Ranked No. 1 in 5A, Aledo volleyball is ‘driven to win a state championship’
A five-set loss in the 2024 5A Division I state semifinal to McKinney North has fueled a very determined Aledo volleyball squad to not only reach the state tournament but win the program’s first-ever championship.
The Ladycats took the first step towards that goal with a three-set sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-21) of the Colleyville Heritage Panthers in the Class 5A Division I bi-district round Thursday at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center.
“Hungry!” That is how Aledo head coach Claire Gay characterized her team as it embarks on the road to a title that eluded them a year ago.
“Hungry and driven to win a state championship,” emphasized coach Gay, whose team swept Heritage in the regional final last season to advance to the state semifinals. “Came so close a year ago. Now these girls want to finish it.”
Aledo (38-3) will next face Fort Worth Paschal (24-16) either Monday or Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Paschal swept Cleburne to reach the area round.
The road to the playoffs
Gay, in her ninth season leading the program after a 10-year stint at powerhouse Decatur, where she won two state championships, recorded her 600th career victory Oct. 21 against Keller Fossil Ridge.
Aledo faced a challenging non-district schedule, beginning with a 3-1 season-opening win over perennial 6A power Keller, in what Gay described as “an early gauge of how competitive we are.”
The Ladycats had only three losses during the regular season while navigating a demanding non-league slate. Following a 5-0 start to begin the season, Aledo fell to A&M Consolidated in the Katy-CISD tourney in mid-August, then to 6A No. 2-ranked Mansfield in the Granbury Tournament championship match on Aug. 23, before a regular-season finale loss to Eagle Mountain that snapped a 20-match win streak.
Aledo was 12-0 in 5-5A to claim the district title, the third straight for the Ladycats, who have won 34 consecutive league encounters since a 2023 district-opening loss to Justin Northwest.
“Playing top-notch teams in non-district play helps the team get ready for the postseason,” Gay said. “Tough non-league opponents. Competitive district play. That helps prepare a team for the playoffs.”
Perhaps the most intriguing match during the regular season came on Sept. 18 when Aledo defeated Brock in a four-set match. That was a contest in which Gay defeated her husband’s team, as Claire is married to Brock head coach Nick Gay, who has been leading that program for four years after a five-year stint at Weatherford. Brock won the 6-4A district title this season.
“We’ve played against each other previously over the years at various programs,” Claire Gay said.
When asked if she got the upper hand in those matches, “Definitely,” she laughed before adding that “they each had their share of wins in head-to-head matchups.”
Balance
A trademark of Gay’s team is one of balance, and this year is no exception.
Offensively, the Ladycats boast a powerful one-two punch in senior Alyssa Todd and junior Kaelee Berkley. During the regular season, Todd had a team-high 465 kills and 455 digs, with Berkley registering 376 kills.
Gay called Abilene Christian commit Todd “a very special talent” and “a tremendous leader.”
Seniors Sophie Frank and Kailey Hamilton dished out 642 and 486 assists, respectively, entering the postseason.
Junior libero Karsyn Evans, a Texas Tech commit, headlines a strong defense, with a team-high 507 regular-season digs, while chipping in with 126 assists and serving a team-best 61 aces.
In the middle, Lily Lufkin and Karsyn Trott are opposition nightmares. Lufkin posted 99 blocks, and Trott added 77.
Kenley Hamilton and twin sister Kailey totaled 574 digs — 309 by the former and 265 from the latter — that helped the team record 29 sweeps in 40 regular-season matches.
In the bi-district win over Heritage, that balance showed once again. Todd had 15 kills and 20 digs, while also contributing three blocks and two assists and serving one ace. Berkley posted 14 kills and nine digs and added one assist.
Evans recorded 19 digs and two assists and served one ace. Frank handed out 22 assists, and Hamilton added 15 more. Trott and Lufkin safeguarded the middle with six and three blocks, respectively, while Payton Patrick rejected four shots.
Path to state
Aledo could face a stiff test in the regional semifinal against No. 5 Amarillo (30-8), which would be the lone top 10 opponent all the way to the state tournament.
Possible state semifinal opponents with impressive resumes entering the playoffs are No. 4 McKinney North (33-3) or No. 6 Highland Park (37-8).
McKinney North is riding a 20-match win streak entering the playoffs, while Highland Park — a team Aledo defeated in a five-set thriller during the regular season — has won 15 consecutive matches heading into the postseason.
A potential Aledo-McKinney North state semifinal would be a rematch of last year’s thrilling duel, as Aledo’s 15-13 fifth-set heartbreaker prevented the Ladycats from advancing to the championship game.
The keys to making a deep playoff run? Gay said, “It takes a great team.”
“It takes a combination of things,” she said. “Confidence. Poise. Leadership. And so many little things that can make the difference.
“We face strong competition during the regular season, and each round of the playoffs is a test. Our region is very strong this year. Can’t look ahead. You have to take it one game at a time.”
Aledo is seeking its sixth overall state tournament appearance. In addition to last season, the Ladycats reached the Final Four in 2017, 2014, 2012 and 2001, with the latter two in 4A and 3A, respectively. Aledo’s lone state title game appearance came in 2012, when it lost in three sets to Lucas Lovejoy after a five-set semifinal win over Friendswood (its only state tournament victory in five appearances).
The 2014 team finished 41-10, and the 2012 state final squad was 41-6, the most wins in program history. This year’s team could eclipse that mark with a state championship.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 10:39 AM.