San Antonio Madison High School is Locked and Loaded with Talent
With perennial powers Reagan and Churchill in this district, it is widely considered San Antonio’s District of death. Two schools who can easily go far in the State tournament in any given year. Madison has always been competitive but they usually are looking up to those two schools when it comes to volleyball playoffs. Coach Shannon Wolfe has some young talent that came in to play Varsity since they were freshman and they are looking to take over this district now. It will be tough considering two new schools will be added to the district this coming year. Brandeis and Clark are both big volleyball schools also and have a few players who play for big name San Antonio volleyball clubs. It will be very interesting to see how Madison handles these challenges. They have some fearless young players ready for it. Let’s meet some of them.
Photo Credit: KSAT News
Lets start with the two floor generals who run this team’s offense:
Photo Credit: SportsRecruits – Alamo
Rylee Davis Rylee Davis 5'6" | S Madison | 2022 State TX [2022] 5-8 Setter (HS: Madison/Club: Alamo)
Miss Davis is currently ranked as the 35thbest player in the state of Texas according to our Prep Dig Player Rankings. Rylee is a silky smooth and super strong setter from nationally known club Alamo Volleyball. She has been playing against top-level competition for a while now. This experience shows while she plays. She stays calm under pressure and has ball control for days. The ball just floats off of her hands so smooth right to target. When you watch her play, you can see the confidence in her every move on the court. It just exudes from her frame. There is not a set that she cannot produce on the court with precise location. She should be on every college coach’s list of setters to watch. There is no doubt that she should be on a NCAA Div 1 roster in a couple of years. She is primed to help lead Madison to dethrone Reagan and Churchill.
Photo Credit: Elsa Rodriguez
Angelina Rodriguez Angelina Rodriguez 5'9" | S Madison | 2022 State TX [2022] 5-9 Setter/Libero (HS: Madison/Club: SA Magic)
Angelina comes from a successful volleyball family who has been in the club scene for a long time. Her mom is a director and coach for San Antonio Krush. Both of her two older sisters have played club ball, college ball, and also starred for Madison High School in their days. Now it is time for the youngest Rodriguez to shine. And boy does she. She has used those younger years of peppering with her sisters and mom to polish an amazing set of skills on the court. She is what us coaches call a gym rat, which is someone who loves to be in the gym. Angelina is a gifted player who has ball control in every aspect of the game. She can also play libero and even hits for her club team at times. She runs the offense for her club team and they consistently been one of the best teams in the nation over the past couple of years. Last year they medaled at USA Nationals in the USA Division. I’m definitely talking to all of my college coaching friends about her and they have taken notice. Miss Rodriguez is not currently ranked on our Prep Dig Player Rankings but she should be somewhere in the top 50 once our new rankings come out in a few months.
Having one of these young ladies to run your team would be a amazing, but having both of them running your High School squads offense is a high school coach’s dream. Coach Wolfe can smile big knowing she has two high volleyball IQ players slinging the rock for her. Now let’s move on to a couple of players who are scoring the points for her team.
DallasStar Johnson DallasStar Johnson 5'10" | OH Madison | 2022 State TX [2022] 5-10 Outside/Middle (HS: Madison/Club: Team Red Athletics)
Miss Johnson is currently ranked as the 17thbest player in the state of Texas according to our Prep Dig Player Rankings. This young lady is an extremely gifted multi-sport athlete who stars for her school’s track, basketball, and volleyball teams. She plays for newly found club Team Red Athletics. This young lady is going to take the college coaching recruiting world by storm soon once she gets on their radar. She possesses it all. She has ball control on her serve receive passes as she is the primary passer and attacker on her club team in every rotation. She has been playing middle for her high school team due to her vertical touch, athleticism, and speed on the court. She led the team in blocks this past high school season. However, in club, she is the O1 (primary outside attacker) who scores at will with a multitude of offensive weapons in her arsenal. She is the real deal on either position that you put her in and the sky is the limit as she progresses as an athlete. She is no stranger to flying around for balls either as she has a true relentless pursuit of the ball defensively. I will be discussing her with as many of my college coaching contacts as I can as she will definitely make a roster in the NCAA.
Shavonne Respondek Shavonne Respondek 5'9" | OH Madison | 2021 State TX [2021] 5-7 Outside (HS: Madison/Club: SA Force)
Although she is a smaller outside hitter in height, you won’t notice by looking at her stats. She has done a good enough job to be playing in the TGCA All-Star game this year. Shavonne is a huge impact player that likes to swing for the fences. I haven’t seen a young lady swing this hard in a while. When she swings, everyone takes notice. You can hear the loudest boom like a shot out of a cannon. I almost feel bad for opposing defenders who actually get a touch on it. She will be looking to have a great senior season next year at Madison. Miss Respondek is not currently ranked on our Prep Dig Player Rankings but she should be somewhere in the top 70 once our new rankings come out in a few months.
We did a little Q & A with 11 year veteran Coach Shannon Wolfe about her and her team and here is a little snippet of that conversation.
Prep Dig: What is your expectation for district play this coming season?
Coach Wolfe: “Wow, that’s a great question. With the addition of Brandeis and Clark, this definitely adds more challenges in a district that was already challenging enough. We now must fight two more incredibly talented teams to make it into the playoffs. I think our Madison girls can handle the challenge, before being in our stay at home order theses girls were pushing themselves everyday on and off the court during offseason, now they are pushing themselves at home. They have workouts that they have done everyday (sent me videos) and they are still practicing their volleyball skills as well (although it may be in the backyard and by themselves) they are finding a way. That’s what Madison volleyball does, we find a way.”
Prep Dig: How do you think your team will finish in arguably the toughest district in the city?
Coach Wolfe: “I believe we have a talented group of athletes that can do whatever they put their minds too. It’s hard to put a number to it. I would like to think that we will push ourselves to be the best team we can be and hopefully that will put us in a playoff position.”
Prep Dig: Which Freshman stepped up this past season?
Coach Wolfe:
Jayden Jones – 5-7 Outside (Club: SA Elite)
Brionna Johnson – 5-11 Middle (Club: South Texas Volleyball Academy)
Jayden Harrison – 5-5 Outside (Club: TCVA)
Prep Dig: What do you love about the school?
Coach Wolfe: I love Madison, all my athletes and students and the people I work with. We are one big family and I am super proud to be at Madison and be fortunate enough to be coaching the game that I love and hopefully instilling that love into the athletes.
Prep Dig: What is your coaching philosophy and how do you apply it to your teams?
Coach Wolfe: My coaching philosophy: I am committed to you as students, as athletes, and as young women. It is my goal to provide you with every opportunity to become as good as you want to be. More importantly, I strive to help you and your teammates to become the best team you can be. I believe that all athletes can learn and improve in the game of volleyball, and it is my job to give them the knowledge and skills to be successful on and off the volleyball court. I strive to give my 100% best every day to help each athlete to play to their maximum potential. I believe that attitude is a choice and that you make the decision everyday to come onto the court with a positive or negative attitude. Athletes must have a next play mentality and do your job focus. You are all you can control, so come to practice…don’t whine, don’t complain, and don’t make excuses. Keep moving forward.
It was great to catch up with Coach Shannon Wolfe and we look forward to seeing her team play next season. Keep your eye out for Madison!!!
If you feel like you have a school or club that you think we should highlight, feel free to email me at nov8vb@yahoo.com