The entire girls volleyball team shouted the chant designated for a play in which freshman Macie Chase sets a ball to sophomore Jacey Carroll for a point-winning spike against Second Baptist. 

Born into a family of athletes, Chase always knew she wanted to participate in sports. Although she only started playing club volleyball four years ago, her effort and dedication culminated in her receiving a varsity letter this year. 

“I have so much fun when I play volleyball,” Chase said. “It’s a very fast-paced game and I fell in love with the supporting and kind community.”

In order to reach her goal of making varsity, Chase dedicated countless hours over the summer to practicing and reviewing tapes. 

While afraid to disappoint her team as one of the only two freshmen, Chase felt her nerves disappear as the volleyball captains welcomed and encouraged her.

“All the captains, who I love so much, made it comfortable to be there. Instead of everyone working for playing time, everyone lifts each other up when you’re having a bad practice,” Chase said. 

Regardless of the time crunch she had to adapt to between school and practice, Chase enjoys the opportunity to play with upperclassmen and appreciates the advice they offer inside and outside of volleyball. Practicing for two hours altogether, she describes that they form strong sisterly bonds together and sometimes even spend more time together than with other friends. 

“I feel like it’s the seniors last season so I tried to play well so that they can do well because while I have three more seasons left, this is like their last time playing,” Chase said. “My goal was for all of us to leave this season being proud of what we did and what we put out.”

Chase blocks out the crowds on the stands around her to stay focused and play to the best of her ability. Hoping to be remembered as a reliable and lively source of energy for her team, she aspires to treat teammates the same as her captains treated her during the next four years.

“My main goal is just to keep loving it and not give up.” 

Tiffany Li, who is less than half a second away from qualifying to be in the top 8% of all swimmers in her age group nationally for the 50 yard freestyle event, aspires to practice hard and make varsity swim.

Although she originally became a swimmer to follow in her sister’s footsteps, Li fell in love with the sport and now swims for the School as well as the club HTX Swims.

Like many others, Li played many sports growing up, but swimming and softball were the ones that stuck. Focusing on her swimming career more, she quit club for softball two years ago to be able to attend more meets and improve her swimming times. 

“I make sure to have good sportsmanship when going to practices and meets so that I get the best experience from them and improve,” Li said.

Li looks up to the older people who offer her friendly advice in club swimming and always feels heartbroken to see them graduate. While there are many challenges in her swimming career, such as the workload and struggle to maintain a healthy sleep schedule, Li is inspired by her idol Katie Ledeckey to keep a positive attitude. 

“I hope to be the energetic and optimistic swimmer on the team who makes practices fun,” Li said.

Outrunning numerous upperclassmen by placing first at the Lutheran South Invitational, Maverick Ramble and St. Andrew’s Invitational, Taylor Synnott capped off her season with an SPC Individual Championship Title for cross country. 

Currently, Synnott ranks as #5 for Texas freshmen for the 3200 and #1 in SPC. 

In addition to running on the cross country team, Synnott also plays soccer and runs track. 

“I’ve played club soccer since I was little, but once I started running I realized that I need to keep doing this,” Synnott said. “As I got closer to high school, I started choosing running over soccer.”

To prepare for the upcoming soccer season, she practices with her club team, HTX Soccer. Synnott plays center-mid but has recently started trying out forward. 

However, her cross country meets on Saturdays and soccer games on Sundays leave Synnott with little time to relax over the weekend. As a result, she has to miss practices during the week to balance her schoolwork and sports. 

While Synnott dreads waking up at 6 AM four days a week, the environment of the team makes practice enjoyable for her. She appreciates the support from her teammates, as they help her persevere when the workouts are challenging. “Since I’ve gotten to high school, cross country has become more of a team sport,” Synnott says. 

This team spirit calms Synnott’s nerves when stepping up to the starting line, helping her lead her team to first place at the Lutheran South Invitational. The main piece of advice that stuck with her is to “never start out too fast because you don’t want to burn all your energy,” something that her grandpa told her before her first race. 

In the future, Synnott hopes to run for college, specifically the 5K for cross country and the 1600 for track. 

“My main goals right now are to bring my times down, to get better at soccer and do well at the SPC championships,” Synnott says. 

After dedicating his childhood to playing club soccer, Emmanuel Nwabuoku discovered a true passion for basketball in seventh grade. He stands at 6 feet 7 inches tall, using his height to easily dunk on any competitor. 

When Nwabuoku started playing in third grade, coaches put him in the game to get defensive stops through blocks and rebounds. However, he wanted recognition as more than just a tall player. 

“I worked super hard over time and focused on my craft to get to where I am now,” Nwabuoku says.

Nwabuoku’s hard work paid off, earning him a spot on the top 30 basketball players in the nation for the class of 2028. 

He currently plays center and small forward at JL3 Elite, where his team holds the title of 14-year-old National Champions. Last year, Nwabuoku led his school team to win the HJPC championship, beating top private schools in Houston.

Preparing for the upcoming season, Nwabuoku hopes to gain acknowledgment as a leader and hard worker. He attends preseason practices and trains in his free time in hopes of making the varsity team. 

Nwabuoku believes that he benefits from playing on teams where his teammates are older than him, as he works to meet the higher standards. Coaches expect more of him, driving him to push his limits and channel his competitive spirit. 

One teammate that has particularly inspired him is senior Sebastian Williams-Adams, as everything he has accomplished over the years inspires Nwabuoku to strive for the same. 

Balancing the life of a student-athlete, Nwabuoku says that it “makes you more responsible because you automatically have to do two things that are super important.” Yet, the heavy workload at school and a demanding practice schedule often leave him tired.  

Ultimately, Nwabuoku strives to play basketball in college and professionally. Duke ranks as his current top college, offering the great academic and athletic program he looks for. 

Ellie Lewis picked up a field hockey stick for the first time when she was in first grade and never looked back. She racked up a variety of accomplishments over her eight years of playing, including three times Junior Nexus National Championship selection, Junior Olympic selection and one out of three freshmen on the Varsity team. 

When Lewis was rostered to the varsity team, she was nervous about what to expect.

“I was nervous coming in knowing that there were not many freshmen on the team. I needed to make a large amount of friends,” Lewis said.

However, Lewis was quickly able to adapt to her team, especially upperclassmen who she had always admired.

“I have grown up watching seniors like Eliza Perrin, Chloe West, and the Burger twins, and I have always looked up to them. Getting to play with them has been a surreal experience, and it has been such an honor,” Lewis said. 

Outside of school, Lewis plays club field hockey for Texas Pride. She started at the Youth League and worked hard to earn herself a position on the U16 Red Travel Team, the top team for the club. Her biggest inspiration comes from her coach, Tina Edmonds, who constantly pushes and supports Lewis to be the best athlete possible. 

“I have the utmost respect for her and I could not ask for a better coach,” Lewis said. “Her constant belief in me is what made me continue playing.” 

Lewis hopes to one day get recruited and play at the collegiate level, as well as qualifying for Junior Olympics a second time next year and being ranked a top 100 player in her class. However, her main focus currently lies on winning SPC and preparing for upcoming tournaments with her club team as her fall season nears to an end.