RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesVolleyball season is upon us, and for Huntsville, things are shaping up to find success as a core of four seniors are returning for a final run.
The Lady Hornets will see those four seniors play a pivotal role on the defensive end, and will add a new core of three freshmen who will all be fighting for a spot in the rotation. Three of the four seniors all have front-line experience, and that is something Huntsville wants to lean on.
One of those seniors is Kloee Lehman, who brings three years of varsity experience for the Lady Hornets and is in a prime spot to be a leader for this team.
Lehman has recently committed to continue her athletic and academic career at Williams Patterson University, and now has a massive weight off her shoulders. With the early commitment, she can focus solely on being a leader for the 2026 Lady Hornets on the court and off.
“It’s awesome. It was a stressful summer, and I worked my tail off,” Lehman said. “It’s amazing because I can put 110% into this volleyball program and school. I don’t have to worry about talking to college coaches. I can show these girls that anyone can do it.”
Lehman has accepted that she will be a leader for this team and has the fallback to do so. While spending her freshman year with the varsity squad, she had one of the best to look up to.
Chelsea Butler was a senior on that team and someone that Lehman looked up to that year. With three freshmen on the team, Lehman has felt a connection to her spot three years ago.
“I was a freshman on varsity, and I looked up to Chelsea Butler a lot,” Lehman said. “I take my leadership and try to resemble her. I wanna be that person to the freshman now.”
Lehman is joined by Annabelle Murra, Peyton Dennis and Brianna Torres as seniors. Lehman and Murra sat second and third in kills for the Lady Hornets. Lehman finished the 2025 season with 205, 12 off Sophia Moreno, who graduated after the season.
The front line can bring another aspect, too, and that is what head coach Cody Hassell is looking for. As a squad in 2025, the Lady Hornets saw 133 total blocks, but in 2026, they want more.
Hassell has challenged the squad to lead the district in blocks, which is going to be a tall task with schools like Montgomery Lake Creek, Montgomery and College Station in the mix. Lake Creek finished the 2025 season with 313 blocks and was the fourth-place team in the district.
“This is the first time in a while we’ve had all the parts at every position, so that is pretty exciting,” Hassell said. “I told the girls this morning that one of my goals is to lead the district in blocks. We have the size and ability to do so. We are excited to get started.”
One thing that is set to help the Lady Hornets in 2026 is that more of the roster is playing club volleyball outside of school and getting better against tougher competition.
That is coming up from the freshman level, too.
While the three of them have freshmen next to them, the experience they are bringing has seen similar competition; the only thing is that some of the girls they will see are older.
“The funny thing about the club world is these kids are seeing high-level volleyball at a young age. If you are playing on a good team, you are used to it. The difference is it will be 17 and 18-year-olds, not talented 14-year-olds,” Hassell said. “They will adjust to it and play a big role on our team.”
With the realignment taking place this year, Huntsville remains in one of the toughest volleyball districts in the state. Then they added Lufkin.
A&M Consolidated fell to Highland Park in the state championship, but knocked out district mate College Station along the way. Montgomery was eliminated in the regional semi-finals, while Lake Creek saw a bi-district exit. Lufkin was also a playoff team.
Huntsville understands the competition and has joined the John Turner Classic Tournament in Pearland. The tournament brings in 68 teams from multiple states. The idea is that it will show the squad strong competition early, and know what to expect once district play rolls around.
“We play tough teams to start the season, so we have to have the mindset that we are gonna give them heck and learn as we are doing it,” Hassell said. “We need to learn from what we see from the outside hitter who is a D1 commit. What did you see from the middle blocker? That is what we will see in the district, so we have to be ready to play against it.”
Huntsville will open the 2026 season on Aug. 11 with a dual at Splendora. Huntsville won’t play a home game until the Huntsville Tournament on Aug. 20-22. District play will open on Sept. 8 with a road trip to Rudder.
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