Baltimore Sun 2024 All-Metro volleyball: Howard’s Kaleigh Williams is Player of the Year

Here are The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro volleyball teams for the 2024 season:

Player of the Year

Kaleigh Williams, Howard, senior, middle hitter

Williams said she could feel the energy building for the Lions as the season progressed.

“In practice, I just felt like we got better and better with each one,” she said. “Our program made a huge step this year, and it was fun to be a part of.”

Williams was a major reason, as her vocal leadership and dominant play earned her the title of The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro volleyball Player of the Year.

Williams led the Lions (18-1) to the Class 3A state semifinals after a perfect regular season. Only Montgomery County’s Wootton kept Howard from a trip to the state championship match.

One of Williams’ best performances came in the state quarterfinals against Arundel. The senior was a force all over the court, contributing 13 kills and two blocks to help the Lions advance.

In addition to leadership, her biggest contribution to the team was her versatility, as she finished the season with 150 kills, 90 digs, 57 blocks and 26 serving aces. As a middle hitter, she was all over the floor for the Lions.

“She made the game look effortless,” Howard coach Grant Scott said. “She just has a knack for the game. It just comes so naturally to her. I don’t think she’s realized the full potential yet as a volleyball player.”

Williams will have the opportunity to do just that next season, as she continues to field scholarship offers from several colleges. She says that, despite all of the attention, she will miss her days at Howard and her time with teammates.

“I will miss the chemistry our team had,” she said. “High school volleyball has always been my favorite season, even more so than club season. We did very well this year, but I will miss my friends and the relationships we built even more.”

Coach of the Year

Grant Scott, Howard

Scott came upon volleyball in a little different way than most coaches do. When he was a baseball player at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, he met his future wife. She was a volleyball player.

“I learned what an interesting game it was,” Scott said. “It’s the perfect mix of explosiveness, power and finesse. I learned the complexities of the game, and decided I wanted to explore it further.”

Both Scott and his wife built the program at Howard, and he has amassed a 194-136 record since 2000 — though he did take off for a few years before returning four years ago.

That journey of exploration led to an 18-1 record this season and Scott being named The Sun’s All-Metro volleyball Coach of the Year.

The Lions had always been one of the better teams in the area, but things really fell into place this season. Led by Williams, Howard advanced all the way to the Class 3A state semifinals before losing to eventual state runner-up Wootton.

Scott said he knew this team could be a special one early on.

“We had a good mix of enthusiasm, experience and talent, and they believed in themselves,” he said. “They knew they could get better, and the attitude in the gym was, ‘Let’s get to work.’”

The Lions blew through the Howard County league and entered the playoffs with an undefeated record. Class 3A is generally thought to be the toughest classification in Maryland, and the Lions advanced to their first state semifinal since 1980.

When asked what he’ll remember about this team, Scott said there will be many things.

“I’ll remember how competitive they were, and how much fun we had. There was no quit in any of them, but they always kept it light and fun,” he said. “They proved that on any given day they could compete with anyone.”

First team

Bryah Breaux, Garrison Forest, junior, outside hitter

Breaux led the Grizzlies to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference title this year while amassing 241 kills, 46 aces, 22 blocks and 82 digs. She has already committed to play volleyball at Kentucky.

Joy Chen, Centennial, senior, setter

Chen led the Eagles to a Class 2A state runner-up finish as the captain. Her 315 assists, 159 digs, 48 aces and .927 serving percentage were major factors in her team’s success.

Jessica Gogol, Maryvale Prep, senior, outside hitter

A gifted student, Gogol led the Lions to their fourth consecutive IAAM A Conference title. Her 172 kills, 181 digs and .957 serving percentage provided the spark that made Maryvale Prep go.

Anna Kane, Bel Air, senior, outside hitter

A jack of all trades, Kane led the Bobcats to the Class 3A state quarterfinals. Her 160 kills, 127 digs, 23 blocks and .886 serving percentage capped off a great four-year varsity career.

Sydney Lawrence, Broadneck, junior, setter

The engine that fueled the Bruins’ offense, Lawrence was a great all-around player. She contributed an amazing 356 assists as well as 156 digs, 180 service points and 15 blocks, helping lead Broadneck to the Class 4A state final.

Gabby Prather, Reservoir, senior, middle hitter

Before an injury late in the season cut it short, Prather was the undisputed leader of the Gators’ offense. She contributed 98 kills, 46 blocks and four kills for the Class 4A state quarterfinalists. Prather will play volleyball for Hampton next season.

Kennedy Smith, Broadneck, junior, outside hitter

Smith began to scratch the surface of her potential this year. She provided the power for the state runner-up Bruins, contributing 228 kills, 20 blocks and 36 digs.

Bailey Swinton, Arundel, junior, defensive specialist-outside hitter

Swinton stood out for her versatility and flexibility, as she contributed 403 digs, 86 kills, 53 assists and 57 aces for the Wildcats this season. She ranks first, second and third in school history for digs in a single season.

Second team

Isard Bernades, Glenelg, junior, outside hitter

Arianna Durham, Poly, senior, outside hitter

Sophia Harari, Maryvale Prep, sophomore, outside hitter

Celina Johnson, Reservoir, senior, outside hitter-setter

Eileen Lee, Dulaney, junior, libero

Ana Mioduski, C. Milton Wright, senior, outside hitter

Imagine Peltier, Howard, sophomore, setter

Jasmin Tucker, St. Paul’s, sophomore, outside hitter

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13.