrook and Carli Cummins-Drake – return with starting experience and a fourth, Hannah Ennis, rounds out the team’s six seniors.
Weaver, a middle blocker, was the Lady Tigers’ second-leading hitter with 126 kills last season. She also had a team-best 40 blocks.
“Kynlee has really grown this year mentally as well as on the court,” Sloan said. “She has stepped into that senior role of understanding our expectations and working to fulfill them.”
Westbrook, a defensive specialist, had 125 digs, 66 kills and 33 assists her junior season. Cummins-Drake had a team-high 62 aces and was fifth on the team with 207 digs a year ago. Ennis will be part of the rotation as an outside hitter.
“I think one of our main strengths is team chemistry,” Westbrook said. “We’re a really close group – we’re like family. I think that’s going to help us this season.”
NEWCOMERS TO THE LINEUP
Joining Houston’s senior-laded lineup are a host of newcomers expected to make an impact this season.
Sophomore Claire Benoist joins the varsity roster as a setter opposite Wagner in the team’s 6-2 offense. In the middle with Weaver is the team’s tallest player in 6-foot-1 junior Hally Scheets. Sharing time with Ennis at one outside hitter position will be junior Adyson Dailing, and the final pieces of the rotation are outside hitters freshman Millie Manier and 6-foot junior Arianna Flores.
“I feel like we have a very tall, strong front row,” Wagner said, “and we have a really scrappy back row.”
Sloan said the team’s net play should be improved this year with Scheets and Flores joining Weaver.
“We have some girls who are monsters up front,” Sloan said. “I tell them all the time, ‘Girls, nothing should get past you.’”
SEASON OUTLOOK
It’s a late start to the season for the Lady Tigers, who don’t compete until Monday at Bakersfield – the first of two road games to begin the year.
The home opener is Sept. 11 against county rival Licking. Conference play begins Sept. 18 with a home matchup against Willow Springs.
HHS is no longer playing in the Cabool Tournament. Instead, the team is hosting the Houston Quad on Sept. 20 with Reeds Spring, Waynesville and Willow Springs.
The annual In Season Sports and Outdoors home tournament is Oct. 4. The regular season ends with Senior Night on Oct. 16 against Ava.
Sloan believes her team can contend for a SCA title and be in the mix for a district championship. Consistency, she said, will be the key. She pointed to the preseason jamboree, when Houston lost four of five sets to Willow Springs and Cabool – teams the Lady Tigers beat during the summer.
“We’re doing drills right now in practice where we have to get two kills in a row and two serve-receives in a row. And the ball has to be put away the first time,” Sloan said. “We’re working to be more consistent in how we play all the way around.”
One thing the team won’t lack, Sloan said, is effort. She said the group consists of hard workers who will give up their bodies to keep plays alive and rallies going. The team’s summer success – when the Lady Tigers didn’t lose a match in Tim Hill’s league – was the product of hustle that could propel HHS to a championship level, she said.
“This team has a grit factor. They’re going to put it all out there. When we show up, we’re there for business.”
HHS head volleyball coach Julia Sloan
VARSITY ROSTER
| Name | Number | Class |
| Adyson Dailing | 1 | Junior |
| Kynlee Weaver | 3 | Senior |
| Millie Manier | 4 | Freshman |
| Hannah Ennis | 5 | Senior |
| Carli Cummins-Drake | 10 | Senior |
| Hally Scheets | 12 | Junior |
| Olivia Ice | 16 | Junior |
| Gracyn McNiell | 17 | Senior |
| Arianna Flores | 19 | Junior |
| Claire Benoist | 25 | Sophomore |
| Kayla Wagner | 26 | Senior |
| Annabelle Westbrook | 30 | Senior |
JUNIOR VARSITY ROSTER
| Name | Number | Class |
| Isis Crawford | 2 | Sophomore |
| Bentlie Stokes | 6 | Freshman |
| Navaeah Coleman | 8 | Sophomore |
| Piper Volk | 9 | Freshman |
| Marie Palmer | 11 | Freshman |
| Tymber May | 13 | Freshman |
| Hope Bieller | 14 | Freshman |
| Emma Vestal | 15 | Freshman |
| Olivia Ice | 16 | Junior |
| Fateumn Keithley | 18 | Freshman |
| Lillee Weaver | 20 | Freshman |
| Izzy Cook | 24 | Sophomore |
| Makayla Hood | 28 | Sophomore |
| Tia Nash | 29 | Freshman |