The senior, who was on his way to Texas, was surprised by the honor inside Prosper Gymnasium on Tuesday.
PROSPER, Texas — With a room full of friends and family waiting in silent anticipation for a jug of Gatorade filled with confetti to be dumped over his head, Prosper volleyball player Aiden -Ames entered the Prosper High School gymnasium Tuesday morning. Big surprise.
“Are you kidding me?!” she said, crouching down, so overwhelmed by it. “are you kidding me!?”
The All-American earned a new honor: Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.
Aiden held back tears as his mother hugged him. The senior, who led Prosper to the state tournament this fall, knew his goal had been achieved.
“My heart sank and my hands started shaking,” she said. “Because she had no idea what was going to happen.”
Even after she had a chance to absorb the moment, she said it still didn’t feel real.
“Basically, you were just declared the best volleyball player in America,” I told her later. “What do you think about that?”
“I don’t fully understand it,” she said. “When you see her name on the trophy, it’s like April Ross or Kerri Walsh-Jennings. [The fact] I can’t believe I’m having the same conversations with those players. But this is the granddaddy of all awards, so we couldn’t be happier. ”
So now, in the aftermath of the confetti and celebration, Aiden turns his attention to his career at the University of Texas. She was rated the No. 1 freshman in the state of Texas in the Class of 2024. Now she joins the UT program, a perennial powerhouse and defending national champion.
“You know, the goals obviously change,” Aiden said. “Instead of winning a state championship, I started thinking about winning a national championship. I know once I get there, my goals will completely change. And I have great coaches and a great staff. I’m going to be in the hands of ‘and I know they’ll take good care of me.’ ”
And they will be nurturing great young talent.