Panola College sophomores on the Fillies Volleyball team were honored Wednesday before the match against TJC. (Photo courtesy Kraig Cain Photography)
October 25, 2019 - Seven Fillies Volleyball sophomores were honored on Wednesday, October 23, in the Arthur Johnson Gymnasium at Panola College.
“We honor our seven sophomores and their families for the heart, dedication, and time they have devoted to Panola College and our volleyball team,” said Don Clinton, Athletic Director. As he introduced the sophomores, they walked out to center court, escorted by friends and family.
Manager, Mily Luna, from Joaquin, is a graduate from Joaquin High School. Luna has taken over the managerial aspects of our program and has done an amazing job. She consistently puts others before her and for that we are forever grateful. Luna currently has a 3.75 GPA and will graduate in the spring from Panola with an Associate degree in Mathematics. Luna is escorted by her parents, Rosa and Juan Luna.
The second sophomore is April Brown, a middle blocker from Tyler, graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and transfer from Texas Southern University. Brown has appeared in 29 matches this season and 64 sets, tallying 107 kills and contributing 1.67 kills/set with a .343 hitting efficiency. Her career high of 12 kills came this season against Lee College. Brown will graduate this spring with an Associate degree in Kinesiology and plans to play at the next level. She is escorted by her God-parents, Christie and Stan Cook.
The third sophomore honored is McKenzie Dimery, an outside hitter/defensive specialist from College Station, and a graduate of A & M Consolidated High School. As a freshman, Dimery appeared in 31 matches, recorded 27 total kills and 76 total digs. As a sophomore, she has appeared in 56 sets with a total of 82 digs, averaging 1.46 digs/set with her career high of 10 digs coming against Cedar Valley this year. After her spring graduation from Panola College, Dimery plans to continue her playing career and education at a university where she will pursue a Kinesiology degree with hopes of becoming a physical therapist. She is escorted by her dad, Thirman Dimery.
The fourth sophomore quad-captain is Hannah Floyd, a libero/defensive specialist from League City and a graduate of Clear Springs High School. As a freshman, Floyd played in 32 matches and 85 sets, totaling 243 digs and averaging 2.86 digs/set. In 2018, she had a career high 32 digs twice, with the first one coming against Polk State and the second one against Missouri-West Plains. In 2019, Floyd’s role has increased stepping into the Libero position playing in 31 matches, 104 sets with 396 total digs on the year. She leads the team with 40 total aces and is averaging 3.81 digs/set. Floyd is majoring in business with dreams of owning her own company one day. She plans to continue her playing career and education at a university to be decided after graduation from Panola this December. She is escorted by her parents Rhonda and Chris Floyd and younger brother, Drew.
The fifth sophomore quad-captain is Masha Idjilov, a setter from the Republic of Moldova and a transfer from the College of Central Florida. Idjilov instantly made her presence known on the Fillies volleyball court, appearing in 31 matches and 104 sets. She helped anchor the Fillies’ offense, tallying 1084 total assists and averaging 10.42 assists/game while also picking up 82 digs, averaging 1.73 digs/set on the year. Her career high of 48 assists came in the 4-set win over Brookhaven last month. Idjilov is currently ranked 8th in the nation in assists/set and 3rd in the nation in total assists. Idjilov will graduate in the spring with an Associate in Liberal Arts and plans to finish her degree and playing career at a university after Panola. She is escorted by her home away from home parents, Rhonda and Chris Floyd.
The sixth sophomore quad-captain is Riley Seegers, from Beckville, and a graduate of Beckville High School. As a freshman, Seegers played in 24 matches and 48 sets contributing 45 kills with a hitting efficiency of .238 and 31 blocks on the year. As a sophomore, she has thrived in the role of being the heart and soul of the team as you can see in her effort and her play. Seegers has played in 31 matches and 74 sets, contributing 75 kills, 40 digs and 51 total blocks on the year. After graduating from Panola in December, Seegers plans to continue her education at Texas State University and major in Respiratory Care. She is the proud daughter of the late Eric Seegers. She is escorted by her mom Jaime Seegers and her brother, Jesse Sipes.
The seventh sophomore is quad-captain Mikayla Ware. Ware is an outside hitter from San Antonio and graduate of Clark High School. Ware emerged as a prominent player for the Fillies mid-way through her freshman year, going from a reserved role to finishing the year 3rd on the team in total kills with 219. She also picked up 297 digs, 14 blocks, 21 aces and 21 assists and was named Honorable-Mention All-Conference for Region XIV. This year, she has been a consistent force on the outside for the Fillies, leading the team in total kills, kills per set, and points earned with 395, 3.80 and 442.5 respectively. Ware has notched 17 double-double performances in kills and digs this season, with her season-high of 21 kills and 11 digs coming against Blinn College. After spring graduation from PC, Ware plans to continue playing at a university while completing her education degree in Nursing. She is escorted by her mom, Tanya Aleman, grandparents Mary-Ellen and Jerry Rodriguez and her dad, Anthony Ware.
“We applaud this outstanding group of sophomores and the accomplishments they have achieved as a team as we wish them the best of luck the rest of this year and beyond,” Coach Thorn said.
