The celebration of the nation’s greatest in volleyball shined a highlight on Prosper, Texas — the place a confetti-filled shock awaited the 2023-24 Gatorade Nationwide Volleyball Participant of the 12 months, Ayden Ames.
Ames, a 6-foot-4 attacker who’s headed to the College of Texas subsequent 12 months, thought she was displaying up at her highschool for a photoshoot.
Easy sufficient.
However one “Gatorade Dunk” later, the longer term Longhorn realized that she was the recipient of the distinguished Gatorade honor, which features a roster of previous winners who’ve mixed for 91-plus gold medals and 13 Nationwide Championships on the volleyball court docket.
Former Gatorade Nationwide Gamers of the 12 months Averi Carlson and Harper Murray shocked Ames with the trophy at her highschool surrounded by her household, coaches and teammates.
WHAT. A. MOMENT.
Prosper’s Ayden Ames is shocked with the information that she has been named the Gatorade Nationwide Volleyball Participant of the 12 months pic.twitter.com/0NNHqICHbU
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) January 9, 2024
Becoming a member of Corridor of Famers like April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings, Ames was chosen from over half 1,000,000 different student-athletes. And her highschool profession showcased that she was greater than worthy of such an achievement.
The nation’s No. 3 recruit ended her run at Prosper with 1,594 kills, 312 whole blocks, and 96 aces in three varsity seasons.
Chris Tobolski, chief editor at Vballrecruiter, summed it up greatest:
“Ayden Ames is a power whether or not she’s entrance or again row,” stated Tobolski in an electronic mail assertion. “She’s a dynamic attacker who not solely places large strain on defenses, she opens up the remainder of the offense for her teammates as a result of she attracts a lot of opponents’ consideration. With the expertise she has taking part in center blocker, she provides one other wrinkle as a result of she’s that uncommon outdoors who can run slide assaults. Simply have a look at what she did in opposition to the eventual Texas 6A state champion within the postseason, when she recorded a season-high 27 kills—what additional proof may you need that she’s arguably the perfect participant within the Class of 2024?”
To that on-court dominance, Ames additionally demonstrated the kind of group management that make Gatorade’s athletes so distinctive, having volunteered domestically for ladies’s and pet shelters and took part within the “Heal The Bay” coastal clean-up in Manhattan Seashore, Calif.
Additionally a member of her college’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, Ames tutored and mentored a younger boy with brittle bone illness, whereas she maintained a 3.9 GPA within the classroom.
Total, it’s simple to see why her identify was added to the legendary checklist of volleyball athletes.
“Of the half 1,000,000 pupil athletes who play volleyball nationwide, Ayden stood out for her dedication to excelling as a student-athlete,” stated Gatorade president and basic supervisor Michael Del Pozzo in a press release. “Not solely did she have an exceptional season, however her resume off the court docket made her a transparent selection for Gatorade Nationwide Volleyball Participant of the 12 months.”
(Photograph courtesy of Gatorade)