In less than a month, Highland Park’s volleyball team will begin defending its 2025 Class 5A Division I state title.
But summer has not provided much time off for one of HP’s biggest stars on the court. The past few months have been a whirlwind for reigning District 12-5A MVP Sarah Floyd.
In addition to winning a club national championship with Texas Advantage Volleyball and competing for Team USA’s 2026 U19 Women’s National Team in Costa Rica, Floyd finalized her collegiate intentions. When her time with the Scots is complete, she has committed to play for the University of Texas.
Floyd will look to bring her winning pedigree from club and high school volleyball to a storied Longhorns program that has won five national championships and is coming off a berth in the regional finals in 2025.
“I’m so excited,” Floyd said. “When you look at the tradition there and the winning they’ve done and the amount of players they’ve had that have been All-Americans and Olympians, it’s just an amazing program.
“They really have a great culture, but it’s the people that really made me want to be there. From my first visit there during college camps, and getting to make another visit and getting to know everyone more, I knew that was where I wanted to go.”
Floyd noted she chose Texas over Wisconsin, as well as other programs she considered.
“I really loved Madison, but it was just something about Texas,” she said. “Now that I’ve made my decision, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I’m ready to just focus on my senior season.”
Floyd will enter her final campaign with the Scots as an even better version of herself following a productive summer.
As noted, Floyd’s inclusion on the national team earned her not only a trip to San Jose, Costa Rica, but also multiple weeks of training with the nation’s top athletes and coaches at Team USA’s facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Floyd is also coming off a first-place performance with TAV U16 Black at the 2026 USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“It was a great feeling,” Floyd said. “We came really close last year and finished second, so to come out and get first this year, I’m so proud of everyone.”
Floyd, who was named to the all-tournament team, credited camaraderie and aggression for TAV’s success.
“I think the biggest difference this year was our chemistry,” she said. “We were all on the same page, we were really serving aggressively and dictating points, and our defense was on point.”
The future Longhorn believes her experience this summer will translate to the high school level when the Scots take the court in August.
“I kind of played all around last year, but I think this summer is going to really help me out as a hitter and to be a bigger presence on the back row,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back out there with my teammates. Of course we would love to repeat as state champs, but our first goal is to go out to the Hawaii tournament and win it all this time.”
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