Once a year, Missouri volleyball coaches nominate players from all across the state to be candidates for the All-State Volleyball award. In the end, only 35 players are chosen. OHS has not had an athlete make the All-State Volleyball Team in 18 years — until now.

Alexis Williams (11), a member of the OHS varsity team for the last three years, was recently named all-state.

“This is a big honor,” Williams said. “There were only three liberos chosen out of thousands, and I was the only junior.”

This season the OHS team ended their season 22-7-3, which is their best record since the 2012 team won 24 matches. Williams played a big role in the team’s success and is well respected by her teammates.

“I have been playing volleyball with Alexis for a very long time and she has been a great teammate throughout all of the years,” said Julia Klump (11). “She has many great things coming her way, and I am very happy for her.”

Williams has practically grown up on the volleyball court.

“I’ve been playing ever since I could walk,” she said.

Her parents, Brian and Shannon, own Wave Taco Sand Volleyball and have been heavily involved with the sport for many years, so it is no surprised that by the age of 4 Williams developed a love for volleyball.

She first played for fun through CYC sports, but quickly found a passion and interest in joining a club volleyball team. Her team played at nationals and placed fifth out of 3,000 teams. Nothing has challenged that level of excitement and honor in her career until now.

“I’ve been working really hard to get noticed by coaches,” she explained.