December 14, 2023

When Ayanna Watson suffered a late-season injury right before the start of the state playoffs a year ago, it not only provided extra motivation for this season but sparked a change in how the 6-4 outside and 5-star recruit approached her sophomore campaign. “I was way more motivated to stay healthy,” Watson said. “I would tell myself I was always going to stretch when I wake up and make sure I iced and do the things I needed to help my team so there wasn’t a reason to fall short again.” With Watson healthy and in the lineup, Bishop Gorman downed Coronado in the 5A state championship match to prove themselves as the best team in the state of Nevada this fall. It also capped an enormous season for her. She supercharged the offense with a team-leading 605 kills, averaging 5.7 per set while hitting .392. On top of that, she was second in both blocks (52) and aces (56), as well as third in digs with 373. If there’s a need for any more evidence as to what exactly she brings to the court, all one has to do is look at the way she ended the season. She delivered a season-best 32 kills and hit .348 in the state final. It was the first time all season she had 30 or more kills. “We she got injured last year and she was out, you saw a change in her determination and her demeanor,” Bishop Gorman coach Gregg Nunley said. “She really started to turn it on then. Having that taken away from her and not being able to participate in the state playoffs made her push herself harder. She wants to be the best out there. She has the inner drive and determination to meet that goal.” For her efforts, Watson is vballrecruiter.com’s 2023 Sophomore Player of the Year. Weeks before earning the state championship, we featured Watson as our Player of the Week. She shared how she started in volleyball, as well as her aspirations for this season and much more. You can read all about it here. As for the Player of the Year honor, it was a gut-wrenching selection process, including a few finalists who stood out above the rest. There was Halle Thompson from Grand Oaks, an outside who helped the Grizzlies capture the Texas 6A state championship. There was also Ella Florez, a setter who guided Mill Valley to the Kansas 6A state title. Like Watson, both are 5-star recruits who had dominate campaigns. There was no going wrong among the trio. “I think it’s really great,” Watson said. “I wasn’t expecting to get it. There are so many really great players. Halle, I know her and I love her. She’s a really great player and there were so many more that it was really hard to pick from.” In selecting Watson, Bishop Gorman’s strength of schedule played a role. The school traveled to the Nike TOC Southeast tournament, attended the Durango Fall Classic and headed to the Redondo Power Classic. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Nunley said. “We played a dozen teams in the Top 100 and she still put up those numbers. It was great to see her not only wanting to be the best physically, but also emerging as a leader on the team.” Coming into her sophomore season, Watson made it a point to be more of a leader and more consistent in communicating with her teammates. She said she worried less about what anyone thought and focused more on what she needed to do to get Bishop Gorman back on top. She not only did that, but proved herself of being well-deserving of earning our Sophomore of the Year award. “Ayanna and senior Leilia Toailoa led this team with not only how they play but in getting everyone to buy in to what we were doing,” Nunley said. “They called this ring season. This is ring season and they got everyone to buy into it during summer workouts. It was really great to see.”