The Lake’s Volleyball 2024 Recap with Coach Daniella Villarreal

Chloe Gray & Gabby Fory will be returning next year as the Hawks enter off-season as they continue to work to improve! Go Lake!

Canyon Lake’s Volleyball 2024 season concluded their second season under the tutelage of Coach Daniella Villarreal. The ReSporter had chance to get her thoughts on this season.

                 Way to Go Hawks!!

The Lake more than doubled their win total from the previous year but was still playing in the toughest 4A district.

Coach Villarreal talked bout this season and also gave tribute to this year’s Senior Class.

Coach Villarreal: “This season, we had a good start achieving many wins in our preseason. Our focus this season was to “win the day,” meaning to focus on and take care of the little things and that would take care of the big outcomes of success on its own.
We saw results as we more than doubled our wins from last year. I reminded the girls it was because they had been consistently putting in the work all year and the summer, and those little things add up and make a big difference in the end! I was super proud of our girls for their start and happy to see their hard work pay off!

        Make a Deposit & Go Hawks!!

Everyone knows how tough our district is, but I am not sure many understand the dynamics in comparisons to other 4A districts.
In our preseason we beat the following 4A teams that made it in the top 4 of their district and made it to playoffs:
• Rockport Fulton (4th in district)
• Devine, twice (2nd in district)
• Somerset (3rd in district)

So that is a tough feeling and pill to swallow as we did not make it to playoffs and that was one of our goals this season. I let the girls know that although it seems unfair, we get the opportunity to play some of the best and highest level of competition in the state, and we should be proud of how well we compete against them. Our district competition is challenging us to improve even more as a program overall and preparing us for greater success down the road.

Lake ‘Hawk’ Proud!

Throughout the season we actually had big score leads on a lot of teams and then struggled to maintain our lead and finish. Volleyball requires a lot of mental toughness than people realize. Being able to move forward from mistakes quickly and maintain confidence and consistency throughout the match is tough! So that is something we will be working on in the offseason, but it also comes with experience in those situations and knowing how to respond! I believe we gained more of that experience to prepare us for next season! We have a solid group of returning players that made an impact this year and will continue to make an impact next year!”

SENIORS:

Kira Cumming – libero
She was a huge and important piece to running our back row serve receive and defense. She displayed grit, leadership, and an unwavering drive that elevated her teammates on and off court. She faced every challenge head-on, had a relentless, go-getter mentality that set an inspiring standard for her teammates. She was more than a player, but like an additional coach, holding her teammates accountable, consistently communicating and supporting her teammates in every possible way. Her gritty and aggressive spirit will be missed!

Huntleigh Morast – OH
Huntleigh was huge for us offensively this year. She showed relentless effort to improve both as a player and as a person. She had to step up and play every position in the front row for us, but was willing to do whatever her team needed her to do! She learned how to overcome challenges with resilience, finding strength and joy in every step. We will miss seeing her dominate in her blocking and offensive skills for us!

Remi Guzman – OH
Remi was another leader who displayed fight and a passionate spirit. She was known for her loud cheers after big plays and fierce competitiveness on the court that was contagious. It was a pleasure watching her battle and overcome challenges throughout the season. We will miss her fiery presence, especially after she would have a big block. She was a force at the net and showed everyone what it means to battle with heart.

Makenna Lightcap – MB
Makenna was a 1st year varsity lettermen that really stepped up to the challenge and speed of the game. She made such an impact on her blocking in the middle that it truly translated to a handful of points every match and that is a rare stat for a player to consistently have. It was an absolute joy watching her step up to every challenge this season with unwavering determination. Though her career ended on an injury, she showed incredible strength and love for team throughout the adversity. Her presence as a physical blocking force at the net will be missed, but her impact goes far beyond the court. She started playing volleyball her sophomore year and has shown us that it is never too late to chase after your goals and excel at them!

Rylee Wunderlich – OH
Rylee was the voice and energy of the team. She consistently displayed unwavering positivity, support, and leadership. She had been a core part of the team’s heart and soul, leading with enthusiasm, energy, and grit. When she was out for any FFA events, we could feel the impact of her presence missing. She embodies the qualities of a servant leader and a great teammate! We will miss watching her play with such intensity, consistently communicating and bringing high energy day in and day out.

As a program, we are continually working to develop the community with more opportunities for our high school, middle school, and even elementary athletes to work on their skill development and gain experience playing the game! Looking forward there is still more work to do, but I am super excited for our future and what these girls will accomplish together! We have an awesome community of respectful and hard working girls and I can’t wait to see them continue to improve as great young women on and off the court!”

You could certainly see the improvement from the previous campaign and now Coach Villarreal can continue to do her wonders this off-season for a chance of continuing their sojourn to an eventual play-off invitation.

Way to Go Lake!!