Coyote volleyball finishes memorable 2nd season

Some folks simply don't wait to get things done.

Count Weatherford College head volleyball coach Kailee May among them.

In only her second season at the helm, and the program's second season in existence, she guided the Coyotes to the NJCAA National Tournament and a final finish of No. 8 in the nation. Their overall record was 33-6, including the championship of the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region V.

"I'm not sure how to articulate show special this season was. I knew going into preseason that we were better than we were last year, but the list of accomplishments this season goes beyond my wildest dreams," May said. "I thought last year was going to be hard to top, and we more than achieved the goals we set out to achieve as a team this year. It's almost unbelievable."

Of course, this was on the heels of one of the most memorable inaugural seasons a program can have. The Coyotes won the championship of the NTJCAC and advanced to the Region V-North Tournament finals in 2022.

"I knew we could make it to nationals after our season last year. The team did, too, and their work ethic to get there was incredible," May said. "The sophomores really did a great job at leading and taking ownership of our goals. They made sure we got where we were trying to go and I'm really proud of them."

The Coyotes started the season with 10 straight wins. Their longest win streak of the season was 12. They were a perfect 17-0 at home and finished 13-1 in conference play.

They were dominant for the majority of the season, winning 28 matches in 3-0 sweeps.

And they captured the attention and hearts of the Weatherford and Parker County community.

"The community in Weatherford has been so supportive. We've had so many alumni and members of the community come to matches and stop me down to congratulate the team," May said. "Lots of faculty, staff, administrators, and students have become volleyball fans over the past two seasons, and it has been fun to see the gym fill up with fans from the community."

WC will likely have all six freshmen back for the 2024 season.

"We're losing our core that started the program and did a lot for us, so those six have a big spring season ahead of them to fill some big shoes," May said. "They are more than capable and excited to get to work."

Also, May has already been recruiting for next season and is ready to get them acclimated to Coyote volleyball.

"I'm just about finished with the '24 class actually," she said. "We have a big class of 10 or 11 coming in and I'm excited to get them all here in August and see what this group looks like!"

Coyotes 2023 volleyball recap

• Overall record: 33-6
• National rank: 8th
• Conference record: 13-1, champions
• Region V Tournament: Champions
• Home record: 17-0
• Away record: 9-1
• Neutral record: 7-5
• Started season: 10-0
• Longest win streak: 12
• Longest loss streak: 3
• Won by 3-0 sweep: 28 matches
• Lost 0-3: Three matches
• Record in five-game matches: 1-1

Individual leaders

• All-American: Selanny Puente, soph., first team
• All-conference: Kailee May, Coach of the Year; Meagan Ledbetter, soph., Co-Player of the Year; Puente, Offensive Player of the Year; Lorena Gomez, Setter of the Year; Peighton Serda, soph., Newcomer of the Year Award; Brooke McHale, soph., first team; Abby Benitez, soph;, second team; Dru Witherspoon, soph., second team; Abby Folsom, soph., second team
• All-Region V Tournament: Ledbetter (MVP), Benitez, McHale
• Kills: McHale 326, Serda 303, Ledbetter 295, Puente 292
• Blocks: Puente 101; Witherspoon 68 Serda 49; Abby Hellman, fr., 37
• Aces: Ledbetter 72, McHale 62, Gomez 51, Puente 42
• Digs: Benitez 537, Ledbetter 417, McHale 383, Gomez 296
• Assists: Gomez 768, Folsom 593, Benitez 166
• Serve returns: Ledbetter 770, Benitez 584, McHale 513
• Hitting percentage (minimum 25 matches): Puente .390, Folsom .369, Benitez .364, Gomez .298