West Plains volleyball star McCall Sims signs with Amarillo College, 1 of 6 early signees

The Amarillo College volleyball team had many shoes to fill this offseason as nine sophomores were featured on the 2023 roster.

Badger head volleyball coach Scott Sandel and assistant coach Meagan Ellis compensated for over half those openings in the early stages of this year’s recruiting cycle.

Six high school seniors signed letters of intent with the Badger volleyball program in the past 10 days.

Anau Tua’one, a setter from Woods Cross High School in Utah, became the first signee of AC’s 2024 class on Nov. 27.

Four additional signings became official on Nov. 30 as Stephenville High’s Kre Hicks, Hobbs High’s Madeline Lentz, West Plains’ McCall Sims, and Royse City’s Jaelynn Hardman had their LOI’s finalized by Amarillo College.

“The most important aspect of this class is that they want to play volleyball at the four-year level after Amarillo College and we got good setters who are going to come in and we’ll be able to run tempo,” Badger volleyball head coach Scott Sandel said. “We were able sign a good portion of our class early compared to last year when I started the job in January and signed most of the recruits in March/April.”

The Badgers added a sixth recruit to their ’24 class on Dec. 6 with the addition of Hick’s high school teammate, Genesis Mendez.

Sandel projects the class to grow to as many as 10 athletes, including walk-ons, by the time Amarillo College’s recruiting class is finalized.

The following is a summary of the current Amarillo College volleyball 2024 signees.

McCall Sims, West Plains High School

The Wolves’ standout libero is the first local recruit to sign the dotted line in the 2024 class

Sims earned the 4A District 4 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and was on the Amarillo Globe-News preseason high school volleyball Super Team.

The 5-foot-9 athlete helped lead the Wolves to the fourth round of the postseason with a team-best 805 digs and was second on the team in service aces (43).

In 2022, Sims was a second-team all-district selection in 4A and was named to the Amarillo Globe News Super Team Second Team.

Kre Hicks, Stephenville High School

Hicks was a first-team all-district selection in 2023 for the Yellow Jackets, who advanced to the regional finals (fifth round) of the Class 4A playoffs.

The 5-foot-10 outside hitter was also named to the 4A District 6 Academic All-District team and was a THSCA Academic All-State Honorable Mention honoree her senior season.

As a junior, Hicks was an all-district honorable mention selection.

Genesis Mendez, Stephenville High School

Mendez was named the 4A District 6 Utility Player of the Year in 2023 and an academic all-district selection.

The 5-foot-8 outside hitter will enter the program with Hicks as the first pair of Stephenville High graduates to suit up for the Badgers in program history next fall.

Anau Tua’one, Woods Cross High School

Tua’one was a setter for one of Utah’s most successful teams in Class 5A – the second-highest classification in the state – in 2023.

Woods Cross High School placed third in the 5A UHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championships last month.

The 5-foot-7 athlete played for the Club V 17 volleyball team, based in North Salt Lake, last spring/summer.

Tua’one is the first Utah recruit in program history.

Madeline Lentz, Hobbs High School

Lentz, the lone senior on Hobbs High’s volleyball team in 2023, led the Eagles to a district title and a playoff appearance in Class 5A.

The 5-foot-8 setter accumulated nearly 400 assists as a senior.

Lentz is the daughter of New Mexico Junior College men’s basketball head coach Luke Mackay.

Jaelynn Hardman, Royse City High School

Hardman was a second-team all-district honoree in 6A District 10 this past season for Royse City – a program located 40 minutes outside the heart of Dallas.

The 5-foot-9 middle blocker led the Bulldogs in blocks (69), helping her team reach the regional quarterfinals (third round of the postseason).

Royse City ended the season with a 41-6 record and finished second in their respective district.