Don’t let Hockaday’s early-season record fool you.
The Daisies are still every bit the SPC state volleyball contenders they have been in years past.
Hockaday just has to take on one of the nation’s most grueling schedules to get where it wants to be.
Thus far, Hockaday has opened with a 10-13 mark as it hopes to improve on last year’s third-place state finish. The Daisies won it all consecutively in 2024 and 2025.
Hockaday’s early endeavors include appearances at Volleyfest in Grapevine, the Allen Tournament, and Volleypalooza in Leander, with the Ryse Warrior Showcase in Farmers Branch approaching in late September. Already, Hockaday has faced 15 of the state’s top 50 teams and 10 of the top 100 teams in the nation.
Not only has Hockaday faced a long list of volleyball heavyweights to open its 2026 campaign, but the Daisies have done so with minimal practice time due to club and scheduling restraints.
“We don’t get to practice a whole lot until late September,” said Allison Curran, third-year Hockaday head coach. “And our kids don’t have much of an offseason, either. So there’s a lot of pressure with not as much preparation as we would like to play the gauntlet we start with. But that’s how we have to do it and that’s how we want it.”
Curran noted her players are aware of the rigors of Hockaday’s non-district schedule and aren’t discouraged by the lack of wins they are accustomed to.
“Our long-term goal is to win the SPC championship,” she said. “Going 30-0 to start the season doesn’t help us at all. We get better by playing the best and that’s why we prefer to compete in these state-ranked showcases and big tournaments. The team understands our goals and what we have to do to get there.”
Hockaday’s preseason slate takes on added importance given the lack of SPC opponents in the area (Greenhill Academy is the only other Dallas area team in Hockaday’s district) and what is typically a lack of challenging matches in district.
The jam-packed non-district slate also gives Hockaday’s players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of college recruits.
“Our ultimate goal is to win state, but our second goal always is to give our kids the best chance they have to play in college,” Curran said.
That plan has already led to collegiate commitments for multiple Daisies, including senior libero and defensive specialist Siena Ebert (Princeton) and junior libero and defensive specialist Emily Boomstra (Tulane).
Ebert is one of just three seniors on Hockaday’s roster this season alongside setter Porter Johnston and outside hitter Mila Haffar. Junior Avery Park will also be a key setter in the rotation for the Daisies.
Options are something Hockaday doesn’t lack for up front, either.
Haffar will be a six-rotation player, while sophomore middle blocker and right-side hitter Kris Thomas has made “tremendous strides” after only starting to play volleyball as a freshman and is hitting a .449 clip this season.
Junior Ruby Duncan was described by Curran as Hockaday’s most versatile player, while freshman Noah Kidd has made an instant impact as a swinger.
Sophomores Annalisa Ryser and Callie Brooks are also seeing significant playing time in the front court.
“This is probably the most depth we’ve had in my eight years at Hockaday,” Curran said. “They’re all going to be college players and Division I players and they really push each other in practice. With this much talent, nobody feels secure and they know they have to work that much harder.
“That’s something we haven’t had a problem with anyway, though. Our kids all work extremely hard and we’re looking forward to getting some good practice time soon. We treat that like a laboratory when we’ll really figure out what works best and what we’ll stick with.”
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