Highland Park received a much-welcomed addition in its quest to repeat as Class 5A volleyball state champions Tuesday in Rockwall.
For the first time since August, Texas commit and last year’s state championship match MVP Sarah Floyd returned to the lineup as HP swept Melissa in the area round of the 5A Division I playoffs (25-20, 25-10, 25-21).
Limited to playing the back row in her 2026 debut, Floyd was a force at the service line, including firing a pair of aces, while providing strong defense.
“I was so excited to get back out there tonight,” Floyd said. “It was just a great feeling to be able to play again and do what I can to help the team.”
HP head coach Michael Dearman noted that now that Floyd has gotten her feet wet, he anticipates her transitioning to front row rotations for Friday’s regional-quarterfinal matchup against Liberty Hill, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Waco Midway.
“Boy, it’s so great to have her back on the court,” Dearman said. “You saw her serves, she was deadly with her serves and it’s just a preview of things to come for her.”
Fortunately for HP, Floyd’s services at the net weren’t required against Melissa as the contingent of Allie Hudgins, Taylor Toomay, Marlee Roehm, Annabelle Strohbehn, and Emerson Camillo provided more than enough firepower.
Hudgins paced the Lady Scots with 14 kills, while Toomay had eight and two aces and Roehm and Camillo contributed six and five kills, respectively.
Strohbehn, meanwhile, notched a match-high five blocks to go with her five terminations and three aces.
“I also though we passed pretty well tonight, which is something we’ve had issues with at times this year,” Dearman said. “We’ve really worked hard there and I feel like we’re doing a great job.”
Things didn’t start swimmingly, however, as Melissa raced out to a 6-0 lead to open the first set.
HP responded quickly, however, countering with seven in a row of their own before settling in and taking the opening frame, 25-20.
The Lady Scots settled in from there, cruising to a 25-10 victory in set two before finishing off the sweep, 25-21.
In the third frame, Hudgins had three kills in a six-point span as HP turned a 5-4 deficit into a 14-8 advantage prompting a Melissa timeout.
On multiple occasions, the Lady Cardinals crept back to within two points but never closer.
“Allie came up big for us for sure,” Dearman said. “The way they were playing us on defense, we essentially decided to play through her because they were focused on our middles. We knew we were going to have a shot to the middle of the court and she kept taking advantage of that.”
The Lady Scots had entered the area round coming off a four-set win in the bi-district round against Frisco Liberty (25-10, 20-25, 25-20, 25-14).
It was HP’s first dropped set in the postseason since 2024 after sweeping its way to the title a year ago.
“Obviously, you can’t win every match in three (sets),” Dearman said. “I know that’s what we did last year throughout the playoffs, but that’s not really normal. Honestly, when Liberty took that set from us, I think that was good for us. It allowed us to refocus when they had a lot of momentum and I think that helped us tonight, too.”
HP now shifts its focus to the regional semifinals and a date with a Liberty Hill team ranked No. 2 in the state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
“Tonight feels great,” Dearman said. “But just like we did last year, we’re taking it one at a time. I know it’s cliche, but it’s true for us. We’re really enjoying each play and are focused on the next one and they’re doing a great job of playing with joy and taking it all in every step of the way. So we feel great and are looking forward to the next round.”
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