JOLEE VAN DYKE FIELD LEVEL CLICK HERE
When the high school volleyball season comes to an end in 2 1/2 months, Jolee Van Dyke will play her final game with Millsap. But even before her last game as a Bulldog, she’s already regarded as one of the best players in program history.
Van Dyke, a 5-foot-5 setter, holds two of the biggest career records at Millsap – most assists and most aces. She broke the all-time record for assists earlier in the season at just over 1,400. She’s now has 1,739 and is on pace to not only smash her career high in a single season, but to reach 2,500 total.
Van Dyke has 51 aces and is trying to break her own school record when she had 86 last season as a junior.
She has 51 in 64 sets played and 245 overall.
She also has nearly 1,100 digs.
Volleyball has been a part of her life for the past 12 years ever since she was 6. She said she loves how fast paced the game can be. “I also love how unpredictable the game is,” Van Dyke added. “There are no two games that are the same. I love the competitiveness and the bonds I create with my team.”
Millsap is 10-14 this season, but has played tough competition.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-2 loss at home to Grandview on Tuesday night. Despite falling in the first two sets, Millsap rallied to force five against one of the top Class 3A teams in the state. Grandview reached the regional tournament in 2022.
Van Dyke put in 21 assists, 12 digs and a season-high seven aces.
Prior to Grandview, Millsap finished runner-up in the silver bracket at the Godley tournament.
Millsap will play defending Class 2A champ Windthorst and Poolville before beginning play in District 8-3A. The Dawgs finished in third place last year with a 10-4 record. Van Dyke has high hopes for herself and her teammates.
“I think Millsap will surprise everyone this year. We are coming in as the underdogs, but we have a group of competitive and determined players that want to win. For us, this season is going to be fun and memorable. We have a tough district, but I am confident we will come out on top,” she said.
Outside of Millsap, Van Dyke plays club with Sky High.
She remembers when they played No. 1 Madfrog in a tournament.
“My favorite memory was in club two years ago when we played Madfrog at our first tournament,” Van Dyke said. “At that time, they were ranked #1 in the NTR and we were ranked in the 30s. We ended up splitting sets with them and the feeling and energy on the court was unlike anything i’ve ever felt.”
Van Dyke has dreams of continuing her career at the next level.
Some schools she would love to play for include Midwestern State, A&M Corpus Christi, Texas Woman’s University and Arlington Baptist. She also mentioned her favorite player is Nebraska defensive specialist Lexi Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and the Corn Huskers had a record breaking night on Wednesday at home as the team played on the football field at Memorial Stadium in front of 92,003 people – a new world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event.
“The love and hustle she has for the game is unlike anything I’ve seen,” Van Dyke said. “She never doubts any of her teammates and is anywhere and everywhere she needs to be on the court at any given time.
Van Dyke went on to say that her determination and drive makes her stand out and college coaches need to know that. “I want to get better everyday for not only me, but also my teammates. Any day I can be in the gym, I am in the gym.
“No matter if it’s working on my offense or if it’s working on my defense, I have the drive and I put in the effort to get better everyday.”
TWITTER: @jolee_vandyke
