Round Top-Carmine’s Ava Myers Ready for Collegiate Senior Year

Ava Myers is set for her final year of college volleyball. The Round Top-Carmine High School graduate is a senior outside hitter and defensive specialist for Southwestern Assemblies of God University, ranked first in the preseason Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball poll. She was an all-conference honorable mention selection last year, when she ranked seventh in the conference in service aces and points per set and eighth in kills per set. The 5-foot-9 Myers excelled coming off a year that tested her physically. She suffered an injury to her shoulder labrum during the COVID spring, she said. With the fall 2020 season extending into spring 2021, she said, it was a “year of nonstop volleyball.” “Mentally I’ve grown a lot with handling disappointment,” she said. “The COVID and injury was an obstacle to overcome.”

The shoulder was healed by last fall, when she had at least 10 kills in 21 of 35 matches (26-9). During a five-set loss to Mayville State, she led players from both teams with a career-high 26 kills and a .339 hitting percentage. She also had 12 digs.

She reached double figures in digs five times, with a high of 23 in a five-set defeat to Our Lady of the Lake, leading all players.

“I’ve always been good at reading (the ball),” she said. “If you’re at your base, you’re reacting fine. Then you’re in the right

spot.” Myers adjusted her hitting technique because the coaches wanted a faster-paced offense. “I had to work on turning more,” she said. “I close my hips a little too soon and fast.” She has been training five days a week this summer. She is doing agility workouts to get quicker on her feet and is focusing on improving serve-receive.

She is practicing landing her line shots, especially those to the deep corners. “I’ve always struggled with line shots,” she said, adding that her tries often go into the opponent’s block.

Last year SAGU was the conference champion and lost in the opening round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship. The team begins this season with a tournament Friday and Saturday. “I’m super excited,” Myers said. “It’s all about the journey, the process.”

Send updates about area athletes to Barbara Boxleitner at jdanddoc@gmail.com.